A young woman, Maritza, comes home to find her fiance’s college buddy, Dylan, preparing in an elaborate meal in celebration of their wedding. But as the night unfolds, she slowly begins to suspect that…something may be horribly wrong.
DYLAN features Aimee Carrero (Young & Hungry, Elena of Avalor, The Americans) and Rob Belushi (How I Met Your Mother, Chicago PD, Ballers), as well as 2017 Sundance Writer’s Lab Alum and 2013 Blacklisted writer Cory Miller directing.
DYLAN is an award-winning short (Best Short 2018 – Illinois International Film Fest, Best Performance in a Leading Role – Malibu International Film Fest) as well as numerous nominations at the over 20 film festivals it’s been programmed in this year–among them Newport Beach International Film Fest, Catalina International Film Fest, LA SHORTS INTERNATIONAL, ScreamFest LA, Santa Fe Film Fest, Pasadena International, Julien Dubuque International (Nominated Best Short).
We had the wonderful opportunity to interview actor, writer, and director Rob Belushi. Check it out below.
Hi, Rob! Thank you for granting the interview. We’re excited to speak with you about your film “DYLAN.” Tell us what inspired the film.
Honestly, The director, Cory Miller, and his partner, DP Judy Phu, had a line on a free studio and said, “we should shoot something there this summer.” I looked at the studio that night and wrote Dylan to fit the specs of the space–it was largely interiors that we could dress like a high-priced condo, with some outdoor space that could maybe look like an office lobby. My idea was, if someone entered with some kind of news to upset the home, we could find a twist–and, in the end, I came up with Dylan. Cory and I went to Wesleyan together and have always commiserated over thrillers in general, and we talked about the draft a couple times, cut it down, clarified it, made it a bit less ambiguous, until we had something we liked. Cory is an amazing writer, so I definitely welcomed his input.
Eventually, we realized that to shoot it, even with a free space, was going to cost more than we realized. At that point, we had Aimee Carrero and Chris Gardner attached, and I wanted to make sure we made it look as good as we could. So, with the help of executive producers Kyle Lane and Michael Forsythe, we were able to raise enough money to cover production and a two-day shoot.
Then a week before we started we lost the studio! We had to scramble. We had no money to get another location, so I rewrote the film and we shot it at my house over two nights and got someone to donate an exterior. Thank God for our producer, Julie Bersani, who kept everything solution-oriented, hopeful, and organized. Without her assistance, we wouldn’t have accomplished anything!
As for the inspiration, it was to get to work with two talented friends, Cory and Judy. Additionally, I immediately began thinking of Aimee as the character and actor that we could experience the story through.
What was the one thing you had to accomplish to tell this story?
We thought if we believed that it was real and that we liked the characters, we would care when things began to change for them–so naturalism was what we focused on. Cory and Judy devoted the coloring and shot list around mood and alienation and the idea of “following” Aimee’s character. Judy used a lot of practical lighting sources. And we felt that if we could get the audience to be present in the scene with Maritza and Dylan, they would not be anticipating any plot moments to come and therefore susceptible to surprise along with Maritza.
There were a lot of challenges–the biggest was time and money. We only had two nights and we wish we had more. Of course, we wish we could shoot more coverage. The dinner scene had a lot of movement–we felt it was a kind of dance between Dylan and Maritza, but I’m happy with how it turned out. Also, my wiener dogs barked through our steadicam shots, the sprinklers went off and blew our lights, people were drag racing down my street which blew up the sound on some takes, just a million things we had to fight through. But in the end, everyone came with it on their end and we were able to finish.
What was the biggest takeaway that has had a positive effect on your film?
Having someone knowledgeable and capable to be our producer. That was key for us. Without Julie, I would’ve been overwhelmed and paralyzed. I helped on many macro things, such as money, locations, casting, and assembling the main team. However, Julie handled that with me, and EVERYTHING ELSE. She was our 1st AD. and our post-production supervisor. She even helped set up the website and strategized our festival approach. Julie continues to help as we enter distribution. She manages to stay fun and light while being amazingly focused and capable.
What do you hope to accomplish with the film?
Privately, I wanted to play a role I found interesting and haven’t been cast as our looked at as a type. But for the film, we had pretty humble hopes–we wanted to get into some festivals, maybe win an award, and have a story with a couple weird laughs and a scary turn.
The reaction to the film has surprised us–we have been added to over 20 festivals. It has won some awards and even been nominated for additional awards. People respond to the film. After our premiere at Malibu International–Cory and I were approached by some producers to develop the idea into a feature–which we have. It has been really fun to build a bigger world out of Dylan, and we are excited with what we’ve come up with.
When choosing talent, what did you look for?
I wrote the role of Maritza for Aimee because she is just one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with and also a good friend. And even though it was a short, I wanted to write her a lead role. She had sent a tweet once about going in for leads in TV and Film roles and having the producers love her, only to be asked to come back as the quirky Latina friend. It’s frustrating, to say the least. I was thrilled she responded to the role. We needed Maritza to be likable, real, strong and capable. We didn’t want someone who is easily victimized. So much of the film is her processing, and Aimee’s moment to moment performance is just so good and clean and honest.
For Nick, we wanted someone to capably play a charming dude who loves his partner very much. Someone the audience says, “I like him, I hope they stay together.” Chris was great at being that person. The chemistry was great between Nick and Maritza.
I will leave why I chose to play Dylan to be answered by the audience.
What was your favorite scene?
Most of the film is a long scene–the dinner scene. Dylan is Nick’s old college buddy and has prepared a special meal for Maritza and Nick to celebrate them and the “big weekend” they have planned. It is definitely my favorite scene. Aimee’s transformation from politeness to discomfort to fear is the whole movie. I just say the lines.
What was the most important lesson you had to learn that has had a positive effect on your film?
That you can’t know the results until you try something. Our goal was to have a good time creating something. It was stressful, certainly, but we had a blast. Also, what we have for the amount of money and time we had to make it makes me proud. Making something from a micro-budget is incredibly satisfying.
Also, getting help is important and inspiring. Without the people involved in this project, it would have died. I can be a bit pessimistic in my outlook, and left alone I probably would have quit. But knowing the limits of my knowledge and capability urged me to depend on others and they are the reason this film got finished successfully.
And also collaborating with Cory was amazing. I was wearing a lot of hats, and before filming Cory was at The Sundance Writer’s Lab with a feature, I was busy utilizing those hats. But during production and post, I saw that he had a real vision and fought for it. It made the film so much better. He cut a scene we shot of Maritza in her office–a scene that I thought was “crucial.” Cory and I fought over it. Ultimately he was right. Now, when we get into a collaborative conflict we say, “uh-oh, the office scene again.” He is the best and I’m really happy I got to work with him. It’s been amazing that we are still working on this project together, over a year later, in a new way. A lot of the lessons we learned on the short and it has helped us develop a bigger story with more at stake.
Cory is a good friend.
What has been your favorite experience in making “DYLAN?”
It was all great in its own way. I made sure to get good food from Bludso’s Bar and Que and Prime Pizza for the crew since we couldn’t pay people what they were worth–and sitting around at break eating with the cast and crew in the middle of a long night was pretty special.
Honestly, learning the amount that I did on this first short film since college has been the most enjoyable part. And continuing to participate in the film community at festivals and elsewhere has been pretty inspiring. We had to ask people for money and showing them the results and path that the film has been on has been satisfying because they feel like they contributed to something of quality, and that makes us all very proud.
You also play the title role. Tell us about Dylan. Who is he? What is his personality like?
Dylan is Nick’s old college friend. He kind of pops in to cook for them (he is a chef) and imposes a bit on Nick and Maritza’s plans, which causes a bit of a conflict in the couple. When Maritza comes home, Dylan is already there cooking, and Nick isn’t back from work yet. He is likable and sweet, maybe with a bit of an oddness to him in discerning boundaries. He tries to be polite, playful and attentive, but there is something about him that makes you wonder if you are getting the whole story. You gotta watch to find out the rest.
Was it a challenge to play Dylan? Did you have to pull from experience or conduct any research?
Every role is a challenge. I try to bring what I can of myself to every role if not exactly. At least the understanding of the role and how I can feel the way the character does. In hindsight, I think I generally do have a lot in common with Dylan. I try to put a good face on what may be a dark, or imperfect inner self. I can try to hide what I think is scary or off-putting inside me so that people will like me–sometimes failing to do so. Obviously, there is a degree where Dylan and I are very different. I leaned on Cory to help define the difference. A great director is key in helping you flesh out a character.
Cory and I did a lot of research over the years. In general, it was about criminality and fixation. We read every book John Douglas ever wrote and always continue to talk about the methods and thinking of predators. Also Joe Navarro’s book on body language. We both agree that the scariest thing in the world is the thing that can believably happen to YOU, TODAY, without you even knowing it.
How does the film production bring something new to the story?
Here are a couple of examples:
Cory wanted to bring movement to the camera and he and Judy were able to keep the audience aligned with Maritza mostly–you see her in close-up more, you rest on her reactions, you follow her into her home–she motivates a lot of the camera. He also wanted it to start right away without anything but the title–get right to it.
We chose to only score one particular piece of the film, Mark Yaeger did an amazing job, so as to limit the amount of “movie-ness” to the story. We just wanted to emotionally highlight a single change.
Judy used lighting to create a realistic world, albeit one with many shadows. And she used Fincher as a color template to maintain mood and atmospheric pressure.
What is going to surprise people about Dylan?
Hopefully, the end of the movie! The goal was to have a slowly escalating emotional realization for Maritza with a heightened twist that is believable and significant for the audience. I think Aimee’s performance will be the most surprising and enjoyable piece of the film for the audience. She is so good, in my opinion.
When looking back on the film, what resonated with you the most and why?
I guess what resonated with me personally is that the story is believable. And the theme that people often ignore their instincts of discomfort–be it with loved ones or strangers. Of course, this often does not lead to a horror scenario, but we often know when we feel like something is off, and we don’t speak to it or react or disengage the situation as soon as we perceive it–for a multitude of reasons.
We don’t want to be “rude,” we don’t want to hurt feelings, we want to be perceived a certain way or not seem uninterested. Sometimes because there is a threat. I don’t know what is right or wrong action to take, I am not a professional, but I hope that people listen to their own instincts early in big and small situations. In my own life, I have definitely been lead by someone else’s narrative or my own denial and it has had a very negative impact on me.
In your opinion, how could this film make an impact on the world?
Hopefully, in a small way, it will help people to see the need to trust when their own inner warning light is going off and speak to it in some way without having to justify it.
Also, we hope it serves generally as a reminder that people can be a lot of things in different situations–and sometimes those things are BAD. People can change moment to moment when faced with something they want.
I also wanted to paint a picture of a mixed-race couple that was loving and successful, without it being tied to their cultural story. Not in an effort to negate who they are or how they got there or make those aspects less important, but to normalize it without justification. In our story, they are living under a threat that is not immediately apparent.
If you had to do it all over again, would you still choose to make this film? Would you do anything differently?
HELL YES–it’s been one of the most positive creative experiences of my life! I took on roles I had no right to take on, did the best I could, learned a lot, and will be better next time. Also, my friendships got a lot stronger too, as I made new friendships in the meantime.
I would schedule more time for shooting to put less pressure on the crew, especially our DP. I would have done what I had to raise money for another day or half day, so Judy and Cory could do exactly what they wanted (they were forced to cut a couple shots for time.)
Do you have anything else you would like to share about the film and your career?
I just hope that everyone enjoys at least a piece of it, and goes and checks it out!
There is more info at www.thedylanfilm.com
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