Local actor Liam Leone — a 24-year-old Barrie native now living in Vancouver — has been busy preparing for the world-premiere screening of horror film In A Violent Nature, a movie in which he co-stars, at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in Utah later this month.
Described by Leone as a “classic slasher thriller,” the film marks his first foray as an actor in a feature film.
“A group of 20-somethings go to a cabin and mess with the wrong artifact and awakens this monster, but this movie follows the monster’s perspective, so that’s kind of the whole twist of it,” Leone told BarrieToday at his parents' home in the city’s south end.
“I play Troy. He’s kind of like the jock archetype, very fun,” he added.
Leone’s agent had him try out for another role in the film as well.
“They also had me audition for Colt, who’s kind of like the ‘perfect’ guy. I guess they liked my ‘asshole’ audition more,” he said with a laugh.
Leone took part in the audition from the basement of his parents' Barrie home.
“I think I had my brother reading the script with me,” he said. “Then I did the callback, also in the basement on Zoom, and booked it. My first movie, first booking, first everything.
“I was shocked (to get the part). I just told everybody — called my grandma. It was just really cool.”
That was in 2021.
Fast-forward to today, and it’s now on the roster at this year’s Sundance festival.
“It’s been a long wait, but it will be exciting,” Leone said.
Chris Nash, the movie’s director, is celebrating his directorial debut with the film.
“He called me right away when we got into Sundance,” Leone said. “He was blown away and super excited. He wanted to share all of the excitement with all of us. He called us before it was even official, and said ‘I have exciting news — but don’t tell anyone!’”
Leone has yet to see the finished product.
“They did a little screening in Toronto. I was still in Vancouver at that time,” he said.
“A bunch of my friends saw it — they were in the film. They loved it. They said it was crazy how much can change from the script that you read, and what you think you’re filming on-set, to what the editor actually comes out with,” Leone added. “So they were along for the ride, almost like an audience member.”
So what was the recipe for the film’s success to this point?
“I’m not sure what they did, but something worked. Maybe they cut me out of the script. We’ll see,” he said jokingly.
Leone grew up in Barrie, attending Algonquin Ridge Elementary School and then Innisdale Secondary School.
“I worked as a paperboy for the Barrie Examiner, or the Advance. I don’t remember,” Leone recalled.
The acting bug snuck up on him during high school, before biting him.
“I did a play — and honestly I don’t remember why I did the play, because that was not me,” said Leone. “I was dyslexic, hated standing up in front of people, and I wish I could remember what inspired me to do this play."
Leone went to the audition for the school's Christmas play to try and win a part.
“So I just went, and was terrified,” he said. “I somehow booked a small role and we went around Barrie performing for elementary schools. Kids are the best audience ever, because they believe you’re real up there. It was the most fun I think I ever had.
"So, I dropped out of physics and entered drama in Grade 11.”
After high school, Leone enrolled at the Toronto Film School to learn the acting ropes.
“I went for about a year — it was a two-year program. It wasn’t really for me," he said. “I wasn’t meshing with it, so I dropped out and just started doing short films with my friends. I just started making stuff. I feel like I could learn more just doing it."
Some of his acting friends acquired agents right away, booked projects and were in the actor’s union. But for Leone, it was a more difficult road.
“I was living in Toronto and I wanted an agent,” he said. “I applied to a few, and I think I did a couple of interviews, but nothing really worked out.”
It wasn’t until the pandemic hit when he was stuck at home with no work due to shutdowns and restrictions when Leone stepped up his efforts, despite the lockdowns.
“I said (to myself): every week at the beginning of this year, I’m going to send all my info to these agents. I’m going to send a monologue with a different accent every week. And if it’s 52 weeks, I learn 52 accents. What’s the worst that could happen? And I think it was week seven that I got an email back (from an agent).”
In 2021, having now snagged a role in a movie may have been the spark that sets the wheels of his career in motion.
“At that point, I had done two years living in Toronto before the pandemic and I had done a lot of short films, student films, music videos, stuff like that. But this was my first feature film,” Leone said.
His goal for that year, regardless of the pandemic, was to get involved in a feature, a TV show and a commercial, which he managed to accomplish, with the commercial giving him his first paycheque.
With In a Violent Nature, Leone described the experience as being similar to the short films he has worked on.
“I didn’t feel out of my element at all, or uncomfortable," he said. “The only difference was more lines, more days on set and more people. We had a bigger budget, we had a bigger crew, we were travelling for it. It was kind of everything I had done already, but enhanced. And it was taking my career one step forward as well.”
Leone was on the set for six days, with the project shooting over approximately 30 days.
His family says they couldn’t be happier with how things have unfolded for him.
Leone’s mother, Shakaya, beamed as she spoke about her son.
“I’m just proud of him, whatever he does,” she said. “Everything he does he brings a spark — he’s a light. He’s always made me proud and I’m so very happy for him because this is something he wants.
Leone credits his circle of friends and family for some of his success to this point in his life.
“I have undying support from everyone in my life. It’s unbelievable,” he said. “It’s probably the greatest gift, and the thing that keeps me going the most.
"They might not understand it, but they do support me.”
