Exclusive Interview: Danielle C. Ryan and Matthew Lawrence Talk Double Threat

Danielle C. Ryan and Matthew Lawrence are two of the stars of Double Threat.

The action-packed film follows Jimmy (Matthew Lawrence) who recently lost his brother and promises to scatter his ashes in the ocean. His plans, however, are derailed when a normal convenience store pit-stop becomes a mob attack on cashier Natasha (Danielle C. Ryan). As Jimmy tries to flee, he discovers Natasha hiding in the back seat, and learns that she isn’t some random cashier, but a woman on the run from the mob with a split personality: Nat and Tasha. After some convincing, Nat and Tasha tag along with Jimmy on a road trip across the country, hoping to escape on a boat to Hawaii. But when the son of the crime boss, Ellis (Kevin Joy), joins forces with right-hand mobster Ask (Dawn Olivieri), an explosive and violent cross-country chase pursues.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Danielle and Matthew about the must-see project.

PC: Danielle, you’re playing a character with split personalities. Did that change your character development process? How did you shape each so that they’re unique, but also similar?
Danielle: They had to stay somewhat similar. I actually based them on somebody in particular. Each had their own mannerisms and the way that they talk and move. It was really easy to channel this character because I had a living example of what I wanted to re-enact. That made it a lot easier.

PC: Matthew, how did that change the way that you approached this character since Jimmy has distinct relationships with each?
Matthew: That’s a really good question. It was pretty simple; once I understood what I was going to do with this guy and how I wanted him to be very self-deprecating, it was just playing off what Dani was giving me.

PC: Danielle, you did all your own stunts. What was that physical preparation like getting ready for this role? How helpful was it that you have a background in stunts?
Danielle: I’ve been doing stunts for twelve to fifteen years. The last couple of films that I’ve done have been extremely physical. That always excites me. Stunts always keep me super entertained and motivated. Doc Duhame, who was the stunt coordinator, is phenomenal. We had a full rehearsal day where we went over all the stunts and played off of each other. We were figuring out what I was comfortable with and how far we could push the limits on all of this. The stunt performers were great. But as far as preparation, we really only had one day. With the horses, I actually ride horses every day, so I brought in a horse that I’m very comfortable with.

PC: There’s incredible chemistry that comes off the screen between the two of you. How were you both able to build that bond while filming during a pandemic?
Danielle: It came pretty naturally. From the second that I met him, I felt like I knew him my whole life. It was very easy for me. Matt’s going to be like, “It wasn’t that way for me.” [laughs]

Matthew: No, no. It was.

Danielle: We really had no choice. The first scene that we filmed was the intimate scene on the pool table. It was like, “Hey. Nice to meet you. Here we go.”

PC: You’ve both worked on projects of all sizes. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you as creatives?
Matthew: There’s something about a ragtag group of 60 people trying to make something happen. It’s an underdog story, off-screen and on-screen. I’ve always found those to be the most interesting experiences. Making an independent film is always a blast. You’re under the gun; you have like two or three weeks to make something out of nothing. A lot of that can be really good—a lot of obstacles that filmmakers have had to overcome make some of the best film moments.

It’s like Jaws theory. They couldn’t show the shark, not because they wanted to, but because it kept breaking. If they’d shown that thing as many times as they had in the script, it would’ve completely diluted all the fear because the imagination is something that’s always better than what you can actually show people. It’s fun. It’s cool to get to know all the crew. It’s like you’re on a little adventure for three weeks and it’s a lot of fun.

Danielle: I agree with Matt, especially on the crew aspect. When you have a huge production—don’t get me wrong, those are really, really fun too—but there’s something about having a skeleton crew. It’s this very, very tight-knit little family. It’s a crew that I did another film with. We all just clicked so well. It’s fun to build something so great together with such a small budget, crew, and timeline. It feels almost like a bit more of an accomplishment than the big projects.

PC: Danielle, the film leaves things pretty open-ended. Has there been a conversation about a potential sequel? If the two of you get to do a sequel, what are you most excited to explore further with your characters?
Danielle: There have been talks. I’m not allowed to say anything about the storyline, but there’s quite a twist to it. I would love to work with Matt again. That’ll be super fun. It’ll be another whole adventure and possibly bring another personality into it.

Matthew: It’d be great!

Danielle: CJ [Walley] is already working his magic on it.

Matthew: This is the first I’m hearing of it!

PC: Besides this film, where can fans see you next? What’s in the works that you can talk about?
Matthew: I’m developing a couple of different things. There’s a TV show. There are a couple of films. There’s a branding thing that I’m working on right now. I can’t really say more than that. I work with my brothers a lot. We’re all trying to hustle and get some movies made this year.

Danielle: I have a thriller out now called Deadly Yoga Retreat with Jonathan Bennett, which was super, super fun. We shot that in Hawaii. Shane [Stanley] and I also did a film called Night Train. That’ll be coming out by the end of the year. That one was a blast. I have a couple more in the works coming up for this year and possibly a sequel with Matt.

Matthew: I’m really excited about that one.

PC: You both have worked behind the scenes on productions. How have those experiences changed the way that you approach your on-screen acting and vice versa?
Matthew: It’s affected the way that I handle myself as an actor. I was never the type that would completely isolate myself and not talk to anybody. I’m not one of those type of performers, but I can definitely say that when I had the ability to be an actor, I would definitely go to my room and chill out and be like, “What a long day!”

When you’re on the other side of the camera, the day starts before crew call and ends after crew call; you’re constantly working. There’s no time to chill out until your scene is coming up. It’s given me an even greater respect for the people behind the camera than I already had.

It’s also made me understand the editing room. It’s really good to have options, especially in indie filmmaking because you never know where a scene is going to wind up. It may have been written for Act One, but you might need it in Act Three. You have to keep the level of your performance.

Now I understand why directors who have the time and money, like David Fincher, do 120 takes. It’s because in the editing room it can become another thing. You have to go and really tinker things and change things you never thought, like plots and subplots.

It’s given me a broader perspective. I used to go in like, “What do I want to get across in this scene and what does the director want to get across? How can we meet so that we can create something great?” Now I’m thinking, “No. What is the character supposed to get across? How are they going to need this in the editing room?” I need to give an array of things.

Danielle: I’m with Matt on the whole respect thing. Being on the other side, I’ve always bonded more with the crew than usually I do with the cast. If we’re eating lunch, I’m always with the crew. You start to learn their jobs. You have so much respect for them and how hard they work. It takes a team—it takes every single person on that set to make it work.

It’s very humbling to be on both sides. It creates a bond between you and all the crew members. You understand what they go through and how hard they work. I’ve been super fortunate, especially with the stunt world. I’ve grown up doing so many stunts. I’ve always been with the DP and stunt coordinators. We go through everything. I get to see all the sides of how everything’s shot and the camera angles. You learn all the technical terms. It makes it more fun than just walking on and giving a performance and leaving.

Make sure to follow Danielle (Twitter/Instagram) and Matthew (Instagram). Watch Double Threat wherever you stream movies.