‘Borderline’ Star Ray Nicholson Talks Improv And Avalanches of Bits In The New Horror Comedy
Ray Nicholson is having a great few years. Between a breakout role in Smile 2 and a scene-stealing performance in Jimmy Warden’s Borderline, Nicholson is proving his abilities as a silly but unhinged character actor who knows how to have fun. And nowhere is that more apparent than in his turn as the delusional stalker, Paul, in Borderline.
In the new film, “A dangerously persistent stalker invades the home of a ‘90s pop superstar with grand delusions of a wedding. With her life on the line and help from her loyal bodyguard, she must escape the stalker’s sinister grip before they tie the knot.“
We spoke with Nicholson about finding his people on the set of Borderline, getting a pep talk from Eric Dane, and what’s next for the rising star.
Dread Central: How are you doing? You’ve had a pretty cool year, huh?
Ray Nicholson: I’m doing pretty good. Yeah, I’m feeling good. The good thing is, is that if things are bad, I do the same things. If things are good, I do the same thing. It’s pretty simple.
DC: Between both Novocaine and Borderline this year, you’ve gotten to really tap into playing unhinged characters in very different ways. It feels like with Borderline, you really got to play as an actor. I was curious what that experience was like for you to shape Paul’s character. I know a lot of it’s on the page, but what was it like for you to take what was on the page and form it into what we see on the screen?
RN: That was the most fun I’ve ever had being an actor. I really do think so, with the size of the project and the people on it. It felt like everything that you would dream for it to be; it felt like a fun art collaboration. It was just a very empowering and loving and incredible time.
Every role challenges you. I actually completely tanked the table read two days before, fully sweating, had to go to the bathroom to do jumping jacks and slap myself in the face. [Laughs] I mean, not really slapped myself, but jumping jacks like, “Buddy, get it together. Get ready. It’s happening. Whatcha doing?”
But every job challenges you in a different way. You can do the preparation and think you’re ready, and then you’re like, “Oh, shoot, I need to dig deeper here.” The script revealed some sort of, what’s it called? I guess I had hidden a memory from myself, and for some reason, just digging through the script, it came up. I was like, “Oh, that’s it. That’s what this person is hanging onto.” You know what I mean? That’s where the weird behavior comes from. It’s like therapy. I mean, why else would you do this job?
DC: Very good point. But you mentioned just the collaborative spirit on set. Did you get to do a lot of improv?
RN: Yeah, I actually got to do a ton of improv. I mean, that was really, really the fun part.
So we did this first table read, and I look at Sam[ara Weaving] and Sam’s looking to her husband Jimmy, and is like, “Oh my God, this kid who’s totally unproven is going to ruin this project that you’ve been writing for two years. And I’ve seen from beginning to end.” And I’m like, “Oh my God, this is horrible.”
Thankfully, after the reading, Eric Dane comes up to me and says, “Hey, man, you want to get lunch?” We were just talking, and he’s like, “So what’s going on, man? How are you feeling?” I’m like, “I’m so nervous!” I was most nervous to work with him, because he has so many credits. He was coming off Euphoria. I was like, “I feel like I’m fucking idiot.” And he’s like, “No, no, no, dude, I’m nervous to work with you.” It was the coolest. And I realized, “Oh, this guy has my back.”
The first scene I think we shot was the first scene with me and Eric. It was a night shoot. Eric was doing his coverage when the fucking birds were chirping. He was just a total pro, and that was such a jumping off point. Then the rest of the day, I’m not a method actor or anything, but Jimmy would let the camera roll because I would not stop giving bits.
DC: Oh my God, that’s so cool.
RN: I would not stop. And he would just put me out of my misery eventually. But there was such freedom with it and that encouragement of like, “No, no, no, bring your thing. Your thing is great. Your thing is going to make this good.” And I’ve never had a collaborator be like, “What you are doing is better than what I had envisioned.” You know what I mean?
DC: That’s so nice to have a director who trusts you like that.
RN: It was really, really cool. It doesn’t hurt that Jimmy and Sam are the two weirdest people ever. [Laughs]
DC: Sounds like y’all were on the same wavelength, especially about the silliness and wildness of the film.
RN: For sure, for sure.
DC: Did you have a favorite bit that wasn’t included in the final cut?
RN: See, I don’t know. There was so much, even in the ADR that we did. That was the fun thing about it. We would just be spitting around and be like, “That’s fucking funny!” And even if there are certain things that in an audience don’t get a laugh, I’m secretly cackling because I know what this is and it’s fucking fun. You know what I mean? There are a lot of little things like that in Borderline.
It was just kind of like, “Oh, fuck it. Let’s do whatever. Let’s do it.” But there was a lot of stuff, and definitely that My favorite bit, not that it was a funny part, was that last scene, which the first cut that I saw of wasn’t in the movie, and Jimmy had to have me go watch the movie with all these agents and financiers, and he was like, Hey, man, I’m not telling you to throw a fit, but if you could, that might help. So yeah, so I really had to fight to get that in there. And just as an actor starting up, there’s a lot of times that you don’t get a say in what goes in there. There’s a couple of movies like, damn, if the scene was in there that, and you learn how to, because really the joy as an actor is the prep and the doing it. And then afterwards it’s like, it’s not really you anymore. And that’s a really weird thing to give away. But that’s cool. As soon as you realize that, you’re like, oh, I show up. I prep. I do the thing, and then it’s not me anymore.
DC: What was it like working opposite Samara Weaving?
We just got extremely lucky. Immediately, we just got along in a very deep and real way. We have the same life philosophy, and had been through similar things, so we could just immediately get down to it, which was cool. And she’s obviously the most beautiful person in the world, but she’s so talented and so goofy. She’s so goofy and so funny, and just so charming to be around, and just so giving. Once again, it was cool. It’s like, “Fuck, I’m working with Sam Weaving”, and she’s like, “Fuck, dude, you’re giving me permission to do more stuff.” We still do our shelf tapes and auditions together.
DC: Oh, cool!
RN: Yeah, they’re both still really good friends of mine. Jimmy actually just called me yesterday.
DC: This movie sounds like it was a blast to make.
RN: Honestly, the character arc is what the movie became, which is friends in a house, and then they invite in this outside entity that won’t be denied being loved by these people. That was exactly what happened. I compared [my character] to Donnie in The Wild Thornberrys. [Laughs]
But yeah, this was just really special. Everybody in this was really, really special people, for sure.
DC: Wow. Great. Thank you so much for chatting with me. I’m excited to see what you do next. Are you still going to play in the world of horror? I guess it just depends on what you get, right?
RN: Listen, man, I just want to keep playing and to keep working. Just put me in, coach. I want to play, man. But I’m actually about to do a war movie. I’m also doing a very funny TV show where I’m essentially naked the entire time.
DC: Ray Nicholson contains multitudes, everybody.
RN: It’s fun. So I’m really excited about it. So we’ll see. And I’m out here, playing. I’m working. I’m trying to have a good life.
Borderline is streaming now on Peacock.
Categorized: Interviews
