Hitting theaters today ahead of its on demand release, Collide is a new thriller film written and directed by Mukunda Michael Dewil. The movie follows three couples, each of whom is struggling with a different crisis at the same L.A. restaurant. Focused on their own issues and unaware of their surroundings, their stories begin to intersect.
The film stars Ryan Phillippe (Big Sky), Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries), Jim Gaffigan (Most Wanted), Drea de Matteo (The Sopranos), Aisha Dee (The Bold Type), Dylan Flashner (The Card Counter), and David Cade (Big Time Rush).
Kat Graham chats with Screen Rant about her character's backstory in Collide and working with co-star Ryan Phillippe.
Screen Rant: I'm always very interested in what draws actors to certain roles. What was it about Collide that really stuck out to you?
Kat Graham: For me, I hadn't seen the topic of apartheid and South Africa, and the history of apartheid, really brought into films a lot recently. It's a topic that I want to see discussed more in Hollywood. We talk a lot about, and I've done projects that focus on, the Civil War and slavery and the history of being black in America. But there has been racism and discrimination that has been happening on a global scale, specifically in South Africa, for a very long time.
A lot of people don't necessarily have the awareness of it, so [I liked] the idea of being able to play a character—and through that character bring more awareness to apartheid, and what so many people had to experience. Especially for me personally, being biracial and having a black father and Caucasian mom and what that meant for them in the 80s? Even though I'm not South African, they experienced racism as a couple. I think that there's a lot of really important underlying reasons why I would want to play a role like this.
Did you know your character's backstory going into this? Or did you find out when you read the script?
Kat Graham: I was sent the script, and I was kind of given a overview of what it was. I was like, "Oh, this sounds kind of interesting." And I knew more obviously from reading the whole script and from talking to Mukunda than not. Yeah, it's pretty wild. I didn't know the entirety of it until I read the script. And I was like, "Okay, these take a few turns."
But it's fun. It's a really great ride and I've really enjoyed playing it, for sure.
One thing that I thought was super cool about this film is how everybody's strategically placed around this restaurant. You have a couple inside, you have a couple working there, and you have someone outside. Were there any challenges with the setting staying the same for you at that table? Was it difficult to get into character like that?
Kat Graham: No. Location and setting—that wasn't hard. The hard part started to become... I can't give too much away. But when you start getting into the action scenes and camera placement, and being able to show certain things happening, and other characters seeing those things happen, and points of views and over the shoulders, and the complexity of those shots? I think were pretty difficult. But overall, I was fine sitting down and doing my work.
Were you and Ryan able to play off of each other well? Did you do any work beforehand to prepare?
Kat Graham: Ryan was coming off of another film, so we didn't have much time in prep. But he's a beast. I always was a fan of his, even from Cruel Intentions. I've been a fan of his work as an actor for a long time. But I think sometimes you take for granted how great actors are when you only see them on screen. Because working with him and his level of focus—he was on no sleep and had traveled in, but he was a beast.
He was a total beast. He didn't miss a beat. He knew all the lines. We worked out so many of the moments because a lot of them had to be pretty subtle, right? When you're stuck at a table, every little thing has to mean something—has to be purposeful. So, every look that he gave... He was just always present. I didn't know what he was going to do next. And hopefully vice versa. He kept me on my toes.
Collide Synopsis
A gripping thriller chronicling three couples over the course of one fateful night in an LA restaurant. Hunter (Ryan Phillippe) finds himself on an awkward blind date with the captivating Tamira (Kat Graham), while a busboy (Dylan Flashner) and his girlfriend (Aisha Dee) are hiding mounds of cocaine to score a big payday, and outside, Peter (Jim Gaffigan) sits in his car observing his wife's (Drea de Matteo) infidelity with the restaurant’s manager (David Cade). Though all strangers, their stories are weaved together as they hurl towards an explosive end.
Check out our other interview with Collide stars Jim Gaffigan & Drea de Matteo.
Collide is currently in theaters, and will be available On Demand starting August 12.