Actor Ignacyo Matynia chatted about his new Lifetime film “Man in the Guest House,” which premiered on February 18.
Matynia also shared his thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of the digital age.
‘Man in the Guest House’
Matynia stars opposite Kristen Alderson, who plays his female love interest.
The synopsis is: When a young couple finds someone to rent out their converted garage, they’re happy to have an additional source of income; however, they soon realize that their lodger may not be the dream tenant that they thought he was.
Working with director John Murlowski
“It was a great experience doing this project,” Matynia admitted. “I had been wanting to work with director John Murlowski because he is a household name, especially in the Lifetime and TV movie genre. He is fascinating because he is a director, a camera operator, and Director of Photography (DP).”
“While he has operators on set with him, he usually takes charge, and he is in there with you. There had only been one other director that I had ever worked with, who was like that. It was really interesting when you have one person that has an eye for the story, the eye for the performance, and an eye for the visuals, and actually executing them all.”
“It was really pleasant watching John work. He has a lot of magic tricks that make his style of filmmaking plausible,” he added.
Working with Kristen Alderson
On working with Kristen Alderson, he said, “This was Kristen’s first-ever Lifetime movie, it was really nice working with her; it was a pleasure.”
“Also, James Hyde did a great job in this movie, and Rene Ashton absolutely killed it,” he admitted. “They are all seasoned actors. They are all great and very cool people.”
The digital age
On being an actor in the digital age, he said, “It’s a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there are more opportunities. I’m an immigrant so my family has no idea what being in the entertainment industry is. I was going to school for medicine, but I left to become an actor.”
“Thanks to technology and the way the platforms unfolded, that gave me the opportunity to get more work and visibility. The accessibility aspect of the Internet age is incredible. On one end, I don’t think I would have been able to break through in the industry if it weren’t for these platforms existing,” he said.
“On the other hand, the business is starting to become oversaturated with people so there is a focus now on quantity as opposed to quality. I love the digital age and I hate it at the same time… but I lean more to loving it because it has led me to where I am today,” he added.
Stage of his life
Regarding the title of the current chapter of his life, Maytnia said, “Act III.” “I would be in Act III where my character had a realization and the option of either doing something about it or letting everything decide for him,” he said.
Superpower of choice
If he were to have any superpower, it would be “to fly.” “That would be an incredible superpower,” he admitted. “I am fascinated by birds so that would allow me to soar above the clouds and see things from their perspective.”
Success
Matynia defined the word success as the “little steps one would take towards achieving their goals and doing everything one can to move forward.”
Closing thoughts on ‘Man in the Guest House’
For fans and viewers, Matynia remarked, “It’s a fun movie; it’s a thriller. You are looking at a lot of talented people in it.”
To learn more about Ignacyo Matynia, follow him on Instagram.
