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Today, actor Owen Campbell has no trouble strolling around his native New York City.
Selfie-seeking fans havent yet caught his scent.
Credit: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images
But that could change.
Its a decision that violently shifts the dynamics of their friendship.
(Super Dark Timesis scheduled to be released in theaters later this year;Blameis seeking distribution.)
Erik Tanner/Getty Images
Campbell is a 2012 graduate of NYCs LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts.
Growing up in Brooklyn has given him a certain edge and restless energy.
Oh, my God, man, the emotions that we watch are so gentle.
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I think its gorgeous.
That first kid is this quiet, observant young man.
Then hes this sensitive teenager, trying to come into his own but feeling the force of the world.
The scene in the diner at the end oh, man, I wept.
Its one of the most romantic scenes in movies.
Campbell lets go of the raspberry jam jars and sits back.
Some people can make their every waking moment about the chase for nobility.
A lot of us cant.
We do fantasize about the glorious nurse, whos also a carpenter, who also feeds the blind cats.
Id love to hang out with that person, but I also want to make movies.
The conversation, eventually, turns to his acting career.
My mother was a dancer.
It was definitely around me.
Im lucky to have that be the case.
There was never a moment when someone said, Really, you want to be an actor?
How you gonna pay the rent, kid?
I loved being backstage, I loved being on a set.
I loved the community.
I was 13 the first time I was in a professional film.
It was calledWhite Lightnin.
I was taken out of school for two weeks and flown to Croatia to mess about and play make-believe.
And then I came back to school, and I was fed.
Why?Because I knew I loved making movies.
I cant ever wake up early, except for when Im on a film set.
Bang, six in the morning, Im there.
I will work every day.
I dont need a weekend.
Just even watching someone else rehearse is exciting as hell to me.
You got a role inThe Perks of Being a Wallflowerbut ended up getting cut from the film.
What did that feel like?It happens.
I still got the experience, still met the people.
I only had one scene.
I love that movie.
Yeah, Im not actually in it.
And [exec producers Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields] didnt tell me anything about that.
They didnt?Right.
All I knew was that my characters parents were killed.
So Im reacting to that.
They didnt tell me anything, but just being on set, I almost started to play detective.
I was snooping around.
I could tell from overhearing people talk that something bigger was going on.
The writers were not going to tell me.
Do you think that was helpful?Oh, yeah.
The suspicions of other characters were building, and my characters nervousness was building.
It was a shocker.
The first two are set in the 1990s.
You auditioned for all three of those?Oh, yeah.
Im not getting offers.
And when youre working a lot, you want to keep working.
So I got this audition.
And the mothers are both named Karen.
And theres a scene when I drink cough syrup in both.
How will I ever distinguish between these characters?
One is named Jack and the other is named Zach.
And, my God, I couldnt put it down.
If you cant put the roadmap down, its gonna be a fun trip.
Like all the best thrillers, theres an amazing amount of subtext churning beneath the films surface.
We had to do our best to inhabit the power dynamics between the characters.
Its about a certain pop in of masculinity that can be very corrosive.
And its a lot about friendship and the betrayal of shifting friendships.
Was it a quick shoot?Its an independent film, so youre moving.
And Kevin liked to take his fin time, and for us, that was beautiful.
Hes looking for serendipity.
Hes looking for the shot when the meteor goes across the screen, Im not sting you.
The scene with the samurai sword we shot for three days.
They had to rearrange the schedule at the end of every day.
The producers would sweat bullets, but hed let us take our time.
I think that patience shows in the film.
Do you see some similarities betweenSuper Dark TimesandBlame?Sure.
Whats wonderful aboutBlameis that its a film made by young people that really feels so young.
Theyre both beautiful in that way that they allow very different views on youth from two valuable perspectives.
I wonder if itll get slammed for that.Good.
If people slam for the film for that, theyre fools.
The teacher is still so in the wrong.
He should still have the emotional maturity to take a step back.
Just because hes a nice, lost guy doesnt excuse him.
Hes still pursuing an asymmetrical relationship with someone who is unstable and so immature.
He lacks that teacher brain.
Whats coming up next in your career?Im auditioning for things.
And producing a show thats going on in the summer.
An antique shop, really?
Ill have to go check it out.They might not let you in, but its worth the struggle.
Whats it like in there?Magic.
There are few places that tickle a romantic like this place can.
Do you have a nostalgia streak?Sure, why not?
Whats your favorite movie of all time?The first movie I ever loved wasSingin in the Rain.
Really, incredibly beautiful.
And thenThe Fits, have you seenThe Fits?
Youve gotta seeThe Fits.
Oh, man, now thats a movie.
So I saw one at midnight and then every three hours of the entire next day.
The first one that a lot of actors fall into is where they say, Thisis my charity.
Oh, without the emotional shamanism of the actor, where would we be as a species?
Okay, yeah, to a certain extent, but go f yourself.
Go work at a food pantry.
Go spend some time calling senators about their connections to corruption.
So Im definitely not down on acting.
You just do what you’re free to to live a creative, comfortable life.
But theres such a great importance in the act of doing good things for other people.
And call your mother!
Seems like youve got it figured out.Nah.
[Smiling]Im just naive enough to think I know what Im talking about.
