Pop-Culturalist.com

Zane Holtz has played a lot of different characters in his illustrious career: a soldier returning from war, a man on the run, and an elite gymnast searching for gold. But in Beyond the Night, audiences will see Zane like never before, stepping into the shoes of a single parent who’s struggling to raise his son. When his young boy begins revealing details about the small coal-mining town and the local gangster’s missing daughter, a thrilling mystery unfolds that will leave you questioning everything. Pop Culturalist spoke with Zane ahead of the film’s release.

PC: Tell us about Beyond the Night and what drew you to this project.
Zane: Beyond the Night is a film set in a small coal-mining town. At the heart of the story, for me, it’s about a father trying to connect with his son. He’s trying to figure out both what is troubling him and also what he can do to fix it. At the same time, there’s a sort of otherworldly element that he has to come to grips with, help solve a murder mystery, and figure out how his son is connected to it all.



I was drawn to the role because I thought the concept for the film was very interesting. It explores the idea of past lives and reincarnation. In the past, I’ve played soldiers returning from war, so that wasn’t particularly new to me. What really interested me was the chance to play a dad on screen, to have that challenge of trying to work with a younger actor, and to bring forth this honest portrayal of a man who’s trying to raise his son, but doesn’t have the tools to do so.

PC: Ray is this complex character who is dealing with a lot in his life. How did you prepare and what research did you do on death and reincarnation?
Zane: I didn’t do a ton of research on reincarnation because I wanted to go into it with Ray’s cynical attitude towards it. You’ll see in the film when those ideas are first presented to him, he’s very against it. He thinks that the psychologist character is trying to cash in on his son and create a get rich scheme. Ray believes it’s a health issue that his son is dealing with, so I wanted to come into it with the same kind of mindset. He has to be the skeptic. Throughout the course of the film, you’ll see Ray come to terms with the idea that maybe something otherworldly or supernatural is at play.

PC: What was the most challenging aspect of playing Ray?
Zane: It was a challenge to convey Ray’s feelings and emotions without necessarily talking about them. You don’t see Ray ever say how he’s feeling [laughs]. It’s there on the screen, but he never talks about how he feels. His sister, the character played by Tammy [Blanchard], is always trying to get him to open up. She wants to get him to talk to somebody and get the help that he needs, whether that’s dealing with the loss of his wife, or everything going on with his son, but that’s not how Ray operates. He likes to keep things close to the chest and act rather than talk.

PC: Your character is at the center of the story. Which of his relationships was your favorite to explore and why?
Zane: What really drew me to the project was the relationship between father and son. I’m luckily at the age now where I’m able to play those parts, which is a cool new path for me. The scenes with Azhy [Robertson] were super interesting to play. I also loved all my stuff with Tammy. She’s a fantastic actress and to be able to have that sibling bond on screen and those unspoken familiarities was really amazing. Also, the dynamic between myself and Chance Kelly was a lot of fun. They’re two alpha characters who are not necessarily enemies but on opposing sides when it comes to trying to figure out what to do with my son and how to help Chance’s character without hindering my son’s well being.

PC: What was it like working with Jason [Noto] who is making his directorial debut and he is also the screenwriter?
Zane: Jason was great. Sometimes when you work with people who are making their debut, they’re trying to figure it out as they go along, but Jason had a vision from the start. He was very effective in his execution and he knew exactly what he wanted. He had an idea of who all these characters were, their relationships, and the world that they lived in. I felt extremely comfortable working with him and I look forward to doing something with him again in the future.

PC: Is there a particular scene that you’re excited for your fans to see in the film?
Zane: I think people who have seen some of my work in the past will be interested in seeing this new kind of role. I’ve never played a parent before. I think they’ll be interested in seeing that and following along with the mystery and how the story unravels. I feel like people are going to latch onto this and want to know what is happening with my son’s character.


PC: What was it like working with Azhy?
Zane: Azhy’s awesome. He’s super talented and always showed up ready to go. His parents were really supportive, as well. It’s the only time I’ve worked with a young actor and the experience was great. He came in so natural, curious, and present.


PC: Did you have any words of wisdom or advice for him as a young actor starting out?
Zane: [laughs] I don’t give advice to anybody because I’m still figuring it out as I go. As long as you have a passion, there’s no stopping you. You’re going to do whatever you can to keep at it and keep working.

PC: Besides Beyond the Night, do you have any upcoming projects that you can chat about?
Zane: Beyond the Night is in limited theaters now, and we come out on VOD soon. I also have another film that’s out on VOD called Hunter Killer with Gerald Butler and Gary Oldman.

Keep up with Zane by following him on Twitter and Instagram, and catch Beyond the Night out now.