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| Dallas Dupree Young in 1-800-Hot-Nite |
“I'm so excited to hear about all of this, the reports about the movie,” says 16-year-old Dallas Dupree Young when we discuss the reviews for his new film, 1-800-Hot-Nite, which is currently in cinemas in the US. “I mean, this was such a special movie. The film is really near and dear to my heart. So just to hear that everybody relates to this project, and they're loving it, it's so incredible. I'm so grateful.”
He’s been getting rave reviews for his starring role as Tommy, a kid whose life changes overnight when his father is arrested, his little brother is taken in by child services, and he decides to make a run for it with the aid of his friends. Intitial excitement about living free of adult control gives way to a journey of discovery about how difficult life is without support, during which Tommy turns to a phone sex worker (hence the title) for advice. When he was first offered an audition, he says, he wasn’t sure about the title and felt rather uncomfortable, but lacking into it further, he changed his mind. “I decided to do research about the producers, the director, and then the research about my character and figure out who he is in the storyline. And I fell in love with Tommy.”
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| A daring phone call |
“I think, personally, he was struggling to find his own identity in this world. And I related to that, because during that time, you know, I just started a new school and I was trying to figure out my place in that environment. I felt what Tommy was going through as a kid, he was just trying to figure out like, who he is with all of his family members and his place in the world. So I understood that and then I really connected with the character because of the director. You know, this is an autobiographical film, so he understood the character more than anything, and he helped me relate to the character from a spiritual and emotional standpoint..”
The film is also very much about how Tommy relates to his friends. I ask Dallas if he found it easy to connect with his co-stars.
“So easy to connect with both Mylen Bradford and Garrison Machado,” he says, flashing the broad smile which is already becoming his trademark. “I mean, we're really brothers in real life and on camera. Before filming, we had a chance to go on a few Zoom calls and just talk about character development and figure out who we are in the storyline, in our relationship and dynamic together. And we just really had a connection on camera. We were best friends from the beginning to now, honestly, so I appreciate them. And I love their professionalism, because they made it easy to work with on the show.
“After the Zoom calls, we kind of went straight into it. The thing about the fact that we were filming late at night is that we got there pretty early, about four o'clock, and we only had nine and a half hours on set. So we were out there about four o'clock each day, or three, or something, and we just decided to rehearse the film, go over character development and where we were emotionally in that scene. And then we also just had some rest and relaxation time to hang out and have a good time, play Twister a little bit, play Jenga, and but we kind of went straight into it once it got dark.”
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| Feeling alone |
It was summer, he explains, so there was no school to worry about, but he found it quite a tough shoot, even compared to TV series he’s worked on.
“I feel like it was more difficult on this one. But I got the chance to learn a lot about movies and film because this was a completely different environment than what I'm used to. Like I said, we didn't have too much time to film. So once we got the lights up, it's time to get going, so I had to take a lot more time just to figure out who the character was in that moment than on a regular TV show. But it made it more exhilarating, honestly, it made it more fast paced, more fun. And we got to grow those connections quickly.”
He’s also done some video game voice acting work recently, for a Cobra Kai spin-off, which must have been fun, given that he enjoys playing video games.
“Yeah, that was unbelievable. You know, the funny thing about that is in the moment, I had no idea I was going to do it for a video game. And having the opportunity to do it for a video game was unbelievable, something that I never really expected. But that made it really exciting, and it's something completely different, and that was definitely on my bucket list since I started acting.”
He never expected the Cobra Kai series to take off in the way it did, he says.
“No, I had no idea. Everybody was telling me during season four that it was going to be something big and something that I wouldn't really expect. And I was listening and comprehending what they were saying, but I didn't expect it to be like this. So I'm really grateful for that, for the opportunity I’ve been given, and it’s been really exciting since.
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| Cooling off |
“I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to share this platform about bullying, because obviously bullying is a really tough topic in our society today. Younger kids will understand what Kenny was going through and know that it is okay to tell a trusted adult. And, of course, Kenny went about it in a way that I'm not really proud of, I guess I can say, but I just I'm glad that kids understand that you can tell an adult so that this bullying can stop, because that's the platform that Cobra Kai is trying to give. We're trying to encourage kids who are struggling with bullying to speak up about their issues.”
There are some big social issues addressed in 1-800-Hot-Nite too, given what Tommy is going through with his dad and social services.
“Yeah, that was that was one of our biggest messages, honestly, just to spread awareness on the social service system. Of course you should not run away from that. Of course, you’ve got to just take it head on. But, you know, we just wanted to spread awareness and have people understand the issues that kids really go through sometimes. I want other people to put themselves in their shoes and understand the magnitude of what they're going through, and just know that we're praying for them.”
He’s very clear on his ambitions as an actor. “My biggest thing is I want to win an Oscar or something like that. And then I also wanted the chance to work with Denzel Washington.
“For Cobra Kai, I got to do a lot of action there. That was a big stepping stone for me, in the action world. If I get the opportunity to do something in action, that would be awesome.”
1-800-Hot-Nite gives him a lot of opportunity to show his range. Parts of it are light and comedic, parts of it involve action, and other parts get quite dark. i tell him that for me as an adult, the hardest scene to watch was one in which his character is persuaded to enter a house where he’s threatened by a group of adult men.
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| Ready for action in Cobra Kai |
“That might have been one of the most difficult scenes I've ever filmed in my entire life,” he says. “At the same time, you have to go through things that are unimaginable for, you know, a 14-year-old kid at the time – you just have to go through that emotionally. It was tough, it was draining, but I had fun in the process. And it also spreads awareness that that happens, a lot of people get taken. So I really like to encourage people to, if you don't feel comfortable, please do not do it. Run away and go the other way.
“That was always a tough scene to film for me, of course. I had to touch a gun. I had a snake on me. So it was tough. I learned a lot from the process.”
“I think just after filming, I have to remember that I'm back in Dallas, you know? Get away from that. Don't think about it. But in the process, you’ve got to be in there. You've got to think about what the character is going through. But after that, I was surprisingly okay. Maybe like 10 minutes after I was like, ’Oh my God,’ as it literally just happened, but then I just took some breathing exercises, I remembered that, you know, that was the character, not me.”
He credits director Nick Richey with helping him to navigate the film’s rapid emotional shifts.
“I think just communication with the director, figuring out where Tommy was in that in that particular moment. And just figuring out that balance between, you know, that they have a very emotional side, to a kid who is back to being happy all of a sudden. I just had to figure out that balance and put myself into his shoes in that particular moment.”
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| Best friends forever |
When it comes to action scenes and self-control, he says, his experience with sports helps, and it’s something he recently drew on for a role, playing a young version of baseball professional Willie Mays Aikens.
“That was what I used to do: baseball, football and basketball. From that standpoint, you get to figure out breathing mechanisms, and also just to let go sometimes, you know, have some fun and just be yourself. So The Royal came out, it might have been a year ago. And that was the thing that was on my bucket list. I mean, I always wanted to play a young version of a professional athlete, especially baseball, and I got the chance to do that. That was unbelievable.”
Then there’s the experience of dealing with his own growing celebrity status.
“It’s something I never expected,” he says. “I mean, as a kid, I always wanted to be famous. I used to say that, because I wanted to be a professional baseball player, but you know, in the acting industry, it’s something I didn't really expect. And then all of the responses and the fan interactions that I've had have been great. Everybody's so supportive, and I really appreciate that personally. So it's really great meeting fans.”
