Exclusive Interview: Brendan Meyer Talks The Friendship Game, His Love for Independent Filmmaking, and More

Brendan Meyer is one of the industry’s most versatile young talents. He’s starred in projects including Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462, T@gged, and The OA, and written and directed shorts like Delivery and Home Again.

This fall, he stars opposite Peyton List, Kaitlyn Santa Juana, and Kelcey Mawema in The Friendship Game. The film follows a group of teens as they come across a strange object that tests their loyalties to each other and has increasingly destructive consequences the deeper into the game they go.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Brendan about The Friendship Game, his love for independent filmmaking, and more.

PC: Tell us about The Friendship Game and your character in the film.
Brendan: The Friendship Game is about a group of four friends. One of them finds a mysterious-looking object at a yard sale. It’s supposedly a friendship game. You play it with your friends, and it tests your relationships.

I play Robbie who is the only guy in the friend group. He gets along great with all his friends and has different relationships with each of them. But they are really this core unit of four. Then the game comes along at a time when they’re already being tested. They’re all going to different places for college. It’s set during the summer between high school and college when things are almost coming to an end. That chapter of their life is coming to an end. Then some freaky stuff emerges.

PC: You’ve brought so many dynamic characters to life on the screen. What was it about this script and Robbie that attracted you to it?
Brendan: It was the opportunity to explore genuine human relationships. These friendships are important to develop. It was interesting to explore the complications of these friendships that started to develop and also the darker side of that as well. We didn’t shoot this in chronological order, but throughout the shoot it was going on that journey from light into darkness, seeing the way that everybody changes and how their perceptions of each other change. It seemed like there was a lot to do there as an actor. The script was just cool. It was hard to pin down exactly what was going to happen next or where it was going. It shifts between these different perspectives. I thought that was really interesting. All of those elements were exciting to me. I enjoyed reading it as a story. I was like, “There’s actually stuff to do here as an actor.” That’s always exciting.

PC: In addition to the work that you’ve done on screen, you’re also a director and writer. How have your experiences behind the camera changed the way that you approach your work on screen, and the way that you collaborate with directors like Scooter [Corkle]?
Brendan: It’s been super helpful. When you’ve directed yourself, even if it’s just shorts like I’ve done, you really start to get a sense of that role and all the different hats that the director has to wear. For me as an actor, I’m just a lot more camera-aware, not just physically but also in terms of what we’re trying to achieve. I feel like when I was a younger actor, especially before I really started to direct or look at that side of things, someone would tell me to move to the side and you’d think, ”What does that even mean?”But if you have an understanding that, “This is the closeup. They’re probably going over my shoulder,” you start to get a sense of that stuff.

It’s made me more comfortable on set and more aware of what’s going on. It makes it easier to forget too. Because as an actor, you’re trying to show up and forget about all that technical stuff, but you don’t want that to get in the way of the technical things that are required to make the movie good and to actually capture your performance and your costars’ performances.

It’s helpful too because sometimes when talking about characters and things like that, it’s nice to have that shorthand from working with actors and knowing that push and pull. It’s fun. It enhances my ability as an actor to come onto set and be super aware of all the moving pieces and also my ability to talk to Scooter about the scenes and get the rhythm. If they’re blocking or setting up the shot, that’s not the time. I’ll be like, “Let me wait. Let me figure it out.” When you’re the director, you have every moment in your hand. I’d like to think it’s also made me easier to work with.

PC: You’ve worked on projects of all sizes. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you as a creative?
Brendan: Independent films are fun to me. I’ve always had such a great time on them. When it’s an indie, it’s a bit smaller and more focused. You become closer with the people. You’re often staying in the same hotel or area. You get to bond and form that troupe with the cast and crew. Everybody has to jump in with both feet. I’ve always found that means that you have deeper memories.

Like I was saying earlier, sometimes on the bigger budget projects, things are more spread out because everyone has their own trailer. It’s so easy to be in your own lane. On indie projects, you really know everybody’s name. You’re connected to everything. I always feel like that probably makes for a better film—but more than that, a better experience. It makes for more fun being on set, and it feels like a deeper bond. I like that a lot.

PC: You’re also no stranger to horror. What is it about this genre that excites you as a creative?
Brendan: I’ve been able to do a lot of things in this realm. It’s so fun. Horror is such a great genre. It’s one where anything goes. Every genre requires its own set of situations and rules. As an actor and creative person, the more you do, hopefully, the better you get at it. Or at the very least, the more familiar you get with it. You understand the demands of what it takes to set up the human aspects and then go down the dark rabbit hole and learn how to ground certain things and really go for it with scary behavior.

The thing about horror is the concept. The genre opens up such unique and original concepts. But so often, it’s a similar setup when you’ve got that combo. You’re able to remember those experiences and hopefully balance those two things. I feel like a lot of horror films are like that. It’s balancing the real human side before things go crazy, and then making that humanity extend through to the end—through what is hopefully going to be some freaky, scary stuff. I’ve been to film festivals and theaters for horror films, both as a fan and with things that I’ve been in, and there’s nothing like being in a theater full of horror fans.

PC: Great answer. This film is grounded in reality. How were you able to create the space for yourself to dive into Robbie’s arc?
Brendan: It’s really about grounding myself. It’s making sure that I’m coming to set every day and I’m plugged into where I am and where I have to get to. If it’s a day that I have to show up and be funny and loose, it’s about doing that. If it’s a day where it’s dark and emotional material, I have to be a little more within myself and a little more ready to make sure that I can get to that place when the cameras are rolling.

As an actor, it’s a tricky thing because there are a lot of other moving parts going on as well, especially on emotional days—days where you have to get angry, days where you have to cry and make sure that you’re balanced because you don’t want to show up and be super loose. Then they’re like, “Five minutes to roll.” You’re like, “Oh, no.” But you also don’t want to show up and be so in it that you’re tired. It’s a constant balance of those things. It’s fun to do. But every day is different. That’s what’s fun about it.

PC: You’re such a dynamic storyteller. What’s next for you? What’s left on your bucket list?
Brendan: There’s a lot left on my bucket list. I definitely want to get into more writing and directing. I have a short film called Delivery on YouTube. I also have another horror movie coming out next year called The Unheard. I’ve been doing a lot of writing and auditioning. If I’m not acting or auditioning, I’m usually writing and keeping the creative brain firing.

To keep up with Brendan, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch The Friendship Game wherever you stream movies!

Photo Credit: BNJ Portraits