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Dylan O'Brien, star of THE OUTFIT






Focus Features releases The Outfit only in theaters on November 18th, 2022.


NYC MOVIE GURU: What do you think is so appealing about dark themes in cinema?  

Dylan O'Brien<: I don't know. I think that we all like to see versions of people represented onscreen that we're curious about. We're curious about certain perversions or fetishes--not just sexually, necessarily but the darkness in the world. As a humanity, I think that we're curious about that. It doesn't mean that you're dark; it's just human to want to think about all of those elements in humanity. So, seeing it represented onscreen is sort of like a safe place to explore it. Look at Euphoria. As a humanity, we're collectively obsesses with watching this show that's a heightened version of reality. It's not even that; it's fantasy almost entirely because it's not a world that exists. Look at something like Grand Theft Auto. These are really dark things that are almost just like purging indulgances in the dakrness that we can be curious about, but never want to explore in our lives because we want to be good. We want to be good people. So, it's a sway to explore that curiosity in safe space.

NYC MOVIE GURU: Which was it harder to dive into when it comes to portraying Richie in The Outfit: his heart, his mind or his soul?  

DO: The thing that came the latest was his heart. When I first read it, I was very much locked into how he presents [himself], and then as I got closer to the piece and started thinking about it more in trying to prepare for the movie, I started to realize how that such an important piece of the character was how he presents himself and how you see what he's got underneath. Initially, you're like, "Oh, this is a bad guy!", and then as things unfold, you sort of see that he might be the most human out of everyone in the story. In this space, in this world of gangsters, to be not cut out for it is, I think, what's so human about him. I think that he does have a heart. It ultimately comes down to his inability to pull the trigger when it counts because he's not a killer. So, I do think that he has a heart and initially he's, sort of, being everything that he puts on which he's good at doing. In terms of his mind, too, his wits, he can't hang in the arena. It's got this who-dun-it, chess match energy. The whole movie is like a game. He's the first. He's the fall [guy] because he's swinging with the big boys. I think that, sadly, he maybe we cut out for something else.

NYC MOVIE GURU: What do you think Richie's relationship is like with his father? How do you think his father would react if Richie were to tell him that he no longer wants to be a gangster?

DO: I don't think that it's a bad relationship, necessarily. I don't think that on the nose thing with him being a hard-ass mob boss and that he wasn't loved. I always thought of Richie having a pretty loving mother figure. I don't think that he has a bad relationship with his dad. I think that that's what complicates it. I think that he really looks up to his dad and wants to be something that is, ultimately, not in his DNA. I don't think that he ever comes to the realization that he doesn't want to be a part of it. It's so tied to his identity. He would be lost without chasing that seat at the table that he knows that he's been given and really didn't earn. He feels like nothing without it, but at the same time, he feels like he's treading water.

NYC MOVIE GURU: When Francis says to Richie that he's weak in one of the scenes, do you think that Francis might be projecting? Perhaps Francis is actually the weak one? What does it truly means to be strong?  

DO: It depends in what world you're operating in. First of all, I think that the reason that Francis says that to Richie it's sort of full circle and completes the arc a little bit. The first character to fall by the wayside is the loudest one. I think that that's part of the world that's part of introducing yourself to the night that is to come and the world that you're about to enter. In terms of context of just this particular world, it's a different ballgame with the way that you have to opporate and how you have to survive. So, I think when it comes to the strength in the context of The Outfit, I don't think that Richie is cut out. In terms of strength as a person in any other arena, I think he could've succeeded if he was born into a different family. But I think he has positive qualities. Ultimately, he has a heart. He's not a murderer. He doesn't really have the capacity to be manipulative. He's just, sort of, a showy, flashy rich kid and boss' son. He knows that he hasn't earned his spot, and it eats at him. He covers it by being the loudest person in the room. He's got a mouth. He's not dimwitted. He's charming. I actually think that he could be successful in another arena of life, but he was just born into this one. I love it when Francis says to him, "It's because you're weak!" It's basically him just saying, "It's because you're human!" He's basically saying, "You were a good boy---you were too good of a boy!"

NYC MOVIE GURU: The Outfit oozes with charisma from all of the actors including yourself. How would you define charisma?

DO: Charisma can have so many different colors. It never looks the same. It's unique to everybody because it is entirely authentic. Maybe the ultimate correlation is that it has to entirely come from you. There's something really honest about charisma. It's not performative. There's nothing put-on about it. I do think that we can detect when charisma is false, and then, hence, it's not charismatic, it's just false. I love watching charismatic people. I think that we all do. But the reason that we love it is that it's somebody who's just so comfortable and honest with themselves. I love seeing that. I love seeing somebody who's just so comfortable in their own skin. It's amazing.

NYC MOVIE GURU: Which actor from the Golden Age of Hollywood do you imagine in the role of Richie?

DO: Marlon Brando. He would've destroyed Richie. It would be such an iconic movie if he played that guy.





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