Veteran actor C. Thomas Howell (“The Outsiders”) chatted about starring in the new movies “One Mile: Chapter One” and “One Mile: Chapter Two.” They will be released digitally on February 20th via Republic Pictures.
Adam Davidson directed from a story by John Hlavin and Josh Senter, and a screenplay by TJ Brady, Rasheed Newson, and John Hlavin.
The synopsis is: Ryan Phillippe stars as a former special forces operative trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter during a college road trip.
When an unexpected detour puts them in the sights of a secretive, off-the-grid community, his daughter is taken and the trip erupts into a high-octane fight for survival.
Alone and outnumbered, he’s forced to use every skill he has to track them down, take them apart, and bring his daughter home.
“The new movies are really great,” Howell exclaimed. “I am really pleased with the way they turned out. Working with Ryan Phillippe was such a great experience. He is such a gentleman, and we had a lot of fun together.”
Playing Stanley Dixon
On playing his character, Stanley Dixon, Howell said, “It was refreshing playing a person that does bad things, but he is not really a bad guy. That’s unusual.”
“Stanley is somebody who is a survivalist, and he is living off the grid. He is responsible for the culture of a community that he has built over time that’s on the brink of extinction and he’s willing to do whatever it takes at any cost to maintain and help that group of people survive,” he elaborated.
“For me, being outdoors, coming from a rural background of ranchers and hunters, it wasn’t much of a departure as far as a background goes, but I was able to draw from a lot of personal life experiences and make it as grounded and authentic as possible,” he explained.
“So, I had a lot of fun doing that,” he added.
Lessons learned from the screenplay
On the lessons learned from the screenplay, he said with a sweet laugh, “First of all, it taught me that I’m getting too old to be doing action movies.”
“Also, it always comes down to a solid work ethic,” he acknowledged. “Showing up on time, being prepared, and making those around me better. That is something that has been my mantra for a long time, so that never changes!”
“The rules don’t really change, but the games change,” he noted.
“You work with different people, and I continue to try to learn as much as possible from every project that I do and take what I learn and move on to the next, and this was no different,” he explained.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Howell stated, “I’m at the point now where I feel like I’m able to enjoy the process more. There is really no stress, and I don’t have anything to prove.”
“So, I don’t take the projects that I don’t really want to be involved with. My kids are all grown. I don’t have the responsibility of paying for college anymore,” he said.
“I’m able to really enjoy the choices and work when I want to on what I want to work on vs. hoping that you’re going to get another job quickly. Nobody likes to be under that pressure,” he noted.
“It’s difficult raising a family as an actor because you’re leery to turn down things because you’re not sure what’s coming next,” he said.
“You rely on other people wanting to work with you,” he admitted. “You don’t really control your own destiny unless you’re in a position to be able to produce and create and write your own things, which I’m starting to do now. I think that’s the evolution of an artist.”
“We branch out and we grow and I’m looking forward to that next phase of my life directing and producing. That is something I’m working on right now,” he foreshadowed.
Howell on Brody Grant and the cast of the Broadway musical ‘The Outsiders’
Howell had great words about Brody Grant and the cast of the Tony award-winning Broadway musical “The Outsiders.” “I was lucky to see the original cast, and I was very happy that I was able to do that,” he admitted.
“I am so proud of those kids and what they did with ‘The Outsiders’ musical,” he exclaimed. “Brody Grant and all of them are so incredibly talented. They took the heart of the book and the film, and they transformed it into their own!”
“The show really deserved all of the accolades and awards that it received. It is no wonder that it is one of the most successful shows on Broadway right now. I think it’s going to be around for a long time,” he added.
New music in the works
When asked if there will be new music in the works, Howell revealed, “I have been so busy working on projects and films that I haven’t been able to focus on my music. My second album came out, and it will probably be another year or two before I do a third album.”
Closing thoughts on these new ‘One Mile’ movies
For fans and viewers, Howell stated, “I want them to get enjoyment out of these two movies. They are action thrillers.”
“To me, going into these projects, you always have the best of intentions, and you try to keep your expectations to a minimum,” he noted.
“So, hopefully, they will be surprised when they see the final outcome, as opposed to being disappointed,” he said.
“That’s what happened on this picture. I was surprised at the quality of the work by everybody involved. We had a great stunt team, and a really great location in Vancouver Island with a wonderful crew,” he explained.
“Also, we had some of the best actors that I’ve worked with in a while. I was really impressed with Amélie Hoeferle, Ryan Phillippe, and some local Canadian actors who have extensive resumes and they all brought their A-game. So, I was really pleased about that,” he concluded.
To learn more about actor and musician C. Thomas Howell, check out his official website, and follow him on Instagram.
