Pop Culturalist Chats with The Cured’s Sam Keeley

It’s only been a few years since Irish actor Sam Keeley made his acting debut, but he’s quickly become one of Hollywood’s most sought after actors—and a name we know you’ll be hearing a lot more from. His transformative and emotionally vulnerable performances have struck a chord with international audiences which is sure to be the case with his latest project, The Cured. He plays Senan, a reformed zombie, who’s attempting to integrate back into society….only to discover that the world and his family aren’t so eager to forgive and forget. We spoke with Sam about the role, how he prepared to step into this conflicted character’s shoes, and the social commentary and undertones within the film.

PC: Tell us about The Cured, your character, and how this film is redefining a genre.
Sam: Of course! I play a character named Senan. He’s the audience’s eyes into this world that our director and writer, David Freyne, has created. We’re calling it the film after the conclusion of a zombie movie. It asks the questions: what if, and what happens after the outbreak. My character is a reformed, infected person, and he’s been brought back to his own state of mind. The film follows how these characters cope with life after, and how society does or does not accept them. For these reformed, they’re trying to remember what it means to be human again.

PC: This is David’s first feature film. What was the collaboration like on set, and what about his script drew you in?
Sam: It is David’s first feature film, but you would never be able to tell, and you wouldn’t dare call this guy a rookie. He is absolutely amazing. It was a really challenging shoot in terms of the location, weather, and the action, and he handled it with amazing grace. It was wonderful to work with him. His script was beautiful from the onset. It was a very keen observation of what was going on in the world and had a lot of social commentary without beating you over the head with a message. He did it in a way that it was subliminal. You get undertones of political and social comments while he’s telling this really great story. The characters are very complex on all sides. That drew me into this story—it’s a definitely a page-turner.

PC: As an actor, how mindful are you of the undertones and social commentary?
Sam: For me, personally, I couldn’t focus too much on the social commentary. I had to focus on what my character was going through and the world that he’s living in, and hopefully as a by-product of that, we painted a picture that was bigger than just zombies eating people. When the writing is good enough, you never really worry about the world being formed, because it’s all on the page.

PC: As those rehabilitated characters re-enter society, they face a lot of adversity. How did you prepare for this role, and did you draw on any personal experiences?
Sam: Yeah, when I first read the script, I knew it was going to be a challenge to pull this off because I had to humanize someone who’d done something terrible—I wanted the audience to feel for him even though he’s done horrible things. He’s a liar, and definitely isn’t someone you would put in the “good” books. I did a lot of research about criminals who’ve served their time and their journeys to reintegrate into society. I thought that was the most direct way to approach this project. In terms of personal experiences, I’ve never come anywhere close to this, but I’ve felt guilt, and I know that feeling when I’ve done something wrong, in addition to various different emotions, fear, anger, pain, etc. For me, it was about incorporating that into the character.

Photo Credit: IFC

PC: As your character is trying to find his new sense of normal, he’s reminded of his past, largely due to his friend Conor. Can you talk a bit about that relationship?
Sam: The relationship between Senan and Conor is very much like a wolf pack mentality. Conor is great about manipulative Senan and you see that throughout the film. I won’t spoil it for the readers, but Conor gets him into a lot of trouble, and it bleeds into when they become reformed. It takes Senan a while to see Conor’s true colors. Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, who plays Conor, did a fantastic job in the role. He’s like that kid at school who’s horrible to everyone, but still manages to be everyone’s friend, and Tom brought that on screen.

PC: Great answer! Without giving too much away, your character is hiding a secret from his widowed sister-in-law, Abbie. How does that affect that relationship throughout the film?

Sam: Yeah, definitely! It affects that relationship a lot. First and foremost, it’s a relationship between a man and a woman, and when you put them in close corners, there’s an energy there, but it’s even more complicated as it’s his brother’s widow. Senan feels a great responsibility to look out for her and to be a father-figure for her son. For Abbie, she sees Senan stepping into that role, but is unsure if it’s the right fit. His return creates this dynamic whereby it makes them all feel like they’ve returned to what they consider a traditional family, but that isn’t the case. When you watch the film, you’ll figure out why it isn’t.

PC: What was the biggest challenge for you in this role?
Sam: I think just staying in that world, but also being able to act like a normal person off set. I really wanted audiences to feel everything that Senan was wrestling with. It’s challenging when you’re on set for twelve-hours a day and forcing yourself to be in this character’s shoes who has this horrible past and a virus. I also tried to eat less because I wanted him to be gaunt, and that can affect you psychologically.

PC: Besides The Cured, are there any other upcoming projects that you can talk about?
Sam: I just finished a film in British Columbia, Canada called Peace. It’s by Robert David Port, an Oscar-winning director for best documentary short for Twin Towers. It’s myself, Alexander Ludwig, and Franco Nero. It’s based on a novel by Richard Bausch. It’s about four soldiers in World War II who get lost and have to be guided through the mountains by an older Italian gentleman. I play a character called Joyner, and it’s a very keen observation of what happens to someone’s psychology when they are in war. It’s a great character study of these four guys. I loved this shoot so much! That comes out later this year

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Sam: Notting Hill

PC: Favorite book?
Sam: I love these questions! Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Make sure to follow Sam on Twitter and Instagram, and check out The Cured out now in theaters and on VOD.