Actor Dylan Arnold (“Oppenheimer” and “Halloween” franchise) chatted about starring in the new Lionsgate movie “1992.” Aside from Arnold, this action crime thriller stars Tyrese Gibson, Scott Eastwood, Clé Bennett, Christopher A’mmanuel, Michael Beasley, Ori Pfeffer, Tosin Morohunfola, Oleg Taktarov, and Ray Liotta, in one of his final film roles. “1992” was directed by Ariel Vromen, from a screenplay by Sascha Penn and Ariel Vromen, and a story by Sascha Penn.
The synopsis is: In “1992,” Mercer (Tyrese Gibson) is desperately trying to rebuild his life and his relationship with his son (Christopher Ammanuel) amidst the turbulent 1992 Los Angeles uprising following the Rodney King verdict. Across town, another father and son (Ray Liotta and Scott Eastwood) put their own strained relationship to the test as they plot a dangerous heist to steal catalytic converters, which contain valuable platinum, from the factory where Mercer works. As tensions rise in Los Angeles and chaos erupts, both families reach their boiling points when they collide in this tense crime-thriller.
On being a part of “1992,” Arnold said, “It was a wonderful experience. I got to work with an incredible cast, and we got to explore an exciting and gritty heist world and build on that.” “We also got to work with an incredible director and an incredible team.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience,” he admitted. “Tyrese is awesome; he brings this power and presence to his character as well as on set. He is a really collaborative person to work with,” he exclaimed.
“Tyrese really cared about the outcome and how everyone felt about what they were doing. There is this really powerful presence that he has with him at all times, so it was a really cool thing to be around.” On working with the late Ray Liotta, Arnold said, “Working with Ray [Liotta] was something that really interested me going into the movie.
” “I feel very grateful that I got to work with him, and obviously, getting to see him do what he does best,” he acknowledged. On playing Dennis, he said, “I think Dennis has a vulnerability and an innocence to him, he kind of feels a little out of place in this criminal world.” “Honestly, Dennis is one of my favorite characters I’ve ever played,” he admitted.
“I really have a soft spot for Dennis. I got to explore some really tense situations but then there is also this really beautiful vulnerability to him that contradicts each other.” “I think it was partially the script and the environment, and Ariel Vromen, the director.
It was a combination of everything,” he noted. “Dennis is there for the love of his family; he doesn’t necessarily have the criminal instincts, and he makes the best decisions that he knows how to make, which ultimately, aren’t always the best decisions,” he said with a sweet laugh. “There is definitely an innocence and a genuine nature that he has,” he added.
On working with Scott Eastwood, he said, “Scott is great; he is a movie star. I remember my first day on set when I saw him on the monitor, and I was like ‘that’s a movie star right there’. He is fantastic, and he was just wonderful to work with.
” “Again, it was just a really collaborative environment,” he reiterated. “I learned a lot from Scott; he has obviously been doing this for a while. It was great to play his younger brother.
” On the lessons learned from the “1992” screenplay and role, Arnold reflected, “This movie taught me to trust myself.” “When I read the script, obviously, there were a couple of things that stood out,” he noted. “It really felt like an energizing ride the whole way, where I have never done a movie like that.
” “I couldn’t pass up the chance to get to work with Ray and Tyrese. I was nervous going into it but the more I could trust myself, I think the better it turned out,” he added. “I actually filmed ‘1992’ before ‘Oppenheimer’,” he revealed.
“This was something that I did before that, and I think this job actually informed the next one. ‘1992’ was definitely a nice stepping stone into that.” Speaking of the seven-time Oscar-winning movie “Oppenheimer,” Arnold said, “That was definitely a great film to be a part of.
” In “Oppenheimer,” Arnold played the real-life person Frank Oppenheimer, who was a particle physicist, cattle rancher, physics university professor, and the founder of the Exploratorium in San Francisco, California. On being a part of the digital age, Arnold said, “It is interesting. I think it has changed our industry quite a bit.
I think there are a lot more opportunities for actors. There are lots of different things.” “It feels like there is something out there for everybody, which is great,” he said.
“I am excited for people to see ‘1992.’ I think this is something that is going to reach a lot of audiences, and there are a lot of different people that are going to enjoy this movie.” For young and emerging actors, Arnold said, “I think it’s really hard to do but just try not to be like anybody else.
I think it’s really easy to see certain people succeed, and think that you need to do what they are doing, but you don’t.” “As long as you love it, do what you love, and bring yourself to it,” he acknowledged. On being a part of the “Halloween” franchise, he said, “That was a great one to be a part of as well.
” “That franchise has the most incredible fans as well,” he expressed. On the title of the current chapter of his life, Arnold said with a sweet laugh, “What’s Next?” If he were to have any superpower, he responded, “I would love to fly. I think that would be great.
If I was stressed out, I think it would be nice to just go through the clouds. That would be great.” Arnold defined the word success simply as “happiness.
” “It is really easy to get caught up in material things, but ultimately, I would rather be happy in my day-to-day life. I would feel successful if that were the case,” he said. For fans and viewers, he remarked about “1992,” “There is a lot of heart in this film.
It has really strong family dynamics, and really strong relationships. It is also a really heart-pounding heist action movie.” “There is a lot of adrenaline in it, and it’s really wonderful that it balances both of those things because we don’t see that a lot.
Make sure to watch it,” he exclaimed. To learn more about actor Dylan Arnold, follow him on Instagram , and check out his IMDb page . Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News.
Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 21,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.
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