Kristine Froseth and Lukas Gage Discuss How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Creating Conversations Through Art, and More

Kristine Froseth and Lukas Gage are two of the stars of How to Blow Up a Pipeline (in select theaters now).

The gripping thriller follows a crew of young environmental activists who execute a daring mission to sabotage an oil pipeline in this taut and timely drama that is part high-stakes heist, part radical exploration of the climate crisis.

With grounded and explosive performances by the ensemble, including Kristine and Lukas, How to Blow Up a Pipeline is easily one of the best films of the year.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Kristine and Lukas about How to Blow Up a Pipeline, their creative processes and collaboration, how this project challenged them, creating conversations through art, and more.

PC: Kristine, you’ve said in previous interviews that when you’re reading a script and deciding whether you want to be a part of a project there either has to be a challenge, a sense of fear, or a message that resonates with you. What was it about this script and character that hit home for you?
Kristine: Oh, wow. Love the research. There were so many things. First and foremost, it was reading the book and having a conversation with Daniel [Goldhaber] and his intentions behind creating the movie. That’s what got me totally invested and wanting to be a part of this conversation. They created a script that starts conversations about, for, and against eco-terrorism. Is property destruction the right thing to do? Why is it the right thing to do? It does a great job sparking this conversation while unfolding in this very heisty, suspenseful way. That was it, as well as doing research on climate change.

Lukas and I watched a lot of documentaries on Western civilization and the punk scene. I wanted to make that as authentic as possible so I could create this full backstory. I didn’t know anything about the punk movement, so that was really fun. It was a ton of education. It was very new for me in that sense. Also, I got to work with Lukas, who is an amazing improviser. That was a challenge. [laughs] You have to be on your toes, and I was stoked to have that experience.

PC: Lukas, Danny, Jordan [Sjol], and Ariela [Barer] created the space for the actors to improvise. How did that freedom and environment allow you to not only step into your character’s shoes but also take ownership over him? Did you have a favorite line of yours that you improvised that wasn’t part of the original script?
Lukas: Favorite line that I improvised? “Pee on me.”

Kristine: Everyone always laughs when you say that, Lukas.

Lukas: It’s either “Pee on me” or something about milk, which is really weird because then I did You, where my character gets peed on and has a line about drinking his mother’s milk. I really put something into the universe with that one. [laughs] But yeah, I love improvising. I’m a script supervisor’s nightmare. I try to throw everything away on the day and don’t dot any of the i’s or cross any of the t’s. I throw everything out the window. It was amazing to have that opportunity and to have a scene partner like Kristine who was so present and down to roll with the punches, and also Daniel, Ariela, and Jordan, who allowed me the freedom to do that. Because a lot of times, especially in TV, you’re trying to incorporate your own improv and your own creativity, and it’s like, “Thank you for your work, but please say what’s on the page.”

PC: Kristine, you filmed this project during the pandemic when there was a lot of uncertainty about the future, especially within this industry, which is an interesting parallel to what the characters are facing in this film. How were you able to channel everything that you were feeling at the time into your performance?
Kristine: That’s a good question. We had just gone through it. We were very lucky to be making a movie during the time we did. Being vulnerable and being able to tap into that was part of it. I think also having Lukas, who was my rock during it. I felt very safe with him, so I felt like we could do that and expand on that. The most difficult thing about being a human is uncertainty, so I tapped back into that vulnerability as much as possible and tried not to suppress all of those feelings. We went through a crazy thing together. We’re still going through it as a collective, and we shouldn’t forget that.

Lukas: That’s a great answer. It almost prepared us because we were all so vulnerable. We had to roll with the punches. No one knew what was going on in the world. For Kristine and I, we really surrendered to that and figured it out as we went and really discovered it on the day. There was a lot of trust that we had with each other and trust with Daniel to say, “Let’s see what happens. Let’s roll with it.”

PC: Lukas, throughout your career, especially in recent years, you’ve been able to show off your versatility and depth. How much do previous roles impact and influence the types of projects that you want to be a part of in the future? What was it about Logan that you connected with?
Lukas: You’re asking really good questions. Thank you. For me, it was like Kristine: I wanted to be challenged. I want to do things that I hadn’t done before. Of course, we’re in an industry where if you do one thing suddenly you’re getting asked to do the same thing 100 times afterwards. If you’re known to be in sexual situations or a free spirit, then suddenly you’re getting every script where you’re into kinky things. For me, it was the filmmakers involved, the writing, the character, and doing something that feels at least like it’s different enough and is going to challenge me and that scares me. If I’m scared about whether I can pull it off, that’s when I know I want to be a part of it.

For this movie, I wasn’t well informed about the material. I’m not a musician. I had to learn how to play guitar a bit, even though it got cut from the movie. Kristine and I sang a song for the movie. We had the opportunity to learn about this subject. Now I feel like I have a bit more knowledge and can participate in the conversation about tactics and things that we can do to avert this climate apocalypse.

PC: Kristine, music has played such a big role in the way that you prepare for different roles. What did you listen to get into Rowan’s mindset?
Kristine: Oh, I had a playlist! I haven’t listened to it for a while. What were we listening to, Lukas?

Lukas: I still have it. We were listening to the Distillers. We listened to a lot of Distillers. It was a female punk singer. We listened to Dead Kennedys, Sex Pistols, Blondie, which is kind of pop punk. But we danced every day in the trailer to our punk-pop playlist. Kristine, you also sang a song.

Kristine: I know, but it’s in the past. [laughs]

Lukas: I learned some cords. It didn’t make it past the cutting room, but we did it.

Kristine: We did it.

Lukas: We did the damn thing.

PC: Lukas, this is such an exciting time in the industry where we’re seeing new voices emerge. Ariela, who got her start as an actor, has now pivoted into writing and producing. You also recently started to write. Have you found that your work as a writer has now impacted the way that you approach your work on screen? What did you learn through this collaboration with Ariela and Danny?
Lukas: That’s such a good question. I have even more immense respect for writers. Even though as an actor, I like to throw it all away and find stuff on the day, I also have crazy respect for the process of it. It has honed my skills as a writer and made me realize the importance of every line and everything that you say and that isn’t said and the space between. They both inform each other, and they both have hopefully made me grow as an actor and writer.

PC: You’ve both worked on projects of all sizes. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you as a creative?
Kristine: Lukas said this earlier but there’s so much more space for discovery. You can be more present and everyone’s on set for all the right reasons and we’re all united and there’s so much love around it. It’s an incredible experience. You get that with big studio productions too. There’s just so much more money involved and the pace is quicker. With indies, you get more time, at least in my experience.

Lukas: Also, you sometimes get more layered characters. I’m going to hype up Kristine for a second. If you haven’t seen Sharp Stick, her performance is crazy. Those kinds of characters don’t exist in TV. They’re more nuanced, and they’re more fleshed out. There’s more honesty and space. Go watch Kristine’s movie. She’s so good.

Make sure to follow Kristine (Instagram) and Lukas (Twitter/Instagram). How to Blow Up a Pipeline is in select theaters now.