LOS ANGELES, Oct. 11 (UPI) — Brandon Routh said his new movie “Ick,” which was shown at Screamfest on Tuesday, helped him understand his career.
Routh will play Hank Wallace, a high school quarterback with NFL dreams who becomes a science teacher after an injury and alcoholism. Routh said he saw similarities between Hank’s circumstances and his career as an actor.
“Career may not be what I thought it would be,” Routh told UPI on the Hollywood red carpet. “I was young and all kinds of things happen in life.”
Routh hinted at playing Superman in 2006. He never made a sequel to Superman Returns, but reprized the role in the CW crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Routh also appeared in comic book movies like Scott Pilgrim vs. Scott Pilgrim, The World, Dylan Dogg: Dead of Night, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. ‘ star said he related to Hank’s unmet expectations.
“I had to learn about myself to realize that there was a little more for Hank to do in the movie,” Routh said. “I had to go back and do a little homework.”
Routh said having a 12-year-old son has also taught her how to see things.
“Being a father makes a huge difference in understanding past patterns of childhood,” Routh said, adding that fatherhood “always forces you to be a better person and more compassionate.” He added that he will tell you.
In Ick, Hank becomes the voice of reason when he realizes that the town’s unique substance, Ick, has become dangerous. Ick grows on the ground and overtakes the city’s structures.
When most adults choose to ignore Ick, Hanks decides to rescue the students himself. He said he enjoyed playing Hank’s unwilling heroism as opposed to Superman’s unsuspecting heroism.
“His naivety may change things. It’s exciting for the character if you can give him a chance to grow,” Routh said.
“Ick” director Joseph Kahn said he felt Hollywood was not taking full advantage of Routh’s range and appeal. Khan also shared that sentiment toward co-star Mena Suvari, who played Hank’s high school sweetheart Stacey and found early success in American Pie and American Beauty.
“Brandon and Mena, in my opinion, are being treated completely unfairly by Hollywood,” Khan said. “She’s really funny, charming, really fun to watch, and the kind of person who makes you laugh at the little things.”
As the students try to survive Ik, the film’s young cast discovers similarities between horror concepts and real life. Marina Wiseman, who plays Stacy’s daughter Grace, said that Ick causes conflict with her parents because Grace does not believe that Ick is as harmless as her parents say.
“I think this movie is very much like family and overcoming obstacles,” Wiseman said.
Grace’s boyfriend, Dylan (Harrison Corr), is speaking out for social causes that are in the news today. But Mr Corr said Mr Dylan’s real motive was revealed to be nothing more than to put others down.
“I’m putting other people in a bad position, so I’m getting an advantage and using that to make them feel bad about themselves,” Core said. “He’s always trying to get Grace to do what he wants.”
Ick’s crisis draws several of the young characters into the action. Zeke Jones, who plays the reclusive artist Griffin, said he can sympathize with Griffin’s closeted nature.
“My character doesn’t talk much,” Jones said. “He’s a pretty awkward guy, so he’s not that far from me.”
Grace’s goth friend Heather (Taia Sophia) takes the lead in her relationship with Griffin. Sophia said this is what sets Heather apart from traditional lone wolf god characters.
“I’m a bit of an outsider at school,” Sophia said. “You can see her come out of her shell and pursue her lover.”
For Diya Rao, who plays cheerleader Jazlynn, Yick is her first feature film, and Yick said she pays homage to the movies and music her parents introduced her to.
“This movie borrows heavily from early 2000s movie tropes,” Rao said. “Once I was old enough to watch what I wanted to watch, I would go back to what they liked because that was all I really knew.”
Wiseman agreed that Ick depicts the current generation’s perspective on their parents’ favorites.
“I think our generation has taken a lot of things from that time and repurposed them,” Wiseman said.
Khan said she wanted to make a film about today’s youth culture and also copied the speed of the TikTok videos her daughters like to watch.
“It’s good to have children, so I can survive,” Khan said. “I have a teenager as well, so I know what she listens to and what she’s into.”
Screamfest continues until October 17th in Hollywood, California.
