Mason Dye – Vanished – Left Behind: Next Generation

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) What drew you to wanting to be a part of this film?

A) After I read the script, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I’ve always wanted to do an action film that revolves around teens.

Q) How would you describe Vanished and what do you think will draw audiences in?

A) Vanished follows the story of four kids after a large portion of the population has mysteriously vanished. While trying to figure out what happened to everyone, they find themselves in more trouble than they had expected. I think the action and mystery aspect of the film will draw audiences in.

Q) How was your character and breakdown originally described to you and did it evolve or change at all?

A) My character was described to me as the childhood friend to Gabby (Amber Montana). As the movie goes on, he starts to realize that there might be something more between them. It didn’t really evolve or change at all. What I came in with at the audition was what the director wanted, so we stuck with that.

Q) What if any kind of stunt work was involved and how easy/hard was learning it?

A) The only stunt work we did was running, which was tiring for me at points because I carried Claire (Keely Wilson) the entire last half of the movie. We did have to run away from explosions a couple times. That was one of my favorite parts.

Q) What is your favorite part or aspect of your character’s development?

A) My favorite aspect of Josh’s development would have to be him coping with the disappearance of his parents while eventually finding a new family in Gabby, Claire and Flynn (Dylan Sprayberry). From the start of the movie, these kids lose everything. As the movie progresses, they have to turn to each other to get through the hard times.

Q) What was the most challenging scene to film and why?

A) The most challenging scene to film was when we come across the PB&J sandwiches on the tractor and gave them to Claire. Not because it was an emotionally heavy scene or anything, but because we couldn’t help from laughing. Keely was supposed to be starving in the movie so she was instructed to eat the PB&J’s as fast as possible. The peanut butter kept getting stuck in her mouth and she wasn’t able to swallow. Then, she would look at us with these cheeks full of bread, peanut butter and jelly. It’s was the funniest thing ever.

Q) Where do you connect with the character and how will audiences?

A) Josh is kind of a goofy kid. That’s where I think I connected the most with him. I got to bring a lot of my goofy qualities to him.

Q) What kind of guidance did director Larry McLean provide?

A) Larry provided a ton of guidance throughout the movie, but my favorite part was the freedom he allowed us to have. He’d come in with notes and tell you how he saw the scene, but then he’d ask you for your opinion and was open to try whatever you felt was right.

Q) Is there a moment or scene that you are most looking forward to fans’ reactions to seeing?

A) The end of the movie. I can’t say too much so I’ll just say the end.

Q) What have you taken away from your experiences working on and being a part of this film?

A) There’s nothing like working with your friends. Dylan, Amber and I were all good friends before the movie. Then, we got to Savannah and became best friends with Keely the day we met her. It made the whole experience that much better.