Pop-Culturalist.com

Josh Caras and Zane Holtz star as the enigmatic leading men in Love Bomb, a psychological erotic thriller that explores the complex world of dating apps.

The film offers a darkly satirical take on the pitfalls of modern romance, blending intrigue and seduction. As the story unfolds, viewers are drawn into a labyrinth of identity and duplicity, where the true intentions of each character are hidden beneath layers of deception.

Pop Culturalist chatted with Josh and Zane about navigating the complexities of their characters, the twists and turns in the film, and more.

PC: Josh, you’ve said that as an artist and a storyteller, you want to take on interesting and challenging roles. What was the biggest challenge you were looking to explore with this project?
Josh: This film is a bit tricky to talk about because the plot is a minefield. Without revealing anything, there are several shifts and twists. The challenge was figuring out how to play that in a way that, if you were to rewatch it, you could see the character was processing a reality that you didn’t know was coming. It was about figuring out where to play that in the scene, whether to play it, and how to play it.

PC: Zane, without giving any spoilers, since the dating app that these characters are using involves role play, no one is as they seem. How did you navigate the distinction between who your character is and how he presents himself?
Zane: Without giving away too much, the role-play aspect means audiences are in the dark for the first half of the film. It’s similar to what Josh mentioned—it’s about understanding who the character truly is, while simultaneously portraying the persona they adopt in the scenes. Balancing these aspects was crucial yet challenging. It involved deciding how much of the character’s true self to reveal that makes sense in the narrative, versus what needs to resonate with audiences in the moment. That duality was both the most fascinating and demanding part of this project.

PC: Josh, you’ve also said that good acting to you is instinctual, but when you’re playing a character who’s caught in this outrageous situation, how do you find your way in?
Josh: You strive to keep it as real as possible. It’s fascinating what you discover within yourself to make the character relatable while maintaining a naturalistic approach. Since all the characters are essentially performing, it’s a delicate balance to keep everything grounded in reality.

PC: Zane, credit to everyone as well, since the film takes place primarily in one singular location, but it feels so grand and cinematic. What challenges and freedoms does filming in that environment provide for you as an actor?
Zane: Knowing our set intimately was a huge advantage—we were at the same house for two or three weeks, so there was no need to adjust to new environments daily. There were scenes where we stepped outside the house, which really helped make the film feel more expansive and cinematic than people might assume from seeing our setup. It’s a true indie film; we spent twenty days shooting in that house. But this consistency allowed us to really focus and connect with each other, making each day’s work as effective as possible.

PC: Josh, you’ve been friends with David Guglielmo, the director, for quite some time. You’ve worked on short films together. How have you been able to push each other as creatives? How does that comfortability allow you to push your performance, especially in this genre that doesn’t play to too many rules?
Josh: As a casting director as well, David is a great collaborator because he really trusts you. He values your take on the character and listens closely as a director. He often needs just a couple of takes, and he’s set. For him, the key is casting the right people, which sets the stage for everything else.

PC: Zane, same question to you, with David also being a casting director. Does he bring a different sensibility having that background? What was it like collaborating with him?
Zane: You can only imagine how many auditions he’s watched and how many people he’s seen perform. I’m always amazed by that. He knows what works and what doesn’t. That’s a unique perspective to have. He’s watched hundreds of actors perform the same material over and over and knows what works. As Josh said, because he has that background, it gave us the freedom to play. He selected the right performers for the role and made us feel comfortable. It gave us the freedom to take ownership over our own performances and to do what felt right on the day.

Josh: To add to that, I’ve worked with directors in the past who have been annoyed by the actor’s process. They don’t respect what we bring to the table. You can tell that David respects our trade.

PC: You’ve both worked on projects of all sizes. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you as storytellers and creatives?
Zane: Everyone’s there because they believe in the material. Usually, there’s no money involved, and there’s no certainty that the project will take off. That’s my perspective as an actor. But everyone, from hair and makeup to the grips crew, knows this isn’t a lush job. We’re here because we genuinely want to make this movie, and you can feel that commitment. I’ll keep doing as many of these projects as I can because of the excitement of trying to make our days count and everyone being there for the right reasons. Every time I finish one of these projects, it rejuvenates me as a performer. It gives me all that creative juice that I bring to the next job. I love acting and performing, and if I’m involved in one of these indie films, it’s because I believe in the role and the story, and it energizes me for my next job.

Josh: It’s my favorite kind of work. If I were rich and could do this all the time, I would—but I’m not. [laughs] I enjoy these scrappy little projects.

PC: Like you were saying earlier, there are so many twists and turns. Was there a scene that was particularly challenging to film?
Josh: That torture scene was a hell of a time.

Zane: It was challenging not just because of the nature of the scene, where Josh was in such a compromised position, but we also faced our biggest production mishap that day. Interestingly, that room isn’t even in the house—it’s on a set in Manhattan. We were on the fifth floor of a studio when a pipe burst above us, flooding the entire building.

The fire department had to intervene, and at one point, our whole movie was at risk, saved on a hard drive as the building flooded. We lost the entire day’s work and had to reshoot it three months later.

Josh: It felt like the film was on the brink of disaster. We even had to ask the fire department to rescue the cameras as we evacuated. After that, Zane and I went out and got drunk, convinced the movie was finished.

Zane: For a low-budget film, days like that can potentially ruin the entire project.

Josh: And it wasn’t just that day—we had numerous challenges. I directed an indie film, and it’s really like building a house of cards. Another incident involved a chemical reaction with the fake blood we were using, which ended up dying Jessie Andrew’s hair.

Zane: Plus, the neighbors of the house we rented for filming were constantly calling the cops and the city to try and shut us down.

Josh: It’s a miracle this film got made. We faced so much adversity. I don’t know how David managed; I would’ve had a nervous breakdown. He was incredibly stressed, I’m sure, but he always showed up ready to work and in a great mood.

PC: Outside of this project, what’s next for each of you?
Zane: I recently worked on a show called Accused on Fox. It’s set to release in a couple of weeks, and Michael Chiklis directed my episode. I just finished doing ADR for it this morning, and it looks fantastic—I’m really excited for its premiere. Next, I’m reuniting with David on a Western he’s producing in Arizona called Frontier Crucible.

Josh: I’ve just directed an indie film called Leon’s Fantasy Cut, which has been released on VOD. I also took on a small role in Julia Stiles’ directorial debut, Wish You Were Here. Currently, I’m finishing up a script that I’m hoping to get off the ground soon.

Make sure to follow Josh (Instagram) and Zane (Instagram). Love Bomb is available wherever you stream movies.