Gavin Leatherwood Takes a Stab at Horror
Name: Gavin Leatherwood
Sundance project: Horror-comedy âItâs Whatâs Inside,â directed by Greg Jardin.
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Notable past credits: HBO Max series âThe Sex Lives of College Girlsâ and âChilling Adventures of Sabrina.â
âItâs a very surreal feeling,â says Gavin Leatherwood, 12 hours after the late-night Sundance premiere of âItâs Whatâs Inside.â âI donât really know if Iâll process what weâve done here until I get home. It feels quick and crazy.â
The actor stars in the ensemble cast of the sci-fi-horror thriller, in which a group of college friends reunite for a weekend of pre-wedding celebrations. What could go wrong?
âThere is a lot of comedy in it â which I just love that thereâs a balance in there,â says Leatherwood. The actor credits first-time feature director Greg Jardinâs âclear and specific visionâ for the film, which has yielded rave reviews since its festival debut.
Leatherwood portrays the friend with âa larger than life personality.â âHe puts on a big, tough front to hide his deeper insecurities. Heâs covered in tattoos,â says Leatherwood. âIt was quite a stretch from characters I played in the past. So I was really looking forward to that challenge.â
Leatherwood describes that sharp departure from past roles as particularly alluring.
âI feel like I had been getting into a rhythm of being cast as the romantic interest, heartthrobby kind of character. And I wanted to see if I could do something different,â he says. âI was like, I should take a stab at this.â
The actor had driven up to the festival from Los Angeles with several friends from the film, âto add to the adventure,â says Leatherwood. âSo the whole [experience] has sort of felt magical. We were in L.A. and then we were in Las Vegas, and now weâre in Utah and Park City,â he adds. âIâm looking forward to meeting some more artists, creatives and being here with my friends. Weâre moving into the part [of the festival] where we can kind of relax now. We did all the work stuff, and now we get to go walk around Main Street and have fun.â
Leatherwood, who has another film in post-production, has kept himself busy despite the recent strikes and uncertainty within the industry. He picked up a new hobby â motorcycling â and drove his truck across the country. âBut that being said, set is my happy place â and Iâm looking forward to getting back to doing what I really love,â he adds.
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