California native, actor and director Bryan James has created a new psychological thriller Reckless which will be released digitally on November 21. The film is a reimagining of the 1987 cult classic Fatal Attraction that dives into obsession, betrayal and the dangerous unraveling of desire.
WBGO's Doug Doyle spoke with actors Bryan James and Max Ehrich. James plays "Alex Forrest", a magnetic TV star. in the film while Ehrich, a Marlboro, NJ native plays successful lawyer "Dan Gallagher."
James loved the original Fatal Attraction with Michael Douglas and Glenn Close.
"Generally, It started with an idea of wanting to take that. Glenn Close character and recontextualize it and make it a male, find a way in and play it. Max was the first and only choice to play "Dan Gallagher" and I way thankful that he came onboard because I knew I needed to fill all of these boxes. It took about four years."
In the new movie Reckless, Alex has a brief affair with Dan that much like Fatal Attraction, spirals into a chilling game of cat and mouse. The tension and eventually stalking threatens Dan's marriage to Beth (Rachel Fox, Desperate Housewives) in a shocking story that builds towards a deadly climax.
James says he has such great respect for what Glenn Close pulled off as Alex.
"Truly an iconic performance. She also has an emotional accessibility that you are kind of on her side, until you're not, the lines are crossed."
Max Ehrich had seen the original movie many years ago.
"I rewatched it and it's interesting when you watch something as a kid and rewatch it as an adult. You can have a completely different perspective. I was a huge fan as a kid so to be a part of this is pretty surreal. Bryan and I had wanted to work together for so long. I respect his artistry and I just knew it was going to be something really special. This was definitely or probably the most provocative role I've ever played before. There was a healthy amount of fear. The movie is so brilliant so I wanted to pay homage to it but also make it my own."
Ehrich is also a successful recording artist. He says being an actor and singer has worked well in advancing the depth of his craft.
"100 percent. I think they both feed each other. I listen to music to get into character to get into different scenes so I literally for each scene I have a whole playlist. I use music to inspire my acting and I use acting to inspire my music."
You can get more about Reckless here.
You can SEE Doug Doyle's entire interview with Bryan James and Max Ehrich below:
