Exclusive Interview: Callan McAuliffe Talks ‘The Duel,’ the Freedom That Comes From Collaborating With Friends, and More

Callan McAuliffe is one of the industry’s most versatile leading men, seamlessly transitioning from critically-acclaimed roles in The Great Gatsby to The Walking Dead, earning a reputation for his transformative performances.

He’ll soon be seen starring in the dark comedy The Duel, a must-see film co-written and co-directed by his long-time friends Luke Spencer Roberts and Justin Matthews. In this twisted tale, McAuliffe plays Woody, who, upon discovering his best friend Colin (Dylan Sprouse) has been having an affair with his girlfriend, decides that no modern form of revenge could suffice. Instead, Woody challenges Colin to a classic contest of honor—a gentleman’s duel to the death. As two more friends join in, this once inseparable group of men find themselves on a path to a day of destiny, testing the bonds of their friendship until the moment of no return.

Pop Culturalist had the privilege of sitting down with Callan McAuliffe to discuss The Duel, the creative freedom that comes from collaborating with close friends, and much more.

PC: You’ve got a new film coming out, The Duel, and it’s a special one for you, as it’s a project that a group of friends came together to make during the pandemic, and something we haven’t seen in cinemas for a while. How did the genesis of this project first come across your desk, and what was it about this character that resonated with you?
Callan: This film is pretty remarkable in that it’s one of the quickest page-to-screen transitions I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure if it’s a record breaker, but it certainly felt like it, given that the industry was starving for content during the pandemic, with so many things shut down. There were so many people left high and dry by projects they had blocked out time for. It was a very stressful time for the industry itself, if I may personify it, but that’s what it felt like.

When this project came up, the timing was perfect. Luke Spencer Roberts and Justin Matthews, two dear, dear friends of mine, got together during one of the heights of the pandemic and lockdowns in Los Angeles. They wrote it pretty lickety-split too—about a week or so, and they had a finished script. I was lucky enough to be one of the first people they sent it to, just as a demographic gauge to see how people like them and like us would respond to it.

My first thought when I read it was, “I have to be a part of this,” not only because my friends were making it, but because it was a script that genuinely resonated with me in a way that a lot of scripts don’t. Oftentimes, people outside the industry assume that an actor, especially at my level and below, has a more active hand in choosing their roles than we really do. Oftentimes, we’re just grateful to have been given an opportunity. You work for work’s sake, and then you almost learn to love it after the fact. That’s a large chunk of the professionalism in the industry. We’re going with the flow and running on gratitude. But fortunately, with this script, I was obsessed with it. I couldn’t see a future where I wasn’t involved in it in some way or another.

They cast me and Dylan as these two leads. Fortunately, the character was close enough to me that I didn’t have to do too much creative mining to find him. All in all, it was a dream come true.

PC: While the circumstances that lead Woody and Colin to this duel aren’t things to laugh about, it’s everything leading up to that point that’s comedic gold. Your character and Dylan’s are more straight-laced, especially when compared to characters like Patrick Warburton’s, Denny Love’s, or Hart Denton’s, but you also have those moments of levity. How hard was it for you not to break between scenes? What was it like working with Luke and Justin to find those moments where you could show off your own comedic chops?
Callan: [laughs] In terms of breaking, it happened a lot. There’s a level of comfort, freedom, and not-so-practical permission to mess around when you’re on set with friends. Fortunately, the set was full of professionals. It wasn’t just buddies goofing around with a camera. This was a professional set with a professional crew, so it was easy to remember that there were people counting on you and waiting for you to stop laughing so you could make the day. [laughs] But Hart Denton especially is just so funny. Denny is so funny. Dylan and I got along really well too, so there were too many opportunities to laugh. It was unavoidable at times. We did lose some time, but when we really needed to hunker down, and when Justin and Luke would come around the corner and be like, “Guys, shut the f*ck up, we’ve got a day to make,” then we were back in form. But it’s hard when you’re surrounded by contemporaries with a similar sense of humor not to goof off a bit. Still, you’re professionals. You’re getting paid to do the job, and all it takes is one scowl from behind the camera to set people straight again. [laughs]

My character isn’t as comedic as the others, but with the script, they found a neat balance between the different stylings of the characters. Before we cast Patrick, the script had—not a very different tone—but certainly the way I envisioned it was slightly different. But then seeing him in the role, especially on set, he became this tonal catalyst for the rest of the movie. I feel like at that point, everyone felt a little freer to play around in that sense.

But the themes and throughline of the movie are very serious. That’s one of my favorite forms of storytelling—telling resonant truths through comedy. Some of my favorite movies are dark comedies. I’ve always been a big fan of the McDonagh brothers. It’s those moments of levity and that contrast that make the more serious scenes hit harder.

PC: It lowers the threshold for audiences to put their guard down and absorb that message. Speaking of Patrick and the commitment across the board, his character is very much a mentor to these boys. Who are the people in your own life who have shaped your journey as a storyteller?
Callan: Wow. That’s a good question. A lot of that shaping in this industry happens subconsciously or semi-consciously because you bounce around so much, and you can feel scatterbrained since you build these families on different projects and in different places. They take months to make, but in the scale of life, the brain puts those experiences in boxes. You don’t always know where you’re sourcing your personality or skills from, so I’m never quite sure whom I should credit with different pieces of my professional character.

But I always remember a pretty significant realization that happened during Flipped. I was working with an astonishing actor named John Mahoney. He passed away a few years ago, but he served as somewhat of a mentor to me, perhaps unbeknownst to him. It was the way he carried himself—always the consummate professional. It was the kindness, the grace, the elegance with which he carried himself, and of course, his talent. I find myself thinking of him occasionally when I consider how to conduct myself on set or how I want people to perceive me on set.

But of course, I’ve worked with so many astonishing people to whom I owe a similar debt. It’s just hard to name them all. Certainly, working with Rob Reiner at such an early age locked me into realizing that what I was doing and what we were all doing mattered—and that it was important to care deeply about it.

PC: You’ve always been an actor who likes to keep things spontaneous and feed off the energy and performances of your costars. That was something Luke and Justin fostered on set. How did that environment and trust help you elevate your own performance and interpretation of this character? Is there a scene in particular that you’re excited for audiences to see?
Callan:It’s interesting. There are two aspects to this. Working with such dear friends does open the doors you’ve described, allowing for spontaneity and a deeper connection. But there’s also an added level of anxiety because when you’re in a professional environment with old friends, there’s always the worry that the friendship might be altered or even corrupted by the pressures of the set. That was a concern of mine going in—I hoped that the rigors and stresses of a high-pressure set wouldn’t damage any of the relationships I valued. But happily, everyone handled those risks very well and professionally, and we’ve come out of it even better friends than before.

As far as the comfort to explore the character and try different things, that was definitely true. The familiarity made it much easier to step on set every day in a way I haven’t really experienced before. But because this was an independent film, we didn’t have all the time in the world to work with. And it was during COVID, so we were grateful for every day that we finished without any incidents or hiccups. I wasn’t super inclined to stray too far from the script or the direction, so I don’t know how much experimenting I did, but I did notice that the general comfort and ease were higher than normal.

PC: You can really tell that you’re all a good group of friends and how that’s grown since. It makes sense that you’re not doing press together. [laughs]
Callan: Yeah, I don’t think you’d get many quality answers out of us when we’re together.

PC: In addition to being an actor, you’re also a novelist. Have you found that the work you’ve done as a writer has impacted the way you now approach your work as an actor, or vice versa?
Callan: I don’t think so, no. They’ve been pretty well compartmentalized in my head because the things I write about and the stuff I enjoy reading aren’t projects that often come my way or resemble anything in film or TV. This is one of the first projects that really feels like me. It feels like something I might write if the idea had occurred to me at some point. I imagine this is something that would come out of my head, which is maybe why I love it so much. But yeah, normally, I’m playing roles that are a far cry from the stuff I write about. But it’s all still coming from my brain, so I’m sure it’s informing my work somehow. I just couldn’t tell you how exactly. [laughs]

PC: That’s totally fair. You touched upon this already, but you’ve worked on projects of all sizes. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you as a creative?
Callan: The most exciting part of independent filmmaking, and this can sometimes be its downfall as well, is that it’s less burdened by the conventions of the industry and the situation of having too many cooks in the kitchen. The more money involved, the more people are intimately concerned with the outcome.

But for The Duel, the vision was pretty clear from day one, and from the moment I first read the script, I had a good sense of what it was going to look like and what they were going to do with it. And in the end, that’s how it turned out.

One of the beautiful parts of independent filmmaking—for better or worse—is that it’s usually a more concise, concerted vision from fewer minds and often with a smaller budget. But the main thing is that you can feel that cohesion in most independent features.

PC: Without giving any spoilers, I love films that you think are going in one direction and then completely flip on their head. What was your reaction when you read the ending? Was that always the ending?
Callan: I feel like I know Luke and Justin well enough that I knew that ending was coming. [laughs] Also, because I think I would have been disappointed if something else had happened. Without giving any spoilers, as soon as I understood the through line of the movie, what it was about, and I read the dialogue, I could feel the tone and the kind of movie it was. So, the ending felt natural, like the only way it could have ended. It was always meant to be that way.

PC: Now I know that for any future projects that Luke and Justin make. The film has also made its way around the festival circuit and it’s been incredibly well received. What do you think is resonating most with audiences? What has it been like getting to share this project with a live audience?
Callan: I’ve only seen it with a live audience a few times because I generally don’t like to watch myself, so I usually flee the cinema before it starts. But when I have seen it with a crowd—like at Mammoth Film Festival, where it was very well received—it’s always fascinating to hear when people laugh and respond audibly because it’s different with every crowd. It’s always different for me as well. That’s always a real joy. I can’t imagine what it’s like for the writers to experience that feedback as well.

It does seem to be resonating with a lot of people, which I’m very glad about. I think that’s a reflection of the times we’re living in right now and the conversations we’re all having. This film is as much a celebration as it is a condemnation of masculinity—both its toxic elements and its more positive aspects. People are finding themselves in these characters, and I think that’s what the industry is all about in the end.

PC: Outside of this project, what’s next for you?
Callan: I just filmed a piece on a show in Ireland for six weeks, but I don’t think I’m allowed to talk about it yet. I wish I could tell you more about that. But the thing I really wanted to talk about, which hasn’t received as much traction as I would have loved, is a movie I shot before The Duel. It’s called About Him & Her, and it’s an astonishing, beautiful movie. It’s also an independent film about these two disillusioned people whose phone lines get crossed in the early ’80s, and they fall in love over the phone and decide to meet up in a hotel room in a very strange and unusual way, which is also mirrored by the way we shot it, which I think is unprecedented.

I don’t want to spoil anything about it, but I’m pretty sure we’re the only film to have been made in the way that we did. So if anyone’s interested in seeing it, it’s a slow burn and it’s very “artsy-fartsy” to its great benefit. I’m really proud of it. It’s such an unusual film and process. I run the risk of spoiling the movie if I tell you what’s so unusual about it, but the movie reveals that at the end. So go check out About Him & Her. It’s gorgeous. You want to have patience with it—sit down in the evening with a glass of wine or something and watch it. It’s beautifully written. Íce Mrozek is the director. It’s out on Prime Video, but it’s not very widely watched. I’d love for more people to take notice of it.

To keep up with Callan, follow him on X and Instagram.

Photo Credit: Chase Anderson