DYLAN SPROUSE ANSWERS ZOOM REPRIMANDING HIS FRENCH BULLDOG FOR EATING ODD THINGS WHILE WHAT LOOKS TO BE A COMICALLY LARGE STUFFED GNOME LOITERS BEHIND HIM. HE LIGHTS UP WHEN DISCUSSING HORSEBACK RIDING, SAYING, “AFTER RIDING FOR A WHILE, [THE HORSE] GOES, ‘WHY IS THIS MOTHERFUCKER RIDING ME? I’M GONNA SEE.’” IF YOU STAY ON ANYTHING LONG ENOUGH, IT DOES HAVE A WAY OF ASKING WHY YOU’RE STILL THERE. THE INDUSTRY, REQUIRING HIM TO ACCEPT A WILD, UNBRIDLED LACK OF CONTROL SINCE CHILDHOOD, REARED IN A QUESTION: WHY? PERHAPS DYLAN’S CHOICE TO EXECUTIVE PRODUCE THE DUEL ALONGSIDE FRIENDS WAS HIS ANSWER, GRABBING THE REINS. THE DUEL IS ALL ABOUT WHY WHEN DYLAN’S CHARACTER, COLIN, CHEATS WITH HIS BEST FRIEND’S GIRLFRIEND. IT BALANCES COMEDY AND GRAVITY BEAUTIFULLY. OUR CONVERSATION DOES THE SAME, AS WE COMMISERATE OVER PERCEPTION BEING UNCONTROLLABLE AND CHAT ABOUT SCENES IN THE FILM—ALL WHILE THE GNOME WATCHES.

Hi Dylan! How are you?

I’m great. Sorry, hold on one second, my dog is eating something off the ground. I have to go figure out what it is. [In the background] What are you eating? You can’t just eat everything!

[Laughs] Go ahead! What kind of dog do you have?

I have a French Bulldog, and she likes to pick up everything off the ground and put it immediately into her mouth. She will probably bother us again during this. [Laughs]

Honestly, that makes me feel better. I was corralling my dogs before this because they just decided to bark for a solid four hours straight. Are you in LA?
[Laughs] I am, yes, although I'm leaving tomorrow morning, bright and early for Arkansas for a film festival. So, that'll be fun.

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Right Full look **RHUDE**

Wow, that does sound fun! I’m so excited to talk to you because I watched The Duel last week. It is genuinely so good. I knew it was going to be comedic, but I didn’t expect it to be so touching!

That’s so awesome to hear! I’m so glad that was your takeaway. Our team is pretty proud of this one. We’re really happy with what we made, so we will keep making more of ‘em, fingers crossed!

It must make you more excited about what you can do in the future because you were the executive producer too. It must feel like you have more openings to be creative.

For sure! I don’t think I would have executive produced if it weren’t for the people I made this with because they’re some of my longtime friends and I trust them so implicitly. Given our budget and location, it really came out interestingly and I’m happy you had that takeaway. I’m also happy that Lionsgate has been really supportive, so it’s been a very special opportunity that has certainly opened many doors.

You said in another interview that working with friends is easier because you have this shorthand so you can take more creative risks. Did you take any risks in this film given the comfortability on set?

Well, here’s the good news, but it’s also kind of disappointing. I know a lot of people ask how much improv you do in comedy and the truth is you do as much as you need, generally. We didn’t do too much improv, but there are a few scenes. The scene where I’m talking to Denny [Love] about the fact that he loves me and we love each other as friends is improvised. The two writers [Justin Matthews and Luke Spencer Roberts] are great friends of mine and I’m meeting them right after this, funnily enough. Much of the legwork is done for you as an actor with a good script. You don’t have to pull from anything very deep. You’re drawing relatively from the surface. The way I like to think of it is fishing in a deep lake versus a shallow river, right? If the fish are right there and you see them, you’re throwing it out and you’re catching fish.

They wrote such an iron-tight script that gave us the backbone to improvise and joke and learn from each other in formidable scenes. That’s why all great movies start with a really good script. I know it sounds cliché, but when you see an Oscar contender, the thought is that the actors are doing ninety percent of it, but the truth is that the actors are doing fifty percent. You’re doing a lot less if the script is really good because your character is very concise and it’s clear what you need to be doing with other characters.

I loved the writing, especially of the characters. Obviously, there are huge themes in the film like masculinity, but what I especially love about it are the detailed interactions between characters. Is there a scene that sticks out to you that shows the “love story between friends”, as you’ve described the film?

Yeah, there are several different scenes. The script is very much a love story between friends and people can be shocked by how the movie ends. You know when you see friends do something stupid and you want to intervene, but you can't get to them? That's a frustrating phenomenon that is very universal, right? And that's something that we wanted to make sure we had in this movie. I think the love story between friends is in their duelling at all and the walking scene at the end when they’re all not speaking to each other. That's a special moment. Originally, it had dialogue through it, from Rachel's [Matthews] character, Abbie. We decided to shirk that for music instead because I think it added a little bit of drama. But the fact that Woody and Colin are doing this at all and going through with it shows how much they love each other. I also love the other walking scene when Woody and Colin are on the grounds before they meet Aphrodite [María Gabriela de Faría] when it's just a minute of silence. I love that, like, “Oh God, are they going to do it or not?” That's another one of those scenes that exemplifies the willingness of Woody to allow for that space.

I like that you mention that walking scene and the silence in it. I like that we don’t see a friends-to-enemies type of narrative. Even at the end, they’re still talking very comfortably. The film made me think about how I deal with conflict, especially when Rudolpho [Ronald Guttman] tells Kevin [Hart Denton], “You would have nothing be done in this situation and just be resentful.” Did the film make you think of your relationship with conflict at all?

For sure. It's so central to the idea of this movie, right? I think one of our characters says something like, “Are we just supposed to do nothing? No one talks to each other anymore. It all means nothing if we don't do something.” And I think that's an important aspect of a lot of people's feelings, in general. I've experienced conflict in my life plenty of times. I've had arguments with friends and family. I'm not a guy who holds his tongue very well in situations that make me uncomfortable or make me feel a certain way. One friend asked me once why I did that. I think we should take those steps towards saying something even if it seems completely irrational or rude to act out in these moments. If conflict changes even one person's mind about how to live in a world that could be different, then that's worth it in and of itself. People can't keep getting away with everything. That's part of the theme of the movie, and our writers did such a good job exemplifying that.

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Absolutely. I want to bring up my favourite scene which is when they’re at the dinner table, the “I’m chill?” scene. I thought that was so good. The pain in that scene shows a moment when someone describes you in such a surface-level way and it makes you realise how much they don't see you. Have you had an experience like that?

Yeah, funnily enough, it happened last night. It's funny, you're never in control of what people think of you. That's just the truth. You're never in control. And this is certainly something that I've dealt with a lot in my life, being an identical twin too. People's takeaway of you is so dependent on what they either want to hear, see, feel, or are in the mood for. Actions speak very loudly, and so I'm generally a man of action. But even then, those lines can be crossed. I think you're right to notice in that scene the disappointment that comes across Colin and it’s not only disappointment, but it's a lot of pain. I think it was his big scene. The idea for the movie stems from Luke and Justin after this situation actually happened in real life. It didn't happen to them, but it happened to kind of a tertiary friend they have mutually. Let's say, like, a Kevin of the friend group called them up and was like, “God, man, something needs to be done. Nothing's getting done, but something needs to be done.” That is the moment that sparked it all.

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I wasn't specifically going to talk about you being a twin, but you mentioned it impacting how people perceive you, which I relate to because I'm actually one of the quadruplet sisters. I understand completely. People like to categorise and ask insensitive questions. Do you feel like you still deal with people placing you into easy categories?

For sure! As a quadruplet, you’ll know too. I'm not sure we'll ever escape that. I think that'll be something that will just be there. I find it more common than not when people meet me, having already known my brother, they encounter me like they're talking to my brother. They come up to me in an effort to relate to me like they've related to my brother, and it just might not work. That’s far too common. But, again, that's a perception thing. I think a lot of the time people want the story that they're already formulating in their head. They're not looking to actually find out anything about you deeply. They're looking to just have something that they already know and that's digestible. And then they are like, “Okay, I did it. So, with Tessa, she's just like her sister, but she has this thing. And that's how I know the difference between them.” It's very formulaic. I'm not sure we'll ever really escape that. It’s just best to look away from it.

Yeah, unfortunately, it's very surface-level. You've said many times that you and Cole are very different. It’s almost like you're constantly having to prove your identity which is not something other people typically have to do. But I think there's also a lot of good that comes with it as well. I think growing up so intertwined in that way makes you a more empathetic person. Do you feel the same way? I imagine that would help with acting.

I definitely feel that way. I do notice that a lot of my friends who don't have siblings are quick to write off people at the door who they don't really like or have had bad interactions with. But when you're in such close proximity to someone who's very different from you, or in general you're encountering situations that you normally don't like to do yourself and you just have to stay in on the merit that they're your sibling, it does make you a more empathetic person. You can kind of understand the backgrounds of everyone and understand the positions that people are coming from. I generally do try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and try to validate their actions through what I know of them when I can.

I've always said that I think empathy is the number one trait of a good actor. If you can empathise with different groups of people, you can become those different groups on camera. I find that, far too often, the silver spoon actors, or the actors from a very particular background, are often bland on screen. They fall short a lot of the time, in my opinion. And I don't have names to name, but I find that oftentimes it just doesn't land. They don’t draw from something as real. If I have any advice for younger actors, just get out there and meet a lot of people.

Yeah, that makes complete sense, and it’s something you feel as you’re watching. I want to jump back to The Duel. The characters are in a situation that’s so far from what they could have planned for. Have you found yourself ever doing something that you just would never have expected?

For sure! I'm a big believer in getting outside your comfort zone in general because that's what really keeps you locked in. If I take new scripts, I'll generally try to see if there's something involved in that character that will challenge me to be different from what I am and what I'm used to because that usually draws out the best in me. I like learning new skills. I think it's the fun of being an actor. It's maybe the only position in the world where you can learn horseback riding and sword fighting, and then next week, you're learning from a dialect coach about how to speak in an old-timey Louisiana accent. Now, whether I'd go so far as to say, do a duel to the death, I don't know. [Laughs] That seems a little bit too far to me, but that’s the fun of movie-making.

Is there any specific skill that you’ve kept going with after having to do it for a movie or show?

I’ve kept up with martial arts because it’s the most fun way to work out. You’re learning while you’re being physically active. As a very scatterbrained guy, that’s the best way to do it. If you put me on a treadmill for thirty minutes, I’m just bored out of my fucking mind. [Laughs] So that, and horseback riding. I still ride a lot and I rode growing up, but not the way that I had to when I was on a set. For me, that’s the best feeling in the world, just being on the back of a horse.

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Right Jacket & shirt **Dsquared2**, pants **KIDILL**, shoes **Diesel**

Oh wow! To be honest, I can’t relate to that because I went horseback riding one time and would never go again.

I mean, it is terrifying. Horseback riding is terrifying. They’re incredibly intelligent animals and after riding one for a while, it goes, “Why is this motherfucker riding me? I’m gonna see. Let’s just test this out.” [Laughs] And that’s the thought behind breaking the horse. To break the horse, you have to prove to it why you’re riding it, and that is a very terrifying thing. Now, I’ve ridden a few horses that have just tried to have their way and go crazy. Each time leading up I’m thinking, “Here we fucking go. This one’s gonna go crazy all of a sudden and I just need to stay on.” I don’t blame you. It’s not for everyone. If I can change your mind, if you ever get back on a horse, get back on a nice, old horse. A horse that’s been around the block that doesn’t feel like it needs to test anyone. Jump on one that just wants to walk around the block every once in a while.

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Maybe I should do that. When I went, they gave me the largest horse ever. I would need a very geriatric horse.

Yeah, dude, the funny thing is that media in general makes horses look subservient to us. They always make them seem like they’re this object to be ridden and they’re our partners, but the truth is, when you’re standing up next to a giant horse, you very quickly realise that this thing is fully in control. It can kick me to oblivion and it has no mind to pay me any respect. But once you get it and you’re with a horse that you trust and love, it is truly the best experience in the world.

I might get back on. You’re convincing me. We’ll leave this on a cliffhanger. What are you most looking forward to at the moment?

I think what I’m most looking forward to is the movie’s release on digital platforms. I’m excited to make more movies with these same people. I think Luke, Justin, Zach Spicer, Joe [Matthews] and I are looking to open up a company and start making some moves. I’m excited that I’ve found people that I really trust and love and I think we can do some cool things. I hope people like The Duel. And if they like The Duel, I hope they like what we make next.

That makes me excited because I genuinely loved it and I’m not just saying that. I cannot wait for what you have coming.

Thank you. I’m glad! I definitely can sense how genuine you are about it. I’m proud to say that this is maybe one of the only movies I’ve made in a very long time where I feel like I’m seeing how genuine the reactions are and how people are really taken by it. Again, I give so much credit to our team on this. I’m hoping it all works out!

…

Interview by Tessa Swantek

Photography by Emilia Staugaard

Fashion by Donna Lisa

Grooming by Candice Birns at A-frame Agency

Photographer’s assistant Jack Juliar

Stylist’s assistant Alex Levey