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“”Dark/Web” is about the evolution of the internet which has given way to a world in crisis; one where everyone’s connected and no one is safe. Molly Solis (Noemi Gonzalez), a cyber securities analyst, understood these dangers better than anyone and was determined to find a way to keep people protected… until she vanished without a trace. Now, friends and foes from her past are in a race against time to decipher cryptic messages she’s left behind; tales that paint a grim picture of technology run amok. As the mystery deepens, they will discover the stories, and Molly herself, may be concealing information that could change the world, or destroy it.
“DARK/WEB” is comprised of eight anthology segments, each dealing with different dangers of the tech age, connected by a serialized narrative uncovering the mystery behind Molly’s disappearance. In addition to Michael, the series stars Zelda Williams, Clare Kramer, Julie Benz, Nicholas Brendan and more. Produced by FELT FILMS, the series held a panel and screening at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con and the 2019 SCAD aTVfest and was is currently available on Amazon Prime in over 150 territories internationally. Check out the trailer: https://youtu.be/-01d8S_0AHs
Michael made his professional acting debut as Stradivarius Helberg on the television show ‘Quintuplets’. He then co-starred in the independent film “Derby Stallion” opposite Zac Efron and the comedy “Grassroots”, with Jason Biggs. Soon after, Michael portrayed a lovesick teenager in the 3D horror thriller “The Collection” and has recurred on various television shows including “American Crime Story: The People Vs. OJ Simpson”, “Revenge”, “CSI: New York”, and “Nashville”. His additional credits include starring in the Netflix psychological-thriller “Circle”, “The Tribe” and Hallmark Channel’s “Christmas In Homestead”.
Beyond acting, Michael has established himself as a producer and director. His film, “Another Happy Day”, wherein he also acted opposite Ezra Miller, Kate Bosworth and Demi Moore. Additional films include “The Giant Mechanical Man” with Jenna Fisher and “Dennis Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”.
Michael is a self-proclaimed Sci Fi, Comic Book and gamer nerd. When he is not working, he loves to be involved with the PATH Organization, Autism Speaks, the Boys and Girls Club of Boyle Heights and NCJW LA. Michael received his Bachelor’s Degree in Film and Theater from USC.”
Hi Michael, Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to Horrornews.net today. Tell us how you got involved with Dark/Web and how the idea manifested for you?
Michael- So, Dark Web was an idea that I had. I was inspired by anthology shows like The Twilight Zone, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Outer Limits. It is different from other ones that we’ve seen. These anthologies are connected by one major storyline which is this girl that goes missing. It was kind of a way to honor stuff from when I was growing up.
I know you may not have had time yet but since I grew up watching Are You Afraid of the Dark, did you get to see the new episode yet?
Michael- I heard about that. But, no I haven’t seen it yet. Was it good?
It was, it was a creepy good episode. It took me back to my childhood.
Michael- Okay, I’ll check it out. It’s back!
Yes! Tell us a little bit about your character James and did you do anything to prepare to play him?
Michael- So James is kind of like an older millennial which I am as well. A lot of the co-creators of the show, we felt like what made our voice unique for this, is that we grew up in a world that was more analog and now we are trying to find our way in a world that is digital. We are kind of the last generation that will have memories of an analog world. In terms of James, he grew up that way. He is a bit of an adventurer. He taught English in foreign countries. He is sort of land-locked by life. He is trying to find his place in a world where digital, social media, internet and tech stuff is just taking over. He feels a little bit left behind. In terms of research, not really because the idea was to show sort of characters or roles or voices that you don’t normally see in a sci-fi/thriller landscape. He isn’t a tech-heavy person. I kind of wanted to be in his shoes and not know too much about the tech revolution that is surrounding him.
Do you think that the tech-generation or social media is helpful or hindering to people?
Michael- Kind of… Well, it’s good and bad. It’s bad in the sense of when I grew up you could go to Blockbuster. You grew up with movies and TV and they got crammed into your mind and your creative soul but you didn’t have access to them all at once. Whereas now, you burn through all of them in one day and you kind of forget about them. It’s a consumption thing. I grew watching The Sopranos, Buffy and we’d have conversations and you would wait and talk about, I wonder what’s going to happen?! That is kind of sad. It is cool now that there is more opportunities for filmmakers.
I agree and you could talk about the shows. Now you can just go on Twitter and ask right away. What do you think about this or that?
Michael- Yeah. The direct interaction is super cool. It is a little overwhelming with all of the content available now. I want to watch everything. There’s so many great things coming out every week. When you mentioned, Are You Afraid of the Dark, I was like I want to watch that now.
Yes! What was the process for Dark/Web? This is completely different.
Michael- That was the goal even though it was “inspired by.” I made the show with my brother Tim Nardelli and Mario Miscione who, we all did this film called Circle which was a Netflix movie that came out in 2016. We tried to do something original and fresh. There is a twist and the more you watch everything is connected by this crazy, puzzle piece mystery.
What was it like working with everyone?
Michael- It was great.
When you were writing this, did you know it would be broken into chapters for a series?
Michael- Yes, we always knew we would break it into chapters. It felt like a novel when we were writing it. It’s like sitting down and reading a novel.
You do a little bit of everything in this. Did you face any challenges?
Michael- It was challenging to do everything. I had great partners. We had a cool team.
What do you want to say to the people who will be watching Dark/Web?
Michael- I do think it is meant to be entertainment but it brings up some interesting topics about technology. I do think it’s important to have conversations like should we be doing this? Is technology making our lives better or what are the risks? I think it looks TV-worthy, it’s not perfect but I think that’s almost good for filmmakers to watch that. They can see we did this and it is on Amazon and they see that we went and did this and I can go and do this too. So, hopefully that is an inspiring thing for filmmakers, actors, writers because you can do it yourself and get it out there.
I think that is important to know.
Michael- When I was growing up the idea of doing this professionally was like, WHAT! But now it is all at your fingertips. But, you know you have to get it out there and learn from your stuff. Get feedback and then move onto the next thing and make it better. It is an exciting time for artists.
Will there be a season two?
Michael- We would love to do a season two and three. There is a lot more to talk about.
I thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me. Thank you.
Michael- Thank you.
@thenardelli
