Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Seventh Day’s Tristan Riggs

Tristan Riggs is quickly making a name for himself as one of the most talented young actors around. His credits include a diverse range of projects such as The Leftovers, Blood Fest, Ashes, and dozens more.

His latest, The Seventh Day, is the perfect film for any horror fan. It follows a renowned exorcist who teams up with a rookie priest for his first day of training. As they plunge deeper into hell on earth, the lines between good and evil blur, and their own demons emerge.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Tristan about his career and The Seventh Day.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting?
Tristan: For me, it really started with school theater and musicals. I watched my sister, Charlotte Delaney Riggs, get involved in theater and then later in film. She inspired me to get involved, too. I later started booking commercials and then films once I signed with an agent. I love acting because you get to create a character and bring the character to life.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Tristan: My manager, Garrett Lindsay at the ESI Network, is one who has driven me to do my best. My coaches, too—Marcie Smolin with the Actors Circle has been a huge influence. They help me create the character and the world around the character when preparing for auditions, and even for the films once I have booked a role. Of course, my parents are very supportive of me. My dad is my reader and helps me tape all my auditions. My mom helps with social media and is usually the one to take me to and from set or auditions, at least when they were in person.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your young career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Tristan: I think there are several moments that stand out to me. On The Seventh Day, I got to do most of my own stunts, which didn’t really make it into the final film, but it was a lot of fun—maybe there will be an extended cut someday!

I also had a lot of fun working with Pauly Shore very early on. I went to LA to work with him on a film he was creating about his life and he asked me to play Little Pauly in the scenes that flashback to when he was a kid. It was fun just driving around Hollywood and filming all these scenes on location at places where he used to hang out as a kid. People would recognize him and yell funny lines from his movies at him. He was just super funny and nice. I also enjoyed working on Blood Fest, which was a comedy horror film where I played Young Dax. I got to work with Tate Donovan, Robbie Kay, and Jacob Batalon, so that was really cool.

The Seventh Day

PC: Tell us about The Seventh Day, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Tristan: The Seventh Day follows two exorcists, Father Peter (Guy Pearce) and his recruit, Father Daniel (Vadhir Derbez), on Father Daniel’s first day of training.

My character is a possessed boy named Nicholas Miller, who we meet when Father Peter is much younger. He is the first person that a Young Father Peter (played by Chris Galust) tries to perform an exorcism on during his first day of training, along with Father Louis (Keith David).

Things do not go very well and leave Father Peter kind of haunted by this event for the rest of his life. It has some interesting plot twists, so definitely go check it out. For me, this role gave me a chance to play a different kind of character than I have in the past, and that was what attracted me to the role.

PC: We’ve seen a lot of films about exorcisms. What makes The Seventh Day stand out?
Tristan: It is kind of a mix between an action and horror film, so I think that is something that stands out. It is not just all exorcisms, and it has some interesting plot twists. As an actor, I like that I got to play a creepy character in this film instead of just playing the victim—although, I suppose my character is a victim, too.

PC: You’re no stranger to horror. What is it about the genre that excites you?
Tristan: As far as working on horror films, I like the special effects and the creepy and scary factors. As a fan, I love watching horror films because of the suspense. I love that in horror films, you can have such a range of villains and monsters like vampires, zombies, aliens, and all kinds of beasts. Sometimes, it is the supernatural that is scary or just scary people!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Favorite TV show?
Tristan: Stranger Things.

PC: Favorite movie?
Tristan: Forrest Gump.

PC: Favorite book?
Tristan: The Chronicles of Narnia.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Tristan: The Wizard of Oz.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Tristan: The Beatles.

To keep up with Tristan, follow him on Instagram. The Seventh Day is out in theaters, On Demand, and Digital.