Ryan Cargill [Interview]

Welcome to Day 4 of Trainwreck’d Society’s Annual Month of Horror Showcase! We have a fully loaded month of all things horror for you fine folks! October is our favorite month for this very reason, and we are so excited to share 31 full days of film showcases and interviews with some of the finest folks from the world of horror, just as we have been doing for the last 6 years. What started as a simple 5 day showcase, has now blossomed into a full blown month long event. You’re going to love this! Enjoy!

For those of you who are prone to keeping records, the number 2, or the word “twice”, has made the cinematic universe in 2019 pretty damned interested. I’m sure there are multiple reasons one could surmise this to be true, but I am really only referring to one singular event being depicted on screen, 2 times/twice, that would be very surprising, if it didn’t happen to be the 50th anniversary of said event. I am of course(?) talking about the killing of Sharon Tate and her friends by members of the Manson party. And I am of course referring to the instance of 2 films choosing to imagine what it would have been like if the tables had turned and the events did not unfold as they truly did. Now, one film, which will not be mentioned because of possible spoilers, just went out and did it. While another film, faces that reality accurately, but gives a slight bit of hope in to a jarring situation in which the facts are pretty well known and have been regurgitated out into the world ad nausea at this point, thus creating something extremely original, yet still telling the whole and complete story. And that film was The Haunting of Sharon Tate. And dammit, it is fantastic!

And within that film, there were some incredible performances. It is suffice to say that Hilary Duff may have revitalized her career as the titular starring role. But, the performance that truly had me compelled the most, came from our interview subject today. It’s Ryan Cargill, Everyone! Ryan portrays the dearly departed Steven Parent in the film, easily the most redeemable person involved in this horrific event. He was the most innocent. He was simply a fan. And Cargill manages to pull this type of charisma off without a hitch, and gives an absolutely wonderful appearance and pays great tribute to Parent and the suffering that he would face. Ryan is an absolutely incredible actor, and we are so excited to have him grace our digital pages during our Month of Horror showcase.

So Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from the brilliant Ryan Cargill!

******

What inspired you to get into the world of filmmaking? Was it an early aspiration you can always remember having since your youth, or did you just find yourself in this world one day?  

I did impressions and accents for my family as far back as I can remember. We always lived in the country so there was a lot of time to pretend and use my imagination to create characters. I didn’t think about it as a profession until one summer my incredible mom made me take a theatre course and I was hooked. Ever since then it’s been a love and passion of mine that’s grown more and more meaningful to me.

What was your first paid gig in the world of entertainment? And were there any kind of lessons learned from this project that still affect your work today?  

There were a few, but my first big one was WITs Academy for Nickelodeon. There were a lot of lessons. A big one was that if I find a really strong why for making each project I can find the strength to push through difficult days. I don’t want to make any piece of film that’s half-committed. I would like to be able to give something of myself to each audience member. For WITs, it was because of the young fans on Nick. I remember how important my childhood shows were to me so I aimed to create something great for them too. For The Haunting of Sharon Tate, it was important because Steven Parent was a real person. Not just a news heading or that kid who was killed by the Manson family. He was a guy with hopes and dreams and his whole life ahead of him. So I just wanted to honor him and get my own actor self out of the way as much as possible.

You were absolutely wonderful in one of my favorite films of 2019, The Haunting of Sharon Tate. I am curious to know what drew you to this legendary and bloody tale?  

Thank you! That part meant a lot to me. I loved the character because of the purity of his soul. Not a lot is known about Steven Parent other than his pictures which show a kid who emanates kindness and happiness. He had a lot of plans for his future and he was on the way out the gate that night when he ran into the Manson family. If he had left a few minutes earlier he would have lived. So In deciding to take the part, I liked that he and the group got a happy ending after all their trauma. That he gets to live on with Sharon whom he idolizes and really loves and these other kind friends who take him in. I liked that the story rewrote history in that way.

In your own personal opinion, what do you believe it is that makes the horror genre special? What sets it apart from other genres you have worked in?

It’s thrilling! It’s like a really scary roller coaster. When it’s really working well, jumping on for the ride means you’re gonna be taken on a wild journey. Also, monsters or bad people are clearly defined. It’s the ultimate battle between good and evil and the hero gets to do battle with the monsters (even if they have to get the bejesus scared out of them first). It’s a challenge to keep your nervous system that high strung for that long in the horror genre. Other genres you can relax more in-between scenes. We were all having trouble going home, relaxing and sleeping after wrap each night. It was hard to shake off the material during night shoots.

What is your favorite scary movie?

The Conjuring. No question. No matter how many times I see it, it always succeeds in scaring me! haha, It’s really effective filmmaking.

Do you have any plans for this coming Halloween? And fun traditions that you try to stick to every year?

A movie marathon is always a must for me. I’ll probably have a group of friends over and watch The Shining and The Conjuring with some good pizza.

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers?

I’m in a movie called The Never List again with Jonathan Bennett and Fivel Stewart from Sharon Tate that should be coming out before too long. I’m also in a Young Sheldon episode which you should check out! Season 2 Episode 14! I also directed a music video which you can follow the link for on my Instagram page. You can keep up with me on Instagram and other platforms @ryancargill_ .

What was the last thing that scared the hell out of you?  

I’m reading Dr. Sleep by Stephen King right now. He always makes me think I’m hearing suspicious noises at night. I sometimes have to get up and check… ha!

What was the last thing that made you smile?

From my balcony, I saw this young guy offer to push this man in a wheelchair across the street. He helped him across and then wished him a good day. I loved getting to see that!