Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Rapid Eye Movement’s François Arnaud

Best known for his roles as Cesare Borgia on Showtime’s The Borgias, Manfred Bernardo on NBC’s Midnight, Texas, and Tommy Castelli on Lifetime’s UnReal, leading man François Arnaud has been captivating audiences with his versatility for well over a decade. His latest project, Rapid Eye Movement, finds the talented actor playing a narcissistic radio disc jockey who will go to extremes to keep his ratings from flatlining. Pop Culturalist caught up with François to chat about the film.

PC: Tell us about Rapid Eye Movement, your character, and what drew you to this project.
François: It’s about Rick, a radio DJ whose ratings are free falling. He decides to pull an insane stunt by going without sleep for eleven days in an attempt to break the world record and to raise money for charity. But, he’s narcissistic, narrow-minded, and selfish. He only cares about himself and not the cause that he says he’s doing this for, which is a life-threatening disease called SMA. The parent of a deceased child sees through it and threatens to kill him if he falls asleep before he raises five million dollars.

It’s very much a thriller, but it also has this wacky trippy element to it because I’m not sleeping, so I start hallucinating and losing my mind. Oh yeah, and all this takes place in a glass booth in Times Square, where we actually shot. I was interacting with tourists and New Yorkers alike, who were sometimes confused as to whether or not any of this was happening for real.

I was attracted to this project because it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even though the film has a heightened tone, I wanted to explore the mind of a man who’s losing his grasp on reality, but really, it was my own mind I took a trip inside of.

PC: How did you prepare to play a character that undergoes such a drastic physical, emotional, and mental transformation?
François: By being as fearless as I could. The character is very chatty, so I made sure I was hyper comfortable with the dialogue before hang. I hired an assistant to run lines with me for three weeks before the shoot. I also broke down the script and made sure I understood the story because we weren’t going to shoot in chronological order. I had to make sure I was able to find my bearings quickly and jump right into the state of mind Rick was in. I also studied old-timey radio DJs to find my radio persona and how it would differ from when Rick interacts with people in real life.

PC: Which of his transformations was the most difficult for you as an actor?
François: I had such incredible support from the cast, makeup team, and crew. I felt free to explore without being judged, even if I was in a glass booth in the middle of the busiest street corner in America. [laughs] I guess if I had to choose one moment, it was always the stuff with the imaginary snake that’s a little far-fetched. But I’ve done Midnight, Texas since, so I’m more comfortable with the CGI stuff now and reacting to something that’s in your head and might be different from what’s in the director’s head. I’ve learned to enjoy it, but I love working with other actors so much and letting their performances affect mine.

PC: While this film is an intense suspense-thriller, it also builds awareness for SMA. How familiar were you with the disease? Did that add a different complexity to the project?
François: I wasn’t very familiar. Since Rick goes into it pretty uninformed, I embraced that and learned about it through him.

We were incredibly lucky to have a boy named Dylan who lives with SMA in the movie with us for a scene. He was so generous, strong, resilient, and funny. It made me feel so grateful and inspired to try and be more brave. His parents were so game, and it was weird because my character Rick is such a dick to him in the film. We talked prior to filming and they were happy to go for it and let the scene be what it is. I think it’s so gut-punching. Dylan’s mother contacted me recently to let me know that he’s receiving new treatments for SMA and that he’s doing better, so there’s hope.

PC: Besides Rapid Eye Movement, do you have any other upcoming projects you can chat about?
François: I’m currently filming a psychological thriller called Home. It’s about a young couple dealing with the joys, but also horrors of raising a newborn. Emily Hampshire, who I met when I did Schitt’s Creek, was offered the role and she said she’d do it if they let me play her husband, and they were apparently excited about the idea of the two of us together. We’re having a great time filming. It’s basically just us in this beautiful house with a baby, and there may or may not be a ghost/entity who wants us all dead.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
François: I’ve been mostly watching amazing things like Euphoria, When They See Us, Chernobyl, and Fleabag that I feel absolutely no guilt about. But um…Forensic Files I guess.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
François: Anything with a shark in it.

PC: Favorite book?
François: Changes all the time. Lately it’s Sally Rooney’s novels—both Normal People and Conversations with Friends. She may have the best endings, like very last sentences, of all time.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
François: In recent years, I think it was The Flick by Annie Baker.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
François: I don’t know if it’s surprising, but Cook Thugless. We have friends in common and a film project we want to collaborate on, but I didn’t know his music. Since downloading his album, it’s pretty much all I’ve been listening to.

PC: Last show you binge-watched?
François: Workin’ Moms; it’s a comedy, but it’s actually great prep for the horror movie I’m doing.

PC: Hidden talent?
François: When I sneeze, you can hear it from the summit of Mount Everest.

To keep up with François, follow him on Instagram, and catch Rapid Eye Movement in select theaters and on Amazon and iTunes.