Emmy award-winning actor and producer Mike Manning (“The Bay” and “This Is Us”) chatted about his new film “The Way Out.”
‘The Way Out’
It will be released worldwide on February 10, 2023, via Terror Films. It is from writer and director Barry Jay, and it stars Jonny Beauchamp (“Penny Dreadful”), Mike Manning (“Teen Wolf”, “Days of Our Lives,” “This is Us”), Ashleigh Murray (“Riverdale”), and Sherri Shepherd (“Life is Perfect”).
On being a part of “The Way Out,” Manning said, “It was really exciting because it was a character that was different from anything I had played previously.”
“Usually, I play the boy next door, or the boyfriend, or the nice guy, my character Shane in ‘The Way Out’ is one of the most violent, broken, and destructive characters that I have ever played so it was very exciting yet challenging,” he said.
“It was also really fulfilling when we were done shooting,” he acknowledged. “It was loosely based on some of Barry’s experiences. I think the movie represents what happened to Barry when someone turns to drugs and alcohol to cope with the abuse that they are still holding inside, and my character, Shane, represents what Barry wishes he could have done in terms of standing up, taking charge and getting revenge on those that abused other people.
“It was really interesting,” he admitted. “Alex hurts himself, Shane hurts the world, they both experience abuse and they deal with it in very different ways.”
“We shot it in upstate New York in the Hudson Valley, which is where Barry grew up, and where he experienced some of this abuse,” Manning shared. “The house that we shot it in looked very much like his house growing up. I saw what a cathartic experience this movie was because he was talking about and dealing with some of his trauma that he kept a secret for so long and through this movie, you get escapism.”
Samantha’s Friends
On May 20 and 21, Manning and his fellow Emmy winners Kristos Andrews and Gregori J. Martin of “The Bay” will be a part of the Samantha’s Friends charity fundraiser GALA, which will have a “Marvel Madness and Avengers” theme to it.
“For so long, Samantha’s Friends have raised so much money and they have done great work for the Southeastern Guide Dogs. As of last year, and moving forward, they are going to start benefitting more different causes and charities including Boo2Bullying, which is near and dear to my heart, and that makes me love Samantha’s Friends that much more,” Manning said.
To learn more about actor and producer Mike Manning, follow him on Instagram.
