by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

Back in 2019, Chris Galust made an auspicious acting debut as a put-upon medical transport driver in the comedy, Give Me Liberty. His latest starring role in The Shade confirms his talent and shows his versatility. In this intense slow-burn thriller, Galust plays Ryan Beckman, a twenty-something who is having difficulties coping with trauma and the burdens of family. 

Ryan’s father died when he was a child as an arresting sequence at the start of the film shows. Now, Ryan is trying to manage frequent panic attacks, but he is reluctant to take his medication. With his mother Renee (Laura Benanti) working double shifts, Ryan cares for his 9-year-old brother Jamie (Sam Duncan). The family dynamic changes when Ryan’s other brother, Jason (Dylan McTee), returns home from college mid-semester, for unexplained reasons. The relationship between the older siblings is fraught, and Ryan’s mindset is not helped by his seeing a strange woman who haunts him. As Ryan’s problems escalate, he struggles to keep things together, 

Galust’s performance is very compelling as Ryan shifts from shut down—he refuses to discuss what is troubling him—to nasty, taking his aggression out on his girlfriend Alex (Mariel Molino), his mom, and his best friend Nick (Germain Arroyo). His regular visits to Dr. Huston (Michael Boatman), also do not appear to be helping him deal with his mental issues. The Shade culminates with Ryan taking extreme steps to confront his demons.

Galust spoke with MovieJawn about playing Ryan and making The Shade which is now available to watch on demand.

You give a very interior performance in The Shade. So much of what Ryan is feeling is happening below the surface, but we can practically see you twitching to hold down Ryan’s demons. Can you talk about how you approached playing the role and bottling up his emotions and tapping into Ryan’s experiences with trauma and panic attacks? It is very palpable. 

My approach was that I had to tread lightly. I didn’t want to overplay or over-dramatize the character. All of us can associate; we all live through some kind of trauma in our lives. I didn’t want to make this seem fake. I wanted to do justice for the character that Tyler [Chipman, the director] and Dave [Purdy, the cowriter] wrote and other people who struggle with these issues. When we deal with trauma, it is under our skin, and building up, for lack of a better term. 

I also like the ambiguities that also keep viewers engaged figuring out what is going on and recalibrating things as the film unfolds. 

Those kinds of moments are very important. Tyler did a really good job with that. A lot of films are based on audiences’ interpretations, and that creates a certain experience.

Ryan has an attitude. He is stubborn. We see him alone at times where he struggles. His character is defined by what he does. What observations do you have about Ryan? 

What Tyler and I were going for was a Northeast kid from a blue-collar family. It was not usually accepted that kids who grow up in these families would show off their emotions or expressions. It’s even more pushed towards the point of hiding them. Ryan’s relationship with his father, and how [his dad] was dealing with his problems, and kept them to himself. Ryan took a lot from that. In terms of approaching the role, it was easy because I am like that in real life— stubborn, keep it closed, try and figure it out yourself, once you figure it out, or even if you don’t, don’t let others see your weakness. That was important for the character—to not show emotion or show people that you are struggling with shit. Although you, on the inside, know that you are, and maybe people closest to you notice it.

What do you think about Ryan’s relationship with Alex, and his friendship with Nick? He cares for them, and Alex and Nick are patient with Ryan, but he alienates both of them.

I can’t speak for everybody from my past, but it’s common human behavior. It’s almost a projection or a resentment. Even people who are trying to help you, you are trying to prove that you can handle it yourself. You have been doing it for a while and it’s this constant battle. What was important for Ryan’s character is that he does not necessary want to show weakness, but he has not figured it out yet. Maybe he does have something to prove. That’s something for the audience to interpret. The way I took it is after Ryan’s father committed suicide, he took on the role of being the older brother and taking care of the home while his older brother was out in college doing his own things, and Ryan is trying to juggle all these things. 

His mother, Renee, is absent, and he is by default dealing with things like managing his younger brother, Jamie. What do you make of his familial responsibilities? 

That’s a matter of perception. I’d love to defend Renee because after a loss in the family, a lot of responsibilities get transferred on to another person. Her absence in Ryan and James’ life is that is now a full-time working mother who has to pick up the responsibilities her husband had. It is hard for a single parent to play both roles. Not to justify her absence, but I can understand the difficulties of that.

Why do you think Ryan refuses to medicate or treat his condition? While he goes to therapy, he remains bottled up, and is not very forthcoming when his mom, Alex, or Nick offer help. 

In terms of medication, I’ve seen it in the past that whatever the doctor prescribes to make all the problems go away doesn’t really do so. Just because it is medically proven, it can remedy some symptoms or actions or reactions but is not total healing. I think that’s why Ryan pulls away from medication. Certain medication also dampens or drowns the relationship between the person and their significant others. Medication can help you with issues or sometimes have [episodes] of violence or aggression. Again, it’s up to the audience’s interpretation in his aggressions towards Alex or Nick. There could also be a feeling of “I don’t need anybody. I can figure this out myself. You don’t understand.” That kind of feeling that fights back and forth.

Yes, he makes a series of increasingly bad decisions…

That is what makes the character more relatable. A lot of us can understand that no matter how hard we try to fix something or make it better it comes out worse. We experience frustration or aggravation. 

Ryan cares for his young brother Jamie, but he is confrontational with his mom and his brother, Jason.  The family shares tragedy.  What do you think about the cycle of trauma, which the film shows needs to be broken? 

Family dynamics are all different, but in terms of Ryan and Jason, they butt heads because Ryan is hurt that his other brother disappeared when Ryan feels other people in the family need him, but he also doesn’t understand that maybe Jason is going through the same thing that his father went through or that Ryan is going through and he has a different coping mechanism or doesn’t know how to handle it. They have different understandings. Jason is doing his best to do his duties and hoping his brother will understand. When Ryan is making sandwiches for Jamie and there is a misunderstanding that Jason will understand the situation and Jason is hoping that Ryan will see his brother’s vulnerability and weakness. But both characters are so focused on their own world that it is hard to assess that moment. They have a disagreement and turn their backs on each other. 

What are your thoughts on the symbolism in the film? The film is an interesting allegory. It’s more of a psychological thriller than a horror movie.
What we were shooting for, and I do not want to speak for Tyler and Dave, the writers and creators, but rather than have a “jump scare” type of film, they wanted more of a psychological impact. Even Tyler never told me what “the shade” is, but the harpy, or the woman who haunts the Beckman family, has a correlation to Dante’s Inferno. Tyler had a lot of inspiration from that book. In my opinion, the film was never meant to be a jump scare thriller. She is creepy as fuck, but that wasn’t the whole purpose of it. It was mainly to show the trauma of the character, and her scariness and her impact on the Beckman family was meant to heighten that sense of loss and fear. 

You play pretty intense characters, be it in comedy, drama, or horror. Are you this intense in real life? Do you gravitate to playing these kinds of roles? Do you think you are being typecast?

I hope not. [Laughs] I like deeper roles. Chris in real life, I gravitate more towards comedy, but due to my past experiences, I feel like I can understand more serious notes in life. I’m more compassionate and understanding about what people go through. I feel it’s easier for me to get on the same level or vibe, as them, and that may be helping me. I don’t like judging my own work. It came more naturally for me to play this than playing someone goofy. 

This is the second feature film that has provided you with a starring role. What decisions are you making about your career? 

Acting was never off the table when I was a kid, it was a dream of mine, but time goes by and as you grow older, I consider myself more of a realist. What are the odds even if I try? You hear stories of people who want to become actors and they spend all their lives fighting for it, and not much came out of it, it discourages you. As I grew up, it was just a dream, and I moved towards more realistic jobs, because of my background. I didn’t have any type of training. But when [the opportunity] came up, I was fortunate to be scouted in the situation I was, it still is unreal. Right now, it has been slowing down, but if I do get opportunities to get back into the industry, I would love to. It is a great way to learn about myself, and other people from all walks of life. It really is an art and a craft I would love to pursue.

The Shade is now available to watch on demand.