Jack Mulhern became a household name as one of the breakout stars of Netflix’s The Society. He enthralled audiences with his vulnerable and sensitive performance as Grizz in the sci-fi mystery drama that follows a group of high school students who are forced to form their own society after everyone in the world vanishes.
This September, he brings that same charisma as he makes the leap from the small to silver screen in his first feature film, Odd Man Rush. Based on a true story, Odd Man Rush follows a Harvard hockey player who dreams of playing in the NHL. But when an injury sets him back, he finds himself in Sweden’s minor leagues and begins questioning what life will be like after hockey.
Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Jack about his new film Odd Man Rush, leading the cast, and what he took away from the experience.
PC: Tell us about Odd Man Rush, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Jack: I play Bobby Sanders. It’s a film based on the book and life of hockey player Bill Keenan and how he jumped around the European minor leagues after his tenure at Harvard. What drew me to this project was Doug Dearth, our director. He reached out pretty quickly after I auditioned, and then so did Bill. I was coming off another project at the time, and they were very enthusiastic. I wrapped and I jumped right into this, maybe a week or two later.
PC: Bill was heavily involved in the filming process. What was the collaboration like working alongside him and telling his story?
Jack: It was great. We got along well. Sometimes you can get intimidated, especially when the guy’s there. But he was very welcoming. He poured a lot of himself into the book and also into the screenplay. Anytime I wanted to ask him something, he was there. I could gauge his vibe on how things were going, progressing throughout the shoot. I love him. He’s a great guy.
PC: When you’re working on a project that’s based on a true story, does that change the preparation for you?
Jack: It would, except with this one. I knew very early on in the process when I was talking to Doug that they were going for a High Fidelity vibe. In terms of prep, I watched a lot of [John] Cusack flicks more than anything. They were going for this very stylized approach. I was a Cusack rat for a couple of months. Hopefully, it reads that way.
PC: A lot of the cast and crew is heavily involved in the hockey world. How beneficial was that as you led this film? What is your relationship with the sport?
Jack: I played a bit in middle school and high school. It helped insofar as I could skate and I could hold my own. I definitely wasn’t number one out there. [laughs] That definitely goes to Dylan [Playfair]. He comes from a hockey family, and he progressed pretty far. But having Bill, Dylan, and a group of guys that were really passionate helped a lot because any time I found myself in deep water, I could call Bill and he would tell me exactly what I needed to know.
PC: When we’re introduced to your character, he has a very singular goal/focus, but over the course of the film, we see him make this transformation. Did you draw on any personal experiences when building your character?
Jack: Yeah, especially where I was at the time. We filmed in the brutal winter up in Syracuse. I just came off another project. It’s a very lonely thing to be a young actor starting. You have to leave relationships and leave your family. You have to jump in and restart every single time. It can be hard. It felt very similar to the circumstances in the film, where you’re frequently sitting there and you know you have a passion for this, but in the back of your head, you’re thinking, “What am I doing? Is this the right thing to be doing?” I would say my experiences were very parallel.
PC: One of the major catalysts for this change in Bobby is his relationship with Elin. Can you tell us about their journey together and what they learned from each other?
Jack: Elektra Kilbey, who plays Elin, is great. We really got along. We did some writing ourselves and workshopped a lot of scenes between our two characters. Similarly to how I was feeling homesick, it was nice to have a buddy, a companion that I could talk to who was going through the same thing. It’s the same thing in the film with the relationship between our characters. They have to reassess what their goals are. Are your goals to be eaten alive by the ambition monster, or do you want to live and develop lasting relationships with the people around you? I learned that from Elektra and these characters.
PC: You’re one of the breakout stars of The Society. What has the transition been like going from TV to film? Did anything surprise you about the experience?
Jack: I think it would have been more of a transition like twenty years ago. Nowadays, in my experience so far, the two aren’t very different anymore. The production quality of TV has gotten so high that it’s basically a film shoot every single time that you go into it. There’s a lot of overlap.
Odd Man Rush was the first film I did. It was a learning experience. I guess it’s a little different in that it’s self-contained.
PC: With this being your first film, what was the biggest takeaway?
Jack: Without being schmaltzy or too corny, I guess what I learned, which is parallel to what the character learns, is that you have to invest in the present. Do what you can do to be comfortable in your skin and content in your experiences. Let the big stuff work itself out. That’s my sage wisdom on the experience of Odd Man Rush.
PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Jack: Survivor. I’ve been binge-watching that since quarantine.
PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Jack: I think Nacho Libre is as good as Lawrence of Arabia.
PC: Favorite book?
Jack: José [Julián] and I read The Republic during The Society. I had a really profound experience with it. So I guess I’d say that would be my favorite book.
PC: Favorite play or musical?
Jack: [Sam] Shepard’s plays. And I like American Buffalo [by David Mamet].
PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Jack: Sisqo, Meghan Trainor, the soundtrack from Final Fantasy IX.
PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Jack: Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Odd Man Rush is now available on digital HD.
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Very sweet interview. I knew Phil and was one of a legion of admirers and friends who grieved when he died. I've never seen a better performance on stage than his James Tyrone Jr. in Long Says Journey into Night, and his Capote was breathtaking. Jack's answer would indicate a similar esteem. Jack himself is an amazing young actor. In Grizz, he was given a beautiful character to play and gave a quite astonishing performance. The young audiences fell in love with him, and I'm sure great numbers of older ones might do they same could they be coaxed into looking at a "teenage" melodrama. The thing about the performance was the great number of mood, and almost personality changes he played -- especially in the later more dramatic scenes where Grizz is wounded and angry, leading up to the most moving conclusion. He is also one of the tallest young men in the business. The "Odd Man" script is efficient, the story pleasant, but there are nowhere near the opportunities he was given in The Society. There's another performance due from him about which he's enthusiastic, so everyone who knowns about him will tune in. As he approaches the age of 30, I hope he gets another part that will match capabilities -- perhaps a very troubled character, or even a very sinister one.