'Dare' actor Alan Cumming

There's this film out called Dare. You might have heard of it... especially if you've been reading Good Prattle's most recent interviews. In case you haven't, well, it's a film about three high school seniors looking to experience life in some way before they leave for college, and it's probably the most... nakedly... honest film about high school that has been released in several years. Alan Cumming, an absolutely brilliant veteran of both stage and screen, plays a highly successful school alum named Grant Matson who has returned to teach a master class in the theatre department; he is in the film for all of ten minutes—but his far-too-brief appearance serves as the catalyst for the entire plot. Herein we discuss this and other aspects of the film, as well as various other topics; enjoy!

When I spoke with Emmy Rossum she told me the Grant Matson role had initially been written for a woman. What do you think the gender flip changed about the scene?
I think it probably gave the scene a more sexually charged feel, and a bit more menace instead of just being a straight up bitchfest. I think the audience worries for Alexa that she is alone with this weird man!

In many ways Grant is, well, the catalyst for the whole plot. What’re your thoughts here?
It's great to play someone who, although he is onscreen for a short time, has a big effect on the film as a whole. I really like that. I like being in films where my character is talked about a lot—or, like in this, causes things to happen—because you seem to be in the film more than you really are, and you don't have to come to work so much!

Grant is technically a small, if extremely important, role but is still extremely memorable; how did you like playing him?
I loved playing him. It is such fun to be so mean and bitter and weird. I really enjoyed him. I don't like him, but I enjoyed being him.

What about this project compelled you to take part in it, particularly on such short notice?
I had been talking about it with David [Brind, the screenwriter] for a long time and he let me read it and I really enjoyed it. I was also aware of the problems they were having casting this role. I really responded to the way the film confounds your expectations of the characters and indeed its genre.

In the end Alexa and Johnny both end up having the precise relationships with acting that Grant predicted…
Totally. David Brind dropped a little clue for everyone, but at the time the audience is so repelled by this weird man being mean to little Alexa that i don't think we can take it on board.

It’s interesting, too, how their stories run parallel in opposite directions: she’s chasing after risks so as to become an actress but in the end finds herself with nothing; he’s desperate for some solace and ultimately turns to acting.
I think that aspect is a good lesson for life: if you try really hard to the point where you are desperate for something, you tend to give off an aura of desperation and you are not relaxed in what you are trying to achieve. I think it's better to let the path lead you than to try and run down the path.

What was it like working on that crucial scene with Emmy? She spoke absolutely glowingly of you, by the way.
She was great. I felt really bad being so mean but it was really fun and I think we both understood the dynamic of the scene really well so we were able to push it. I think she's great in the film and a lovely girl to boot.

In fact, what was it like working on a film assembled by such an incredibly young creative team across the board?
I hate young people. It was awful. No, it was great. It is exciting to be around people who are not jaded and are enthusiastic and eager—and have great talent!

How do you think this film departs from the standard adolescent cinematic fare today?
I think it totally subverts the whole genre, which I think is really exciting, and I hope it is able to be seen by enough people for that to be appreciated.

And why do you think people—teenagers in particular—should go see it?
I think they will see a story about their own age group that is not patronizing or predictable. And that, I assume, is a rare thing for them.

I know you had no scenes with her, but it must’ve been cool to work on yet another project with Ana Gasteyer...
She's great. I really love her and I was happy just to be in a film with her again. She totally cracks me up. I think she is one of the funniest women ever.

I realize this comparison is far out of left field, but Reefer Madness happens to be just about my favorite film of all time so please oblige me: how did that film differ from Dare?
It was utterly different. Dare was only a few days of my life, Reefer was several months. Sorry, I don't want to warble on and sound dopey trying to make comparisons 'cause there really aren't any!

How do you feel about working on super-small indie films like this as opposed to working on big-budget features—or even in theatre?
I try to mix and match. I think you come to each thing refreshed, having done something different previously. Also, I tend to get bored very easily, so it's good for me to mix things up.

Is there a medium you prefer? Do you ever use experience in one medium to enhance your performance in another?
Everything you do as a performer and as a person infuses what you bring to your work. The thing I value most is the variety and the ability to experience so many different things, so that I don't come to my work in a narrow, blinkered way.

I also spoke with Zach Gilford recently, and I actually almost missed that interview because I was conducting it from backstage at a rehearsal for my school play—which happens to be The Tempest, and I know you just did a film of that…
I have never been in the play before, but I have seen it many times. The thing that will make this film so different is the fact that Prospero has been changed to a woman, Prospera, played by Helen Mirren. I think it really alters the story from being one of familial vengeance to one of womanly healing and conciliation. It's amazing how a sex change can so alter the sensibility of a play!

Dare is currently in theatres in NYC and L.A. and it's amazing. Please go see it!