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Steven Turano (Garrett Clayton) is a socially awkward band geek who reveals to an online pro-suicide support group that he plans to kill himself. He feels isolated, depressed, and harbors deep resentment towards his widowed father, Steve Turano (Bojesse Christopher), and his tormentor and former childhood best friend, Nick Perkins (Jordan Doww). Although his first attempt is unsuccessful, he’s determined to find a way to escape his suffering…that is until he’s befriended by Clarence West (Johnny James Fiore), the quirky new kid in school, who changes his life forever. Soon, Steven begins to reach outside his comfort zone to form stronger relationships with his friends and family.

Pop Culturalist had the honor of speaking with Garrett about his deep connection to Reach and his character, Steven.

PC: Tell us about your character and what attracted you to this project. How much of Garrett is in Steven?
Garrett: I related to this character on multiple levels. This film deals with so many themes I’ve dealt with in my life and knowing how sensitive those are, I wanted to make sure they were handled with respect.

There’s actually a lot of me in this character. I always find myself feeling awkward in social situations, just like Steven does, and I think that’s something a lot of people will be able to identify with. I used to struggle a lot with self-worth issues brought upon from personal experiences I had growing up, and it still affects me from time to time. I definitely got bullied (like Steven) and experienced a lot of other traumatic things, like he does in the film. Also, just like Steven, I didn’t ever fully explore my sexuality until I was pretty much an adult. Steven goes through so much at home, at school, in his head…he never really took the time to even consider dating. He was too busy dealing with all the problems in his life to even think about that.

PC: Steven has overcome a lot in his life and been through several traumatic life events. How did you prepare to step into his shoes?
Garrett: Having been through similar experiences growing up, the whole filming experience felt very raw for me, especially with all of these sensitive issues being brought up on a daily basis. Quite a few of the emotional scenes in this movie struck such close, personal chords that it was actually pretty hard to get through some of them. I tied a lot of my personal experiences—like having a family member commit suicide and experiencing the loss of a friend in a school shooting—to my work this time, and I think it ended up being pretty powerful. Just like my other films, I prepared for the role before we started shooting by building out his past, connecting it to my own story, etc. What really helped me was knowing that this film would end up in the world for people to see and I really hope that exposing those raw moments of my life that inform the character will end up helping someone somewhere who may be going through similar issues. Maybe it will make them feel less alone or isolated, or maybe someone will see someone else who’s struggling with something in life and will reach out to them and offer a sympathetic ear. Sometimes that’s all it takes for a person to see the brighter side of things: a friend who’s willing to listen.

PC: Steven’s life takes a drastic turn after he’s befriended by Clarence West. How did you and Johnny approach that relationship and did you model that friendship after someone in your own life?
Garrett: I modeled our friendship off of the relationships I have with my two best friends in real life. To me, Clarence seemed like a fair combination of my two best friends, John and Caleb. They had a huge influence on me growing up, and through them, I really learned to love myself as myself without worrying about what other people would think of me. Clarence, in the film, really shows Steven that being you is enough. Steven shouldn’t try to hide away or be something he isn’t. Even though that’s not a new notion to some people, I think it’s a powerful message.

PC: Steven is at the center of the film. Which of his relationships was your favorite to explore and why?
Garrett: I think I loved the friendship between Clarence and Steven the most. It’s a huge deal to Steven when Clarence makes the effort to be his friend and help him out of his shell. For me, that was my drama club family in high school. I had a tough time growing up with family issues and bullying and all that. My mom and the drama club were the two things that turned out to be vital in my happiness growing up.

PC: The film tackles a lot of heavy topics. How did you and the cast keep the atmosphere on set lighter?
Garrett: We focused on the work, and when we were doing very serious scenes everyone was very respectful of keeping the set quiet to let everyone focus on the story and everyone’s emotional vulnerability. Luckily, there are also so many fun moments in this movie that we ended up having a blast shooting those, too. We joked around a lot when we could, and that definitely got out minds off of feeling too low, as a lot of the content of the script was heavy and emotional.

PC: You have a deep connection with the film which you recently shared on social media. How has being a part of this story changed your life? What do you hope audiences take away from seeing the film?
Garrett: It’s helped me work through and come to terms with issues we handle in this film that I’ve personally dealt with in the past. Even more so, I’ve learned to be more comfortable with sharing my story publically. My hope is that by sharing my story, someone going through a hard time, whether it’s similar to my experience or not, will be able to know they aren’t alone and that staying true to yourself is very important. If this film helps even one person, then revisiting a lot of these tough issues on set everyday was more than worth it.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Garrett: Claws!

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Garrett: The Hot Chick

PC: Favorite book?
Garrett: Ready Player One

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Garrett: Noises Off

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Garrett: My Chemical Romance

PC: Last show you binge-watched?
Garrett: The Great British Baking Show

PC: Hidden talent?
Garrett: Crafting and sewing

Make sure to follow Garrett on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and catch Reach in theaters and on VOD today.