Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with What Lies Below’s Trey Tucker

Trey Tucker’s career is off to a booming start. In 2017, he made his feature film debut in a pivotal role opposite Gary Oldman in The Space Between Us.

This year, he has not one but two exciting projects. In July, he starred in the widely acclaimed military drama The Outpost, and now can be seen as one of the leads in the erotic thriller What Lies Below.

Pop Culturalist caught up with Trey to chat about What Lies Below, collaborating with Mena Suvari and Ema Horvath, and how he prepared to play his mysterious character.

PC: Tell us about What Lies Below and your character in the film.
Trey: I play John Smith in What Lies Below. It’s a film about a mother, daughter, and the mother’s new boyfriend. It revolves around these two women and their need for each other, their need to be loved, and how sometimes trying to get that can make you miss what’s right in front of you. I don’t want to say too much more because I hope that people watch the film and get surprised and creeped out by it.

PC: You’ve had a big year with films, first with The Outpost and now What Lies Below. What was it about this script that stood out?
Trey: The title says it all. As a performer, it’s a lot of fun because these three people have their motors running and they’re not on the same page. You have to do your preparation so it comes off the right way.

The thought of playing someone who has many different variations in one film was really fun and intoxicating, and then getting to work with Mena [Suvari] and Ema [Horvath] was a treat. Also, chatting with Braden [Duemmler], our director, about his ideas and all of that got me excited to work on this.

PC: Like you were saying, there’s a lot of mystery surrounding who John Smith is. Is he the perfect guy we’re introduced to at the start or is there something more sinister? How did you prepare to tow that line?
Trey: Braden was terrific in helping me. I brought lots of my own ideas [about towing that line], but he really helped me zero in on what was going to be most useful for the scene. A lot of it is figuring out what my character’s motivation is in that particular moment and the relationship to the characters that he’s interacting with. What do I want? Why do I want it?

PC: Great answer. This is your first foray into the horror genre. What was the biggest takeaway for you working on this project?
Trey: I feel so fortunate to get to do what I do. I feel incredibly lucky to get to work on something that allowed me to play this much. Whether you’re doing a toothpaste commercial or Bridge on the River Kwai, as a performer, the work is the same. For me, it’s about the tools that I learned on how to approach performing; you use them like you use any tools.

PC: This is Braden’s first film. What was the collaboration like working with him?
Trey: He’s a doll. He was terrific. He struck an impressive balance of giving you the guard rails that made you feel like you could trust that he wasn’t going to let you go astray, but then giving you an incredible amount of freedom and space to play. You knew you weren’t going to go too off base because he would help you. He was so clear with his intention and the story. He gave us goal posts that were easy to aim to. It was a gift, to be honest.

PC: How did you build that bond with Mena and Ema?
Trey: We got drunk a lot before we started shooting. [laughs] No, no, I’m teasing. We were really lucky. We all had an appreciation for each other as people and got along very well. While the dynamic may or may not go into a performance, it builds a comfort which allows you to try all these different things until you figure out what works best.

We spent some time together and talked about our feelings about the scenes—that was a big part of it. We did a lot of talking about what was going on with us before we actually went to shoot.

PC: In addition to What Lies Below, you’re also starring in the upcoming Heels. Is there anything you can tease about that series?
Trey: I have to be a bit tight-lipped at the moment, but it’s a very fun combination of being a rowdy, fun look at this world of indie wrestling while still being charming. It has the grit that you would expect from the subject matter, but it’s surprisingly sweet. It’s funny. It’s a wonderful piece of drama that has a whole lot of different colors to it.

Yes, it’s about wrestling, but at the center of it, it’s about different people who have this passion for this sport and what that does for each of their roads in life. We’re very proud of everything that we’ve done so far.

To keep up with Trey, follow him on Instagram. Watch What Lies Below in theater, on demand, and on digital today.