Exclusive Interview: Tyler James White Talks ‘Founders Day,’ Creating Playlists for His Characters and World Building, and More

Tyler James White is one of the most exciting young voices of his generation. The multifaceted storyteller and musician is bringing timely narratives and characters to life with projects including Adolescent Plush, Byproduct, and The College Tapes. Currently, he stars in the must-see slasher, Founders Day.

Following a series of ominous killings in the days leading up to a small town’s heated mayoral election, accusations fly, and the threat of a masked killer darkens every street corner. As paranoia grows, the residents must race to uncover the truth before fear consumes the town.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Tyler about Founders Day, how he creates playlists for his characters and world building, his love for independent filmmaking, his collaboration with Erik and Carson Bloomquist, and more.

PC: One of your first significant projects that you worked on was a Lifetime movie, which initially started as a smaller role and continued to expand. How affirming was that for you as a young actor, getting your start in this industry? How did that experience open a door for you and lead to projects like Founders Day?
Tyler: It was cool to get that early on because it allowed me to sink my teeth in. Initially, I was coming on for a smaller role that grew. Getting to work with Vivica Fox on that was cool. I got a lot out of it. It was good preparation for coming into something like Founders Day and playing the character that I did on that. That was more of a fun role. But it affirmed that you’re doing the right thing and making the right choices. That was fun. I haven’t thought about that one in a bit, so it’s cool that you brought that up.

PC: You were very busy during the pandemic. There are so many twists and turns throughout Founders Day. What was your initial reaction when you read that script and the character that you played? What made you want to be a part of it?
Tyler: What was really interesting since I auditioned for Rob was that I only had Rob’s sides. Funny enough, I actually didn’t know that it was a slasher initially, so I didn’t have much to go off of when it came to the story. But when I got the sides for Rob, he really intrigued me. If you’ve seen it, you know some of the dialogue that he has. I’m a pretty polite, mild-mannered guy, so it was really fascinating to me to explore what would bring someone to express himself that way and have that point of view on the world.

Once I got the script and the offer, I already had Rob’s attitude and point of view. It was really interesting to go through the story. You’re trying to remain objective the whole time, but I couldn’t help but have some of the angst that he has as I was reading it, so it made it really interesting for me to paint the story that way from the jump.

But that aside, I’m a huge murder-mystery guy. My favorite board game growing up was Clue, so getting to go along and try to figure out who’s behind the mask, you start to feel a certain way about a certain character, and then you start to question it throughout the script. It’s been cool now at screenings to see the same reaction from other people where they start to feel really strongly about a certain character and then they start to question themselves through the end.

PC: This industry is full of ups and downs, but we’re living in such an exciting time in the industry where we have storytellers taking control of their own careers and creating their own narratives, yourself included. How have your experience writing and producing now impacted the way that you approach your work on screen and interpret characters like Rob?
Tyler: It’s always good to learn the different facets of filmmaking. Every time I wear a different hat, it enhances what I can bring to a different part of the craft, especially when it comes to acting. Going from the process of writing to producing to directing and seeing it all come to life, you start to see how important every roles play in a story, even if you’re a supporting character. The role that you play enhances the story and makes such an impact. It can definitely inform the choices you make as an actor coming into a project where no matter where you are in the story, you’re guiding it in a certain way. Getting to understand the story on a deeper level by being on the side of the camera has really enhanced my whole approach to everything.

PC: Music is also a big part of your artistry. What role does it play in helping you prepare for a character and a project? If you had to pick a song that best encompasses Rob’s journey, what would it be?
Tyler: It’s really interesting that you bring that up because part of my process is putting together playlists for every character. It helps on set, keeping that music going in between scenes. If I’m working on a character, I’ll listen to all that stuff. What was interesting for Rob was I started listening to Digital Hardcore Music. It was intense electronica that had punk influences from the early ’90s. I had this two-hour playlist that was loud and vicious. It made it really easy to get into that headspace.

When it comes to writing music, I grew up in the punk scene in metro Detroit and in the world that has this DIY ethos where you feel like you control your own destiny. You’re not relying upon labels, booking agents, and stuff like that. You figure out how to do a lot of things on your own, and bringing that approach to Founders Day, which is more of an indie film and super collaborative, is really interesting. It’s fascinating to see the parallels between it all. The deeper I get into this industry, the more I realize, “Wow, I know how to do this because it’s something that I did in the music world.” It’s just on a different level. Seeing that cross between artistic mediums is really interesting.

PC: Without giving any spoilers, as you were saying earlier, one of the reasons why this genre is so popular is that audiences feel like active participants in the film, trying to piece everything together and figure out who the Founder is. One of your goals as an actor is to create that intrigue. How were you able to find those subtle moments to add those layers of suspicion throughout the film?
Tyler: It definitely helps to have conversations like the ones I had with Erik [Bloomquist] going into it, understanding where your character fits into the story to inform those choices. Once you grasp the world of it all and your place in it, for me, it’s about finding the background and what I can bring to those scenes. If it creates a sense of doubt for the audience member or intrigue, then that’s always a big bonus. But, at the end of the day, it’s about trying to bring authenticity and justify what he’s doing in each moment.

PC: He has quite the transformation in the film. The use of humor is so unexpected and brilliant. Your character, in particular, gets to play in both the comedic and dramatic beats. How fun is that for you as an actor to play in those spaces? What has that experience been like seeing it with a live audience and seeing the emotions that your character is evoking?
Tyler: It’s been really fun to see it with the audience and observe their reactions, noticing how similar reactions are at certain screenings and how different they are at others. That’s always interesting to witness in a project that you’re involved with. For Rob, because he feels so intensely about certain things and people, it creates this sort of angst, which at times you can resonate with. But at other times, due to the absurdity baked into the world, you can also laugh at it at the same time. Hats off to Erik and Carson [Bloomquist] for creating the world they’ve created and having the eclectic group of characters in this ensemble cast.

PC: You have such a strong affinity for creating and this has been such a passion project for Erik and Carson. What was it like getting to collaborate with them? How different is the filming experience when the person who helped co-create these characters and the universe is also at the helm directing?
Tyler: It’s everything that I love about filmmaking and creating in general. I feel very blessed to have gotten to work with them, the crew, and the cast that was involved because it’s a labor of love and getting to be on a production where everybody is so passionate about it and takes such ownership of their place in it.

It affirms all the reasons why you get into this in the first place. It’s for the fun and majesty of it. It made it really rewarding every day to go in and do that where it doesn’t feel like work, even on certain night shoots where it’s freezing and you’re trying to hide hand warmers in your wardrobe to keep sane as you’re standing in the same place for a while. It doesn’t get tiring. We could have been out there for another eight hours and it wouldn’t have felt like work.

It was great getting to work together, being on location, and getting to hang together in between filming. It’s all the reasons why you get into this in the first place. It’s everything you imagine it and want it to be, which is not the case on every set, unfortunately. It was a blast and it reflected what you see on screen, which is cool.

PC: Outside of this project, what’s next for you, either on the acting, writing, producing or music side?
Tyler: Right now, I’m in post-production for my short film. It’s the first one that I’ve directed. We’re wrapping up everything on that right now, and I’m really excited to bring that story to life and show what I can do as a filmmaker. I took a step back from acting in it to be really on the other side and bring this life and world that’s so specific and vivid in my head to life. That’s my focus right now.

To keep up with Tyler, follow him on Instagram. Founders Day is in theaters now.