David Oulton is a Canadian film, television, and stage actor. He has appeared in numerous productions, from independent films to network television series. He entered the industry under the advice from Dame Judi Dench, and subsequently studied screen acting at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles.
We had an opportunity to chat with David. Check out the interview below.
Thank you for granting the interview, David! Congrats on landing one of the lead roles in “From Hell With Love.” Tell us about your role and character.
Thank you so much for chatting with me! I’m really excited about my upcoming film From Hell With Love. It’s a really interesting story, based on the 14th Century poem, “Inferno”, by Dante Alighieri, where a young woman – an extremist Christian – finds herself in Hell and must navigate its various “circles” in an attempt to save herself and find salvation. It turns out that perhaps she wasn’t really that good of a person after all. I’ll be playing the role of Matthew. He’s a really interesting character. He was raised with very strict religious beliefs, but at the same time, he has this internal struggle that’s just as prominent in life about whether or not his actions truly have good intent.
The film is based on Dante Alighieri’s 14th Century poem “Inferno.” Did you have to do any research on the poem?
You know what, everyone I mention the poem to say that it’s a very popular one. But I must be the only person who didn’t study it in school. So, yes, the first thing I did was read the poem to get a better understanding of the plot, and the references therein. I also reached out to my old high school English teacher, Mrs. Marlowe (there’s a nice shout-out), and asked her if she’s ever taught the poem and if she can give me a crash course on it. I’m very grateful. I think it’s a lofty goal to take on a film based on such a major historical work, but I’m very excited to see the finished project and very happy to be a part of it.
You mentioned this may be the most challenging role you ever played. How are you preparing for it?
It’s certainly one of the deepest characters I’ve ever brought to life. Not only is there all the internal dialogue occurring with Matthew, but there are some very intense and very emotional scenes that he’s heavily involved with. Sadly I can’t allude to exactly what he’s involved with, and the respective outcome, but needless to say Matthew certainly has a lot going on. In terms of preparing, I’ve been spending a lot of time trying to understand his psyche and mindset, as well as reaching out to a few people I know who have been through similar situations. I’m hoping I can do the character justice.
You’re appearing in an upcoming film called “Gas Station.” It will appear on iTunes and Netflix. Tell us about your role.
This was a really cool film. I played Richard, a cashier at a record store, who I think is very content with his mundane life. He enjoys his routine and is happy to spend his nights working and be slightly devoid of a social life. The film takes place over the course of one night, wherein Richard is working another of his regular night shifts, by himself. However, on this particular night, he’s faced with not one, but two, armed robberies, occurring simultaneously. So he quickly goes from an average and quiet night to a rapidly escalating double robbery.
What can the audience expect?
Contrary to your typical action movie format, where you have a bit of a buildup, and the audience is able to watch the tension grow, Gas Station opens up with an immediate intensity. Rather than having highs and lows throughout, the film starts off on a high note and the action, plot twists, drama, and tragedy only deepen as the movie progresses.
Is there anything you would like to add that we haven’t asked?
Can I talk about my own series I have in development?! It’s called My Wife, My Boyfriend, and I. I’m really excited about this, not only because it’s the first project I’ve tried to get off the ground, but also because I think – there’s an obvious bias – that it has some real potential. The basic is premise is one man marries his boyfriend’s quirky best friend to save her from being deported when her visa expires. The idea came to me when I was joking around with my partner’s friend, who’s from Brunei, about what she’s going to do when she’s done studying here. I jokingly said that if she wants to stay, one of us can just marry her. I ran the idea past my best friend/epic producer Pam Tomlinson, and by that night we were sitting down writing the pilot script. We actually ended up using Brennan and Kim (my partner and friend, respectively) for the pitch packet, seeing as the idea was born during a conversation with them. To raise the funds to shoot the teaser/pilot, we’ve entered the project into the Telus STORYHIVE competition, which is a grant program for first-time/young filmmakers. The pitches go to a public vote, and the top projects receive funding and distribution for their pilot. So we’ll be campaigning heavily during the voting period (September 18-22) and hoping to get this project off the ground. The series will deal with some heavy issues, specifically related to the LGBTQ+ community, visible minorities and immigrants, and the overall theme of multiculturalism and acceptance. But at the same time, we’re aiming for this to be a comedy series, just being careful to maintain a respective viewpoint on those issues. You can check out the series on Facebook and Twitter at @WifeBFandI.
I’m not sure if this can be included as well (no worries if not)…
Over the summer I wasn’t very busy with film, so I decided to undertake another venture which I’ve always been interested in; real estate! I knuckled down and hit the books over the past two months, and I’m very excited to have just finished. I’ll be working with a company called Calgary Nest, along with Kayla Lee and Sarah Kirby, and we’ll be opening up Edmonton Nest, where I’ll be based. I’m really looking forward to getting my hands wet in this industry and learning the ins and outs, and the flexibility will work nicely with my film commitments – I’m striving to find a nice balance.
Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me!
Twitter: twitter.com/DavidOulton
Facebook: facebook.com/DavidOultonOfficial
Instagram: instagram.com/DavidOulton
Snapchat: @DavidOulton
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