Exclusive Interview: Nican Robinson, Brendan Bradley, and Jordon Bolden Talk ‘The Devil and the Daylong Brothers’

Independent filmmaking thrives on risk—on bold storytelling choices that challenge convention and push boundaries in ways Hollywood rarely dares. The Devil and the Daylong Brothers is a testament to that creative freedom. A Southern Gothic horror musical, the film follows Ishmael (Brendan Bradley), Enoch (Nican Robinson), and Abraham (Jordan Bolden) Daylong—three brothers born of different mothers but bound by the same doomed fate. Before their birth, their father, Nehemiah Daylong, struck a pact with the Devil, condemning their souls to damnation. Now, they roam a grim and unforgiving landscape, hunting sinners whose souls are marked for Hell, believing each kill brings them one step closer to salvation.

What makes the film even more remarkable is the way its stars fully transform into their roles, breathing life into these tormented brothers with performances that elevate every scene. Brendan, Nican, and Jordan disappear into Ishmael, Enoch, and Abraham, capturing their pain, conflict, and desperate pursuit of redemption with an intensity that lingers long after the story ends. Their performances don’t just serve the narrative—they heighten its emotional core, making every moment feel raw, lived-in, and deeply human.

Pop Culturalist had the privilege of speaking with Nican, Brendan, and Jordan to discuss The Devil and the Daylong Brothers, their creative processes, and the collaborative effort that brought this unique film to life.

PC: Nican, you shared a beautiful post on social media about this being an artist’s dream project and the realities of this industry. There are so many elements to this film that shouldn’t work, yet they do. What was your initial reaction when The Devil and the Daylong Brothers landed on your desk? What was it about this script and character that resonated with you?
Nican: My first reaction was, “What is this? [laughs] I have to do this—no matter what it takes.” During my audition, I roughed up my hair, added some gravel to my voice, and thought, “I need to bring this character to life in a way that’s unsettling yet oddly funny.” He’s deeply insecure but tries to mask it, and I wanted to channel all of that into someone audiences could recognize in themselves.

Enoch carries a lot of humanity, but he’s never had an outlet for it. That struggle—of wanting to express yourself but feeling like you can’t—is incredibly relevant, both today and throughout my own life. I wanted to explore that in the most honest way possible, without turning him into a caricature. That challenge is what drew me in, and it’s what I wanted to capture in my audition.

PC: Beautifully said. You definitely accomplished that. Brendan, speaking of auditions, one of the coolest things about filmmaking is how an actor brings their own interpretation to a character—sometimes in ways even the writer and director didn’t anticipate. How did the bold choices you made during your audition land you this role? And how have your own experiences as a writer helped you read between the lines?
Brendan: [laughs] The choices I made honestly almost cost me the role. Initially, I wanted to bring this menacing, Batman-like intensity to the character. I thought, “I’m going to drop my voice, add some gravel to it,” really lean into that dark, brooding energy.

Brandon McCormick wrote a script that feels like a novel—witty, eloquent, and layered, not just in the dialogue but in the stage directions as well. One line from Frankie, Rainey Qualley’s character, really stuck with me: “Ish was a sin eater in the Blue Ridge.” That single detail told me everything about where he was from, his background, his class. That’s when I thought, “He’s got to go really high with it.” So I scooped and lifted his voice into that register.

Brandon later told me that when he watched my audition tape, he had to take a walk around the building because he was so mad at the choice—but ultimately, it was the right one. It’s what got me the role… and almost lost me the job.

PC: You have to take those creative risks as storytellers and artists. Jordan, you come from a musical theater background. The transitions from the narrative to the musical numbers are so seamless. Can you talk a bit about that collaboration with writers Brandon McCormick and Nicholas Kirk and how you approached those moments? That performance of “The Reckoning” is also stunning, by the way.
Jordan: Thank you so much. We arrived on set a week early to record the music with Nicholas and Brandon, and it was incredible to be in the room with both of them, really understanding how the music would shape the story in a way that wasn’t traditionally musical theater. The question was, how do we take a setting like the backwoods of Georgia and find its sound?

Blues music, in particular, is deeply rooted in tradition and community, and there’s a specific language that comes with it. Bringing all of those elements together, while physically being in that space, helped amplify those transitions—especially for these characters. Music is what connects them. It’s the mechanism that allows them to communicate, to express themselves in ways they otherwise couldn’t. Through it, they rediscover a language they had been missing with their father. It’s special to these brothers.

PC: Nican, the film is described as a Southern Gothic horror musical, but there’s also a lot of unexpected humor—largely due to your character. Those tonal shifts feel essential, especially given all the action and violence throughout. How much of what made the final cut was scripted versus improvised? And with your background in writing, producing, and directing, how do you find those moments where you can naturally interject levity?
Nican: The answer to both of your questions is simple—just hanging around these guys. The structure and skeleton were in the script, but a lot of the riffing, both on and off set, came from our shared understanding of where a scene needed to go. That trust gave us the freedom and confidence to try something comedic.

Because even in tragedy, there’s comedy. I don’t want to say it’s full comedy and dismiss the weight of the story—what these characters are going through is real, and that deserves validation. But within that, there are absurdities and paradoxes that, when approached with the right mindset, we can find humor in. We had so many little moments of improv, just playing around and trying things out. I remember Jordan and I bouncing ideas back and forth for ten minutes, experimenting with different ways to approach a moment while still staying true to the characters. That kind of collaboration is what brought those comedic beats to life. It also made everything feel more real because what you see on screen is exactly what we have off screen. These are my brothers.

PC: Brendan, there’s such a transformative quality to the performances you all gave. You’ve already discussed your creative decisions with the accent, but how much do hair and makeup play a role in your character development process? And how do you create the space to go to those dark places?
Brendan: I’ve always been a physical actor—so much of my process is about embodiment. What I really respect about Nican and Jordan is that they’re both devastatingly brilliant with their vocal performances, but they’re also incredibly embodied actors. That made working with them such a joy. We were given the space to let everything live fully in our bodies, which was huge.

When I first had a Zoom session with Nicholas and Brandon, it wasn’t a callback, and I wasn’t guaranteed the role. It was just all of us discussing whether we wanted to work on this project together. From the moment I left that call, I started growing the beard. I wanted that physicality, that confining element, because it felt like something we couldn’t fake. I even took old Invisalign trays and had the makeup team dirty them up so it looked like I was losing teeth. I wanted that grit—something real, something tangible—so I wouldn’t have to “act” it. That way, all of that physicality was already there, and I could focus entirely on the relationships with this incredible ensemble.

PC: Have you had the chance to see this with a live audience? I feel like I could walk past you at a screening and not even realize you were the actor playing Ish.
Brendan: Thank you. That’s the joy, right? We all want to disappear into our work. Ben Kingsley once said that if he can buy just one moment where it’s not him on screen, he considers that a win for the project. I feel the same way.

Getting to work on this film reinforced the kind of work I want to be doing—not just collaborating with this incredible creative team on and off screen, but fully immersing myself in the role. I’m really proud that I was able to disappear into the integrity of the work.

PC: You should be. Jordan, community has been such a through line in your career. The Devil and the Daylong Brothers embodies the spirit of independent filmmaking—where everyone is there because they believe in the story. In an industry that’s often risk-averse, how does working in that environment with a smaller crew allow you to trust your instincts more and elevate your performance?
Jordan: It’s that sense of safety. This film is such a risk. We all felt that way when we first read the script, and you could feel it even when we started rolling on the first day. Everyone was fully committed, but there was still that question lingering—”Can we really pull this off?” The safety that comes from that kind of community is what gave us the freedom to do what we did.

We shot “The Reckoning” at 4 a.m. It was freezing. We were wet. My teeth were chattering. The second they called “action,” I had to push past all of that, relax my body, and just be in the scene. This is dark, but I’ll never forget Rainey looking at me—she could see I was struggling. I like to be comfortable. Meanwhile, Rainey—God bless her—was standing there in lingerie in the cold. She looked at me and said, “It’s just us.” That moment really stuck with me. It was a partnership. I felt that with the brothers, too. We knew we were all in this together.

Make sure to follow Nican (Instagram), Brendan (Instagram), and Jordan (Instagram). Watch The Devil and the Daylong Brothers wherever you stream movies.

Photo Credit: Jason Fobart