Toby Nichols – The Dark

By starrymag | November 2, 2018

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

 

A) After wrapping The Dark, I took some time to finish up school and I spent the summer in Israel working at an archaeological site in Israel.  I’ve always been interested in ancient history, but it just seems detached from reality until you’re standing there. I also have another trip planned to go work on a different site next year.

 

Q) We recently saw you in the movie Desolation. Talk about the premise for the film.

 

A) Desolation is about how a family deals with loss and trauma and how that can tear them apart but also bring them together. I played a boy whose father had recently died and as my mother, her best friend and I went to scatter his ashes in the mountains, we became the targets of a misunderstood woodsman, unaffectionately referred to as a serial killer.

 

Q) What made you want to be a part of the movie?

 

A) When I read the original script for Desolation, I was sold.  The character had a lot of range and serial killers are fun to work with.

 

Q) How was your character Sam originally described to you?

 

A) Sam was a typical thirteen-year-old whose world had been upheaved by the loss of his father.  His mother, in trying to protect him, lied to him along the way instead of just telling him the truth and helping him deal with the situation, so he’s got a lot of anger towards her.  Some of it was earned, but some it was probably just the anger of losing his father in the first place.

 

Q) What advice did director Sam Patton offer that you took to heart while filming?

 

A) Throughout shooting Sam stayed involved with the script and all of the actors directly. He helped me to undertake the gravity of my character’s emotions.

 

Q) The movie is on Rotten Tomatoes “Best Netflix Horror Movies to Watch in 2018.” How does that make you feel?

 

A) It’s really amazing to have two films available right now that are both considered to be in the horror genre.  They are both entirely different, but both Sam and Alex have strength they didn’t know they had.

 

Q) We’ll also be seeing you in the upcoming movie The Dark. Were you familiar with any of your costars before working with them on the movie?

 

A) I had only met Nadia [Alexander] via Skype for my callback for the role. The film was cast out of New York and I was in Los Angeles, so I had to tape my initial audition for them. Then, when I got the callback, it was a Skype session with Nadia and Justin [P. Lange], the director/writer.  It’s a pretty small cast and Karl Markovic flew out the day I arrived.  Of course, Nadia and I spent a lot of time together on set and quickly became good friends.  There’s a scene where someone died (bad Mina) and the actor was lying on the ground.  Justin had me sit on that poor guy’s back for a couple of hours, so I feel like we should be closer than we are.

 

Q) Was there anything you added to your character Alex that wasn’t in his initial breakdown?

 

A) Justin P. Lange and I developed a more manipulative, self-protective side to Alex on set.  It’s a small amount of power Alex developed in his situation.

 

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from filming The Dark?

 

A) This being my second feature length film that was shot in the woods, I felt pretty comfortable there.  The difference being that Alex is completely blind in The Dark.  The prosthetics completely covered my eyes, which I also had to close before the makeup was applied so I couldn’t see anything at all.  At first, they tried to leave gaps but after a few days we decided to completely cover them.  When I arrived on set I went straight to makeup and then kept the prosthetics the entire day.  I’d like to thank my loyal guides, Blowdart and Danny, for insuring I didn’t break my neck.  We have a soup scene in which I was stated to “ravenously drink the soup.”  I hate soup, and this was cold, but I had to down it like I was starving.  Before the take our Austrian key grip, Boris, would say, “It’s time for de soupin” and then I’d have to try to eat this cold canned soup without breaking character.  I had my 15th birthday on set with cake and decorations. I hear it was nice. My favorite part of working in a film like this is the relationships you make with the cast and crew. For that period in time, you are all very close.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive to your work?

 

A) It’s really fun to get that feedback from people who’ve seen the films.  It’s just starting to trickle in for The Dark, but I played a character that took a turn for the worse in the WGN series “Underground.” When that episode hit, there was a large number of people on Twitter who were unhappy with T.R.’s decision making.

 

Q) What advice do you have for up and coming actors and actresses?

 

A) Being an actor requires passion and luck. If you love it then work on it and consider voodoo for better results.