Exclusive Interview: William Moseley Talks About On the Line, Working with Mel Gibson, and More

William Moseley is one of the industry’s most exciting young talents. He’s best known for his work in projects including The Chronicles of Narnia, The Royals, and Saving Paradise.

Currently, he stars opposite Mel Gibson in On the Line. The must-see thriller follows a radio host who takes a call, where an unknown person threatens to kill the showman’s entire family on air. To save loved ones, the radio host will have to play a survival game and the only way to win is to find out the identity of the criminal. William shines as Dylan, a new employee who finds himself thrown into this situation on his first day.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with William about On the Line, working with Mel, and more.

PC: This project is filled with so many twists and turns. What was your initial reaction when you read this script?
William: I’ll be completely honest with you: I said yes to the script before I read it. As soon as I heard Mel Gibson was the lead, I had a Skype with the director and he asked, “Would you like to do this?” I said, “Look, Mel’s the lead. I’m in.” Then I read the script. It read like a magic trick. It was one reveal after the next. It lent itself very much to the French vaudeville style of mimes, which they do so cleverly. It’s that misdirection and illusion energy, which is why a French writer-director made such a good movie out of that script.

PC: You shared on social media that you’ve looked up to Mel your entire life. What was it like getting to collaborate with him on this project?
William: For me, Mel Gibson is the iconic movie star. I’ve always looked up to him. I’ve always seen him as a titan of our industry with his acting performances in the Lethal Weapon films and his directing in Apocalypto, Braveheart, and Hacksaw Ridge. I’ve always felt that he finds humanity and a lot of commercial energy in his work, which I’ve always liked. Working with him was incredible.

PC: I know Mel could hear Paul Spera’s voice through his headset while filming this project. Were you able to as well?
William: Yeah. I could hear Paul with the headset that I was wearing. It wasn’t always easy because the headsets didn’t always work. Sometimes Paul was just in the background doing his lines and we didn’t see him. I remember one day, Enrique Arce’s headset didn’t work, and I had to give him cues with my fingers for when to say his lines. That’s movie-making. Often, things don’t go the way you want. They often don’t go the way everyone wants them to go, so you have to make the best of it.

PC: How did that immersive experience elevate your performance?
William: That immersive experience allowed me to elevate my performance by tapping into my nervous energy over working with Mel Gibson and using that for the nervous energy of my character going through this horrific experience of a hostage crisis. I had an acting coach who used to say, “Bring your day with you. Bring your day into the scene.” I heard Tom Cruise say that before. I think that’s a wise piece of advice. Don’t fight yourself because you’re using yourself to create this scenario. That’s what I did.

PC: You have so many powerful scenes where you’re portraying Dylan’s emotions without dialogue. As an actor, how did you create the space for yourself to dive into those particular moments?
William: It’s a physical response sometimes as opposed to an emotional response. If I physically engage the character, emotionally it will follow. That way, I don’t have to think too much. I would do 100 pushups before I would go into the scene, or I’d do 50 jumping jacks. People thought I was crazy. [laughs] The scene when I had to point the gun and be really emotional, there were like twenty other actors there and I was doing pushups in front of them. I felt pretty stupid, but they respected that I was trying to get there and find the character. Then when I did the take, I was really happy with it. It worked. You just find what you can on the day.

PC: Romuald Boulanger wrote and directed this project. Is the experience different when the person who created this universe is also at the helm directing? What was that experience like?
William: Rom is the nicest and one of the easiest directors that I’ve ever worked with. He’s a very nurturing person. He’s very kind and respectful of the process of being an actor. He encourages you and supports you and gives you what you need and respects what you’re doing. I loved working with him. Anything else he ever makes, I will be there in a heartbeat. I was very fortunate that he was making that movie and very grateful to him for bringing me on.

PC: There’s a point in the film where Gary is unraveling and talks about how this is almost like a movie and asks Elvis who would play him in his film. If you had to pick an actor who would play you in the story of your life, who would it be and why?
William: That’s a great question. If I could have Brad Pitt when he was younger, I wouldn’t turn that down—or Leonardo DiCaprio. I hope that somebody who plays me will find my spirit. That’s the most important thing that you look for. You can have a beautiful face, body, and voice or you could be the ugliest person in the world, but if you have a beautiful spirit and you’ve got that great energy inside, then you can be very watchable on camera. I hope it’s someone who could find my energy and spirit.

PC: You all looked like you had so much fun filming this project. Do you have a favorite behind-the-scenes moment?
William: I did enjoy doing that big scene with the gun. I was pointing a gun and I was emotional. It was a pinch-me moment where I was looking at Mel Gibson across this room. I’m from a small town. To be there was such a cool moment.

PC: What’s next for you?
William: Currently, I’m in Nashville filming Savage Lands. I’m playing Davy Crockett, and we have Colm Meaney here who is playing the antagonist. I’m playing the protagonist. It’s a survival film based in the early 1800s. It’s going to be a beautiful film. We’re on the Electra 35. We’re filming with anamorphic lenses, so it will look pretty beautiful. It’s going to be an exciting, fun film for audiences to see. That should be out in the spring or summer of next year.

PC: You’ve had an incredible year with so many great projects. What’s left on your bucket list?
William: That’s a great question. Thank you for saying that. I appreciate it. For me, what’s left on my bucket list is to continue to make good films, grow my spirit and energy, and continue to be proud of the work that I’m doing and the people I’m working with. I feel like I’m on the path now that I wanted to be on for a long time. I’m on it now, and I want to keep going forward.

To keep up with William, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch On the Line wherever you stream movies.

Photo Credit: Nancy Jae Park