Fangirlish had the pleasure of attending Screamfest as they held the red-carpet premiere for The Loneliest Boy in the World. While there we got to speak with Director Martin Owen and stars Max Harwood, Evan Ross, and Jacob Sartorius.
The Loneliest Boy in the World stars Max Harwood “as the sheltered and unsocialized Oliver who is tasked with making new friends after the sudden and devastating death of his mother. He decides that digging a few up (literally) might be his best bet. However, when he awakens the morning after his excavating escapades, he discovers that his newly acquired friends have mysteriously come to life overnight, launching them all into a series of misadventures as they try to keep their secret safe from neighbors, bullies, and social workers alike.”
Because The Loneliest Boy in the World is such a unique film, we wanted to know what drew the actors to the project. First up was Evan Ross who plays Julius, one of the caseworkers in charge of Oliver’s case. He told us “Well, I got pulled into the project before anybody was cast. I actually produced the project as well. But I loved the script, I loved the idea, I loved Martin Owen the Director. You know I play a character he’s interesting and funny and also kind of the bad guy but it’s a great fun role.”
Ross went on to say “But altogether it’s like, it’s one of those films that I’ve been wanting to see which I miss growing up. Like those projects like Edward Scissorhands, like Back to the Future, all these kinds of films with very serious concepts and very funny scenarios. And so, I had not only a great time shooting it but pulling together some of my friends. Like I brought in Ashley Benson, Jacob, and a few other people that I loved, and we had a great time.”
Like Ross, we too get reminders of films like Edward Scissorhands and one of our other favorites Beetlejuice when looking at The Loneliest Boy in the World. Harwood himself seemed to echo this sentiment as well based on his response to why he got involved in this project. You’ll also be surprised that he had a very different view of the concept of this film when he first read the script.
“Initially, I read the film differently to how it ended up. I read it as a drama. It does have drama elements but it’s more horror comedy. I was really drawn to it because it’s a character that’s completely different to anything I’ve seen on screen really before. But was so referential to old films like Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, you know you’ve got a bit of Johnny Depp, with a bit of Wynona rider in there. So, I just think I was just excited about the prospect of stepping in something I hadn’t done before.”
That led us to our next question for Harwood which was whether he felt The Loneliest Boy in the World would be a film that’s like Beetlejuice for the newer generation. “Maybe who knows. Lots of these films get like a cult following but I think those things take time. We’ve got a group of really amazing people who have come a long way to see the film and who knows maybe they’ll really enjoy it.”
When we asked Sartorius who plays the bully Kurt, what drew him to the project we found his response so relatable. “The overall story. I think it tells a story about somebody who’s isolated. And I think in 2022 that’s something that’s really relatable. I know for myself I feel like the loneliest boy in the world sometimes you know, but I think that’s what drew me to this.” He went on to say “It’s telling a story that’s much larger than any of us and tells such a great message about love, and grief, and things that we all deal with. A lot of universal emotions that are being tapped into and I’m super happy to be a part of it.”
Because Sartorius has such big energy and seemed like such a fun person, we had to ask him what the most fun thing was about filming The Loneliest Boy in the World. “I would say the most fun thing was being with people that are so fun. That’s what makes it fun. These people are so energetic and charismatic and nice and supportive. You know this is my first time ever really acting on camera so they really like introduced me and made me feel welcome and I think the people was why I was able to have such a fun time.”
Well, we think those people did a great job of welcoming him and we think for this to be his first time acting on camera he did a really good job.
The Loneliest Boy in the World is an odd film and Oliver is an interesting character whom people feel is not normal. Everyday he strives to be normal. He even writes the words “Be normal” on a calendar as a reminder. We wanted to know why Harwood thinks Oliver doesn’t feel normal and what it even means to be normal.
“I think it’s about… sometimes ‘being normal’ is like kind of restricting yourself in order to fit into society for any reason so I think that being normal is like ‘learn how to do that.’ in many ways for him. And probably for lots of different people its really like when they say ‘be normal’ what is normal? Normal is just what is perceived as normal. It’s a perception. I think people learn as they get older through their teenage years to redefine what that means for them.”
During our interviews, we asked the cast why they felt The Loneliest Boy in the World would resonate with people. Sartorius’s response was “Like I said, I think the universal emotions of grief and loneliness. But, aside from that, I think also they’ll relate to some of the characters within. Like I play a guy named Kurt. He’s a bully. He’s a really mean guy. And you know it’s like me channeling all my middle school bullies. The people that bullied me on the internet. I got to like really channel that and become a bully for the time filming. So, this was fun.”
When we asked Ross why he felt that The Loneliest Boy in the World would resonate with viewers he had this to say. “It’s a love story. It’s a young man who wanted to find a family. Life is about family. Life is more about family probably than anything else. This young man was building his family out of a bunch of people-family members that were already dead but they become this amazing family he never had before and so he was fulfilled.”
The Loneliest Boy in the World is an interesting film, and we were so curious about the inspiration behind it. We were able to ask Owen this exact question and he told us “I think ultimately, even though it’s a kind of, quite an absurd story in the kind of way it looks and the way it feels it’s ultimately a very simple story about a young man who is dealing with grief. And that was really it. It’s relatable I think.”
We couldn’t agree more with him because we too felt that The Loneliest Boy in the World is a relatable story. We enjoyed watching the film and getting to chat with the cast and Director gave us an even bigger appreciation of this film.
The Loneliest Boy in the World is in select theaters now and is also available on digital platforms.
