Acclaimed actor Jimmi Simpson chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about “Dark Matter” Season 2 on Apple TV, and co-writing “Slay.”
Based on the best-selling novel by Blake Crouch, “Dark Matter” is a story of the road not taken. It is now streaming on Apple TV.
On being a part of “Dark Matter,” Simpson remarked, “It is just beautiful. I love being able to access the source material and work with the novelist Blake Crouch. It’s one of my favorite books, and having that very same mind unpack the story even further is incredible.”
“There are things you didn’t know you needed to know, rather than simply continuing the story and adding more, which happens a lot on television,” he noted.
“In this case, we got to explore the world created by the man who engineered it, as well as by his wife, Jacquelyn Ben-Zekry, who knows him better than anybody else. So, it has been great. It has been a beautiful season,” he added.
Playing his character
On playing his character Ryan Holder, he stated, “I like his ability to go with whatever happens to him. Initially, he was a man who had really succeeded through hard work, but who had also found the easiest path to success throughout his life.”
“Then, when he is thrown into the woods with no path and no flashlight, he still has his intelligence and emotional intelligence to keep moving forward and not give up,” he added.
Lessons learned from the ‘Dark Matter’ screenplay
On the lessons learned from the “Dark Matter” screenplay, he reflected, “It taught me that I am where I am, and that I am where I should be. More succinctly, it taught me that being where you are is where you should be.”
“The constant wondering of ‘Should I be here? Am I doing the right thing or the wrong thing?’ is just a form of mental torture, as Alan Watts would say,” he added.
‘Slay’ film
On his inspiration to serve as a screenwriter for “Slay,” he said, “With ‘Slay,’ I wanted to bring back some of the irreverent fun of the horror movies I watched growing up in the ’80s… that sense of mischief. You should be genuinely frightened but also have an absolute blast at the same time. You should be able to laugh, because when we’re thrust into terrifying situations, the human response is often, ‘This is so ridiculous!’ rather than simply going into pure fight-or-flight mode.”
“There was something else that mattered to me even more. I wanted to write a trans character whose identity wasn’t the story. I didn’t want to make a movie about being trans; I wanted to write a movie about a young woman with all the friendships, insecurities, vanity, courage, and terrible decisions that come with being a young woman,” he explained.
“I wanted her to be our final girl. Not our trans final girl, but our final girl, period. Ultimately, that’s the point: there shouldn’t be a distinction. She is not there to explain herself or educate anybody. She’s there to be funny and flawed and to have a good scream,” he elaborated.
Simpson also made a cameo in the film “Slay.” “That was my pleasure. It wasn’t my original intention, though. The project was entirely self-financed, so we didn’t have a studio or corporation behind us,” he said.
“We were simply approaching people and asking, ‘Do you want to be part of a movie? Do you have a little bit of money to invest?’ That was the motivation behind my jumping in to play the small part I did, and I had a lot of fun doing it,” he elaborated.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Simpson revealed, “Look Up at the Clouds.”
“It has been really, really busy, and of course, I’m very grateful,” he said. “Sometimes, when you’re caught up in everything happening directly around you, you forget to look up and think, ‘Oh my God, I’m small,’ and how wonderful is it to be aware of that.”
‘Home Delivery’ film
Simpson opened up about being a part of the comedy “Home Delivery.” “Working with Lesley Ann Warren was amazing! Working with Joe Pantoliano (Joey Pants) was a treat too. We had a great time. Also, Rainn Wilson is one of my comedy gurus, so that was great as well,” he said.
He also complimented the movie “Audrey’s Children” where he worked opposite Natalie Dormer. “These three projects that I have been involved with are really close to my heart… ‘Dark Matter,’ ‘Slay,’ and ‘Audrey’s Children’,” he said.
“‘Audrey’s Children’ is a huge one for me. It’s my mother’s favorite movie that I’ve ever done,” he added.
Message for his fans
For his fans, Simpson expressed, “I would like to say ‘thank you’ for finding some entertainment in what is often my emotional truth. I’m only getting started.”
To learn more about veteran actor Jimmi Simpson, follow him on Instagram.
