Justice Smith has opened up about his experience making I Saw the TV Glow.
Directed by Jane Schoenbrun, the psychological horror film follows Owen (Smith), a “teenager just trying to make it through life in the suburbs.”
When Owen meets classmate Maddy Wilson (Jack Haven), the two bond over their shared love of the mysterious late-night TV show The Pink Opaque – “a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own.”
The official synopsis adds: “In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.”
Following its release, I Saw the TV Glow received rave reviews from critics and viewers for its stunning cinematography, Schoenbrun’s writing, cast performances, and its plot being an allegory for the trans experience.
In a recent interview on The Zach Sang Show, Smith opened up about his time making the film, describing it as one of his “favourite projects” he’s ever done.
When asked if he remembered the first time he read the script, the 30-year-old actor said he was in New York filming his thriller Sharper with Julianne Moore.
“I read it and I was like, ‘I have no idea what the f**k I just read and I have to do this movie,” he continued.
“And I met with the director, and they explained it to me, and I understood the allegory and the references, and I remember Jane trying to… kind of coming into the meeting trying to convince me to do it, and I was like, ‘I’m trying to convince you to let me do it. Like I have to do it.’ And Jane was like, ‘Great, we’re on the same page.”
Smith went on to praise the film for being a “character odyssey,” highlighting Schoenbrun’s strong direction.
“A lot of it was really letting go and trusting Jane’s vision. Like balancing that out with, ‘how do I hold the wait of where I’m at in this character’s life. It was hard,” he added.
When asked if he learned a lot about the trans experience while making the film, Smith said he was already knowledgeable due to his trans siblings and former high school classmates.
“I was fortunate enough to learn about that fairly young. I think it was really beautiful because there was a lot of trans people on set, in the cast and in the crew,’ he continued.
After describing the set as a “queer haven,” The Voyeurs star admitted to having reservations about taking on the role before filming.
“I was curious as why [Schoenbrun] didn’t cast a trans actor to play that role, but when they made me understand how me, as a cis person… I’m being used as a kind of a device for the structure of the movie,” Smith explained.
“Because, spoiler alert, my character lives in this nightmare realm, and I am actually the girl from the other realm. So it wouldn’t necessarily make sense if I was a trans actor… because the metaphor can’t really exist [otherwise].
“But that was a big concern of mine because I’m really passionate about those politics and trans people being allowed to play trans characters, but I also am passionate about trans people telling their stories the way they want to tell them.”
You can stream I Saw the TV Glow on NOW TV and Sky Go in the UK and Max in the US.
