Exclusive Interview: Writer-Director Brock Heasley and Stars Kristoffer Polaha and Neal McDonough Discuss The Shift

Renowned writer-director Brock Heasley, accompanied by the exceptional talents of Kristoffer Polaha and Neal McDonough, forms the dynamic creative force behind the compelling new film, The Shift.

Hailing from Angel Studios, The Shift emerges as a contemporary reimagining of the book of Job. The narrative unfolds as Kevin Garner (portrayed by Kristoffer Polaha) undergoes a heart-wrenching separation from Molly, his true love, thrust into an alternate dystopian reality by the enigmatic adversary known as The Benefactor (brought to life by Neal McDonough). In this gripping tale, the quest for reunion raises poignant questions: Can hope and faith serve as guiding lights on Kevin’s journey back?

In an exclusive conversation with Pop Culturalist, Brock, Kristoffer, and Neal delved into the intricacies of The Shift, exploring their collaborative efforts and shared vision for a project that aspires to redefine the landscape of filmmaking in Hollywood.

PC: Brock, The Shift tackles so many universal themes told from a sci-fi/dystopian lens. Why do you think the mashing of these genres lends itself to this type of storytelling?
Brock: Sci-fi is such a great tool for discussing truths, principles, and ideas; really anything we want. You think about Star Trek, Neal was in it. You might recall that.

Neal: Flew the ship.

Brock: Not too many people get to do that.

Neal: I think it’s been like six people. [laughs]

Brock: But Star Trek does a great job of addressing social issues of the day. It accomplishes this in a way that doesn’t seem as immediate and divisive as what we see in the news today. So it brings people to the table across the political spectrum to talk about the ideas and have these conversations. So I look at science fiction as a great vehicle. So why not also use it as a way to talk about faith and the relationships and communication that we have with each other? Sci-fi can bend in numerous ways, and we’re just bending it in a slightly new way.

Kristoffer: We’re just shifting it. [laughs]

Neal: The great thing about this film is it’s not just a sci-fi film. It’s not just an action film. My favorite part of the film is the love story aspect. That kind of storytelling resonates with everyone. It’s not just a love story between Kevin and his wife; it’s also a love story between him and his faith in God. It’s a fantastic story that was scripted by this genius mind right here. I’ve got to tell you, he led us. He was the leader of the charge. He made things happen. He gave us great words to play with, a great environment to work in, a great crew, everything. We owe so much to Angel Studios for the faith they gave Brock. 6,000 people from the Angel Guild chipped in to make this movie happen. Where else does that happen in Hollywood? Thank goodness for Angel Studios and what they do by making films that accentuate the light, not just the darkness of Hollywood filmmaking that they make these days. Let’s support what they do so we can keep having films like this in theaters.

PC: Beautifully said. Kristoffer, you and your character bring audiences on such an emotional journey throughout the film. Despite everything that he’s lost, he remains so hopeful. You brought so much nuance to that. As an actor, how did you create the space for yourself to dive into that arc, especially when you’re filming things out of sequence and coming off a project that’s widely different?
Kristoffer: Thank you, it’s a great question. It really starts with the script, especially one that’s as tightly written as the one Brock wrote. Kevin has such a long runway. From beginning to end, it’s about how you read the script and interpret that information and start to plug it in. Then it’s just going day by day, scene by scene, and trusting the moment. I graphed out the character and his arc, and where he was going and how he was going to get there. But then I had to trust Brock, and every day we just dropped in.

Neal: He almost did. [laughs]

Brock: Almost did. I got close. [laughs]

Kristoffer: Three times! [laughs] But we had this mind meld. I’m getting dressed for eleven different characters. But we just agreed with everything. I would be like, “I’m thinking about this.” And he’d be like, “What if?” It was about all these tiny little decisions that you have to make as an actor. But also as a director, he had such a vision for what he wanted to see and how he saw this in his head for the last eight years. Then I had a vision of what I wanted to see and how I see it.

It was really this relationship where I was like, “This is what I’m bringing to the table.” And Brock said, “Well, I’m going to bring this to the table.” Together we were like, “All right. Let’s lose this, this, this, this, and let’s bring these things and build what we want.” So in large, you want to take credit for stuff as an actor, but you really can’t because it’s who you’re acting with that makes all the difference and who you’re being directed by makes all the difference. How centered and focused you are is your job. But I showed up on set and Neal McDonough is bringing nuclear armament to the scene and he’s ready to rock and roll. I’m either going to get left behind or I’m going to run that race with him. That’s what we get paid to do. We get paid to bring our excellence and our life experiences. Audiences are going to be in for the ride of their life. It’s a movie that I’ve never seen before.

Again, it’s this amalgamation of romance, sci-fi, faith, and it’s a story of hope, perseverance, and the relationship with God and how that can change your life.

PC: Neal, you were a little apprehensive about playing this character, but it was your wife who encouraged you to do so. How did that conversation ultimately lead you to say yes to this role? What did you learn about yourself playing this character?
Neal: “Honey, are you okay?” “Yeah, I’m okay.” “Honey, something on your mind?” “Yeah, they asked me to play the devil.” “What did you tell them?” “No.” “Why?” “I can’t play that.” After she read the script, she was like, “You’re probably the best villain in Hollywood. You have an amazing relationship with God. You have to play this part because if someone else plays this character who doesn’t have that relationship, this film isn’t going to work.”

Because of those words, I left it all on the canvas. I didn’t want to let anyone down. But there was something in the back of my head that I didn’t want to let God down either. I wanted this to be a story that gave glory to Him.

Sometimes you have to be the good guy, sometimes you have to be the bad guy. This time, I was the bad guy, but I infused a bit of humanity into that. By the end of the film, you have a little compassion for him, which I’ve never seen a character crafted that way before. Brock and I really worked hard on it to make sure this character wasn’t just your stereotypical villain and that he was human, flawed, and had all these things. In the end, he has compassion and an envy for Kevin and his love for God.

He offers Kevin everything that he could ever want in exchange for allegiance to him instead of God. Instead, he chooses God, and that look on my face is one of my favorite moments that I’ve ever had in film. It’s this look like, “I wish I had what Kevin had. I used to have it a long time ago. I’ve tripped all over myself and I’ve made horrible choices in life. But Kevin has made horrible and tough choices, but he has the bravery to get through it.” As the viewer, if you can watch films like this and it calls you out to be a better human being, to be a better mom, a better dad, a better friend, a better coworker, a better whatever, then we’ve done our job as filmmakers within the confines of the films that we like to make that give glory to Him. After watching The Shift with my whole family the other night, all five of our kids expressed how much they enjoyed the film and the ride of it. We did our job correctly and we gave glory to Him, and that makes me very proud.

PC: Brock, what you’ve done so beautifully with this film is you’ve taken this tragic situation and turned it into a celebration of your father. This has been an eight-plus journey for you and also your debut as a writer-director. What does it mean to have this finally come out? What’s been the most surprising part of this process?
Brock: The most surprising part about this journey is that it happened at all. Where I grew up, I didn’t necessarily learn to dream big. I didn’t grow up to be a filmmaker or anything like that. I grew up loving movies, but it wasn’t really a path that I thought was available to me.

When I got set on this path, and I believe I got set on this path by a higher power, by my Heavenly Father, it was one that I pursued with great vigor, but also great fear, and wondering if I was even up to the task. To be here now and to hear these guys talk about this movie in this way and to see for myself how audiences are responding to it, I feel like I did the thing that I’m supposed to do and now I’m ready for the world to take it and see what they’re going to do with it.

It’s immensely satisfying and it’s a moment of deep, deep gratitude that I know how fortunate I am to be in this position.

Kristoffer: What was your mantra during filming?

Brock: I will be who I have to be.

Kristoffer: But also…

Brock: He whom God calls, He qualifies.

Kristoffer: Yeah, because I kept asking, “How are you not freaking out right now?”

Neal: He’s so calm. As Brock just said, the film is going to be in theater now. If this is a type of film that viewers want to see more of, it’s not just a shift that you’re voting for, it’s a shift in the way that Hollywood makes their movies. Angel Studios is making films that speak to us. We can talk about dark issues like we do in this film, but there’s light at the end. Those are the films that you gravitate towards. It’s the type of films that you want to bring your whole family to the cinema to see, which doesn’t really happen anymore. Think about buying a ticket to see this film this weekend, whether it’s for you, whether it’s convincing friends to go see it, or it’s paying it forward through the website and buying tickets for families that can’t afford to go see films. These are the families that actually need to see the film because this film brings hope. If we can bring hope, especially now with the economy the way it is, we’re living in tough times. We’re all going to get through it with hope in the face of despair. Please go out and support the film this weekend and let’s change the way that Hollywood thinks about making films in the future.

Make sure to follow Brock (Twitter/Instagram), Kristoffer (Twitter/Instagram), and Neal (Instagram). Pick up your tickets for The Shift or to pay it forward, visit The Shift’s official website.