Exclusive Interview: Ryan Phillippe Talks Survival Thriller, ‘Prey,’ What Spoke to Him About the Role and Film, and More

Ryan Phillippe, a name synonymous with captivating storytelling, needs little introduction. With over three decades in the industry, Ryan has made his mark with transformative performances in iconic projects such as I Know What You Did Last Summer, Crash, 54, Cruel Intentions, Gosford Park, and Shooter, among others.

This March, Ryan reunites with writer-director Mukunda Michael Dewil for the gripping survival-thriller, Prey. The film follows a young couple, portrayed by Ryan Phillippe and Mena Suvari, who must flee their Christian missionary post in the Kalahari Desert after being threatened by an extremist militant group. Their journey takes a treacherous turn when their escape aboard a dilapidated plane piloted by a corrupt smuggler, played by Emile Hirsch, ends in a crash landing within an animal preserve populated by deadly predators—lions, leopards, and hyenas. Injured, pursued by the extremists, and facing imminent danger from the ferocious wildlife, this disparate group of survivors must summon every ounce of strength and courage to stay alive.

Pop Culturalist had the privilege of catching up with Ryan to delve into the intricacies of Prey, exploring what drew him to the character and script, his approach to his craft as both actor and producer, and much more.

PC: Filmmaking is such a collaborative art form, and you’ve worked with Mukunda in the past. How much does that prior relationship with a writer-director influence what projects you want to be a part of? What was it about this script and character that resonated with you?
Ryan: I actually just finished a third project with Mukunda two or three weeks ago. He’s such a special individual, such a soulful, spiritual guy. He was a monk at one point for seven years in India. He’s an author as well as a writer-director. He and I have a lot in common outside of the industry in terms of our interests and the conversations that we have.

But I knew what I was getting into in that regard because I enjoyed the work that I did with him prior to this. As an actor, it was an easy sell because it’s a simple concept. It’s a survival story, and the plane goes down in the desert. You’re on a big game reserve in Africa, and nobody knows you’re there. That’s terrifying. It’s one of those things that you can immediately put yourself in that place and ask yourself, “What would I do?” What would you do in that situation? It was very easy to connect to in that regard. That grabbed me immediately.

I wanted to work with Emile [Hirsch]. He and I have mutual friends and have met socially, but I’ve always enjoyed his work—Lords of Dogtown, the movie with Sean Penn. I really enjoyed those and wanted to work with him.

Then also thematically, there is a spiritual thread throughout the film where you question why bad things happen to good people. What are God’s motives? Is God looking out for us? Where is the fairness in things? There are ideas about sacrifice, which is a significant aspect for Emile’s character regarding where he starts at the beginning of the movie and where he finishes. There are some poetic aspects to that which appealed to me.

There’s also a point in the movie when my character is numb after all he’s seen and experienced. He sits down at a tree and says, “I’m not moving. Whatever happens, happens.” He just surrenders. Dramatically, I responded to that.

PC: Not only are you starring in this film, you’re also an executive producer, which you’ve done a bunch of times in the past. How does that work behind the scenes, whether you’re producing, writing, or directing, impact the way that you approach your work on screen as an actor or vice versa, and interpret scripts and characters like this?
Ryan: Each situation is different. On Shooter, the action series that I did, I was a producer on that, I was so, so heavily involved—choreographing fight scenes, doing rewrites, involved in casting, everything. It’s always different. Even now, this series that I’m starting for Amazon up here in Toronto, I’m technically not a producer, but that’s how I’ll function on set because of my experience in this industry.

I respect people’s time and money, so I’m never late. I’m always prepared. ADs love me. The AD is who runs the set. They always appreciate me because they never need to look for me. My interest is in efficiency and getting things done as close to right as possible. That comes in very handy on these small productions because the margin of error is very slim.

We had such a short window of time to shoot this and very little money, none of the creature comforts that people might expect on a movie set. I don’t even think we had snacks. [laughs] Water was hard to come by. We never went to our trailers. We were out there in the dirt. The trailers were too far away because you need to be able to shoot 360 degrees without seeing anything, so you don’t even have the time to drive back to your trailers because it cuts into your shooting day. So we were really out there in the elements, dirty, and in folding chairs. It was very unglamorous.

But I have an appreciation for that too. I like to work hard. I don’t come from fancy folks. I’m a guy who likes to get down and dirty. Every situation is so different. I’ve been doing this for over 30 years and 50-some productions, and not a single one is like the other.

PC: I feel like that lack of resources really lends itself to the state that your characters are in. Andrew’s wife becomes such a source of strength for him. Who are the people in your own life who have kept you going through those moments of adversity? Did you channel any of them into that dynamic?
Ryan: The clearest and most obvious are my kids, specifically my son, Deacon, who is my best friend and the light of my life. He’s such a spiritual and special dude. We’re so close. He’s really my favorite person on this planet. I love all my kids. It’s not a matter of that, but he and I just have a lot of things in common. We love the same music, have the same sense of humor, and support the same sports teams, all of those things. He comes to mind in that regard.

Also, seeing what my parents have overcome in their lives. My parents struggled. We don’t come from money. They both had very difficult backgrounds. Witnessing how they persevered gives me inspiration.

It’s interesting that you mentioned how difficulties in making a movie sometimes enhance the final project. I remember during Flags of Our Fathers, Clint Eastwood decided that we had to shoot on a black sand beach because Iwo Jima has one, but filming there wasn’t possible. However, Hawaii has one. There are one or two nice places with black sand beaches. Clint wanted us to go to Iceland because he wanted us to be in a truly foreign territory and out of our element. Because if it was Hawaii, guys would be going after work to have a Mai Tai and kick up their feet. On days off, they’d be getting a tan. So that is a crucial aspect sometimes in making these movies—it’s how and where you make them.

PC: As you were saying earlier, there’s such a journey that your character and Emile’s character go through throughout this film. What was it like getting to collaborate with him and bring that contrast to life?
Ryan: I’ve wanted to work with Emile, and I had a suspicion that it would go very well. We had met socially, and we had friends in common, but we also have a very similar approach to work. The characters are so completely different and on completely different journeys throughout the course of the movie that it made those moments of conflict very easy in that regard.

Again, we didn’t have a lot of time for rehearsal or a lot of time to explore on camera. We really had to get to the meat of what we could as fast as we could, which isn’t always ideal. But he and I would spend time working on or rehearsing things in between setups. It just flowed. I always enjoyed his work, and I had a suspicion that it would go well, and that part of it did.

PC: You touched upon this earlier as well, and I mean this in the best possible way. There’s a point in the film where your character has lost faith, and it’s so visceral and written in his body language and demeanor. As an audience member, you feel it. As an actor, how did you prepare for that point in the film where you see the toll that loss has had on him and how it manifests itself physically and emotionally in your character?
Ryan: The horrific nature of the situation and what he’s seen happen over the course of the film leading up to that point leaves him numb. It leaves him questioning all he thought he knew before, questions God’s motives and God’s providence. He has nothing left. He’s a doctor, and doctors are meant to save lives. There’s a scene in the movie where my character takes a life. It’s so perverse to him. Also, the loss of life with some of the other passengers, without giving too much away, that whole situation upends everything he thought he knew and makes him question the very fiber of his being. At that point, he decides to challenge God or surrender to whatever might happen. He sits under the tree and says, “If I get eaten by a lion, I get eaten,” which is a crazy place to be mentally. Can you imagine what a terrible way to go?

PC: Mukunda wrote and directed this feature, and you’ve worked with him in the past. How different is that filming experience when the person who created these characters and universe is also at the helm directing? How does the trust that you’ve previously built allow you to take agency over your character and bring something to Andrew that wasn’t initially on the page?
Ryan: Yeah, it starts with the fact that Mukunda is a very interesting dude himself. He was a monk in India for seven years. He’s an author, a novelist, as well as a writer-director. We have some of the best conversations— theological, spiritual, metaphysical conversations— all of which are primary areas of interest for me.

He writes in a poetic manner, whether he gets to fully depict that because of time crunches or you don’t get to do the amount of the shots that you’d like. Sometimes, you don’t get to finesse things quite the way that the script is written when you don’t have a lot of time. But the intent is still there. There is something soulful about what he does that I really respond to.

Working with writer-directors is often more rewarding, not always, but often they’re more rewarding than working with just a director who’s hired to shoot a script. It comes from a place within them originally. These are things that he was wrestling with at some point in his life. It adds a layer of resonance to the script.

PC: You’ve done it all throughout your career. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you as a storyteller and a creative?
Ryan: As difficult as independent films can be from a production standpoint, there’s a sense that you’re doing it on your own. You form this small group. You don’t have the suits and corporate input that you do with studio films or other productions. It really gets intimate, and you really are there. You’re not getting paid a lot. I’m letting a scorpion crawl all over my face. I don’t know what I took away from this movie financially, but it wasn’t a great deal. But I guess what that belies is a purer intent and that you’re doing it for “the right reasons.” It’s very stripped down. It’s a struggle, but a struggle that requires bonding, cooperation, and collaboration from all hands on deck, whether they’re in front of the camera or behind. There are times on movies of this size where I’m carrying equipment. I see someone get a cut, and I’m getting a first aid kit for them. You end up doing things that extend beyond your department, which is beautiful.

To keep up with Ryan, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Prey is in select theaters and On Demand now.