Pop Culturalist Chats with Midnighters’ Dylan McTee

Dylan McTee may be a fresh face in Hollywood, but he’s making every performance count. Two years ago, he made his television debut as the villainous Nate Griffin on MTV’s beloved (but cut short) series, Sweet/Vicious. What fans may not know is that his first-ever completed project as an actor was starring opposite Alex Essoe in the spine-tingling indie-thriller, Midnighters—out now in theaters and on VOD. The story follows a couple who are involved in a horrific car accident and the great lengths they take to cover their tracks—as well as the emotional toll it has on their relationship. We spoke with Dylan about the film, how it solidified his love for indies, and an exciting new project he’s working on.

PC: Tell us about Midnighters, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Dylan: The film is about my wife, Lindsey, and I dealing with accidentally killing a man on New Year’s Eve and the web that’s spun to try and cover it up. I play Jeff, who is, at the same time, dealing with this overwhelming sense of insignificance. At one point, he was planning on playing pro-baseball but nothing goes according to plan: not his job, relationship, and even the house that he lives in is sort of in shambles. From there, a lot of fun happens when the thriller elements of the film come into play.

PC: Like you said, Jeff has clearly been knocked down by life. How did you prepare to step into his shoes?
Dylan: I take it upon myself to immediately sense whatever circumstances I’m given in the script and do some intensive research to support them. For this one, I wanted to focus on Jeff’s New England toughness and what it’s like to be involved in the sport of baseball. Also, Jeff is coming to terms with the tragedy of adulthood and the anger a person experiences when they feel like they’re a failure, so I tried to focus on that as well. Preparing for a role is always a bottomless pit that you can fill up as much as you want.

PC: Jeff and his wife, Lindsey, are involved in this horrific life-changing event. What toil does that take on their relationship and what do they learn about each other?
Dylan: Well, I don’t want to give too much away about the consequences and the way that they’ve chosen to cover up this murder and what follows, but one might say that they weren’t meant to be with each other to begin with, even without this test on their relationship. It’s a really interesting film because it highlights what happens when a circumstance like this erupts, how the core of each person is exposed, and what happens when the two cores interact. It’s a cool metaphor for life and real relationships when people decide to part ways because they’ve seen the truth in a person.

PC: Great answer! This is a character-driven film. What was your favorite thing to explore and why?
Dylan: Honestly, my favorite thing to explore was the challenge of trying to justify all the crazy twists and turns. What I realized is that people do crazy things—people can flip on a dime. People surprise you constantly. It was such a fun challenge to work on this script, which was so complex with all these different relationships.

PC: Was there a moment that shocked you?
Dylan: There were a few! I don’t want to give too much away, but the ending definitely shocked me. I was really surprised by Ward Horton’s performance and his character. There was this very distinctive way that he prowled and how he existed in this world as this sort of psychopath. I was really intrigued by that character.

PC: This is your first feature film. What was the most surprising part about this process, and the biggest takeaway from being a part of this film?
Dylan: This was my first-ever completed project as an actor and that’s crazy! I’m still starting out, but after filming, I went on to do a season of Sweet/Vicious on MTV. This project solidified my love for indie films. These films have so much heart and grit. You really need to be a tough person to be awake at 4am in the middle of Rhode Island, a place you’ve never been before, lifting a dead body and throwing out your back, and then just trying to sleep that night. It was genuinely so much fun, though. Getting to work with Alston [writer] and Julius [director] was amazing. These two brothers decided to go fully independent so that they could tell the story exactly how they wanted. I want to do more, more, more, and more indie films. [laughs]

PC: What was the collaboration like with Julius and Alston?
Dylan: They decided to be completely independent of any studio or producer, which allowed them to make decisions on the spot, and they would talk to us about the decisions. We were actually a part of creating the story and we could fight for what we thought our characters wanted. You kind of feel like a lawyer because you want to prove your case on what you think is right for your character.

PC: There are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between Jeff and Nate who you played on Sweet/Vicious. As an actor, are you drawn to these flawed characters? Did playing Jeff impact how you developed Nate?
Dylan: [laughs] I don’t know if it’s necessarily that I can only play these parts, but I definitely think I am drawn to people who we may or may not agree with. It’s fun to go to that darker place within yourself, especially when you try to understand the darkness around you. I just finished another film in Sante Fe and I’m playing the complete opposite character. I can’t wait to show what I can do!

PC: Can you tease a little bit about that project?
Dylan: Yeah, it’s a western-thriller. It was a lot of fun—I got to ride some horses and I got to grow out my facial hair. It’s starting the post-production process now.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: If you were stuck on a desert island and could only have three things, what would they be and why?
Dylan: Hmm…my new favorite book, Stoner, a samurai sword for general purposes, and a huge jacket for the cold. [laughs] I’m trying to think of actual survival!

PC: Last show you binge-watched?
Dylan: The End of the F*cking World

PC: Last person you called or text?
Dylan: My older brother, Max

PC: Most used emoji?
Dylan: Probably the wizard [laughs]

PC: Place you’d like to visit?
Dylan: Ireland! I love the accents.

PC: A person you’d like to meet dead or alive?
Dylan: Rainer Maria Rilke! He’s my favorite poet.

Make sure to follow Dylan on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and check out Midnighters in theaters now and on VOD.

Photo Credit: reneenewberryphotography.com