Interview: Miles Robbins (Daniel Isn’t Real)

DANIEL ISN’T REAL features Patrick Schwarzenegger (Midnight Sun,”The Long Road Home”), Miles Robbins (Blockers, Halloween), Sasha Lane (Hellboy, American Honey), Hannah Marks (“Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency”, Southbound), Mary Stuart Masterson (Fried Green Tomatoes, Some Kind of Wonderful). The film was directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer (Some Kind of Hate, Holidays) who also co-wrote the film with Brian DeLeeuw (Paradise Hills, Some Kind of Hate).”

Actor Miles Robbins portrays Luke in Daniel Isn’t Real. The film was directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer. Miles took some time to talk with Horrornews.net. He is talented and funny, quick-witted and such a talented actor. DANIEL ISN’T REAL is out now.

Hi Miles, How are ya doing?

Miles- Hello Janel. I am good. How are you?

I am doing good. Thanks. Daniel Isn’t Real, I think is one of my favorite films from this year. It is top three for sure.

Miles- No way! That is awesome. Thank you. I am impressed by this. (Laughter from both of us.) I’m so honored, I appreciate it.

How did you get involved with this project?

Miles- I was sent the script. I was into it and I met with Adam. We talked about it and he clearly has a good head on his shoulders about what he was interested in. I was happy to be a part of it and play a character like Luke. Luke is a tortured character but without giving too much away, there’s some other kind of changes that he experiences. They are very exciting things to do as an actor. I like making things and I like to be a part of anything that I believe in and I believed in this.

I did get to talk with Adam and I talked to Patrick. I told them this and now I can finally tell you this. You did an incredible job portraying the Daniel, when Luke becomes Daniel. It was mesmerizing. You picked up his mannerisms and the walk.

Miles- Thank you, I appreciate it. That was the challenging and fun part of it. It seemed like it worked. It’s a fun way to play, it’s a really fun job. I dress up and do these different parts. I enjoyed it, I’m glad that it worked… Wait, it did work, your opinion is correct. (Laughter)

(Laughing) Totally. It worked. You guys rocked it.

(Laughter)

Did you have to do anything to prepare to play Luke? There is trauma, toxic masculinity, heart ache, schizophrenia and the way mental health is talked about and dealt with in this movie is realistic. It hits a whole bunch of nerves.

Miles- Yes, I have had my own experiences with depression, I’m not schizophrenic but I kind of understand the feeling of sometimes being not entirely in control of your own mind. I think that I also identified a lot with what is plaguing Luke to this kind of influence, this toxic influence from Daniel that is wrapped up in ideas of what it is to be a man. To become a man from a boy. That kind of toxic masculinity is a big part of what I saw in the themes of what Daniel is giving to Luke. That is something I did research, having grown up as a man, I didn’t need to research that much in terms of how it feels. To feel like you need to be something that you’ve seen in movies or the voice in the back of your head etc. I did look into a lot of the communities surrounding. I looked up some of the stuff that’s really troubling and it helped me understand a little bit of what kind of language those people use. Hopefully, I was able to portray the vulnerable young man who is being accosted by this kind of culture as it slowly unravels him. Also, there’s special effects and a sword fight. (Laughing)

(Laughing) And those were amazing! I told my therapist I was seeing about this movie, I don’t know if I should be telling you this. (Laughter) But, I felt this movie is really important because it is meaningful.

Miles- I really appreciate hearing that honestly. I think that it’s wonderful to use horror, well any genre, science fiction etc. Because, through that abstraction you can discuss something that can mean many things to one person or different things to different people. It’s something that the audience can identify with in a deeper way. It’s really wonderful to be able to do that. It sounds like it has worked out. It’s great because you are not just listening to a lecture about mental illness.

What was it like for you working with Adam, Mary and Patrick and this brilliant cast? You all did such an amazing job.

Miles- We did a lot of rehearsals which was great. They are all lovely people. It was a very difficult film to make, I think especially for me personally being tortured everyday onset. It really wore me down. It was an exhausting process because of the subject matter. It was a blessing to have people around who were present and serious about the work. They were making sure it was going to be the best it was going to be. All of the actors were so generous. I felt lucky that no one there was a diva and that everyone there was on the team and ready to make the best thing that we could make.

I think all of you did an incredible job and you made Luke an unforgettable character. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me.

Miles- Thank you so much. This is going to make my day so much better. Thank you. I hope you have an excellent rest of the day and month and year. And, Merry Christmas.

(Laughter) Thank you so much Miles. Same to you! Merry Christmas.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0730428/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8745960/