When considering influencers from content houses, Bryce Hall often comes to mind. Hall became a prominent figure after joining the Sway House in January 2020 and has since amassed a massive following on Instagram and TikTok, continuing to rise in popularity. But what are the consequences when an influencer goes to great lengths for views? Hall explores this dilemma and more in his latest role in Skillhouse, a chilling horror film debuting in theaters on July 11.
The movie centers around Carter (played by Hall), a renowned influencer whose sister (portrayed by Hannah Stocking) is savagely killed during a livestream, witnessed by viewers worldwide. Two years following the tragedy, Carter and several other influencers are abducted by the same murderer, who imprisons them in the Skill House, thrusting them into high-stakes scenarios for maximum views — or face death.
Gaining significant attention, the film became intertwined in a major controversy due to 50 Cent’s involvement, sparking legal battles and efforts to prevent its release. “I’m not sure why he’s acting this way,” Hall comments. “He attempted to seize the film over a demand for 5 million dollars.” In a conversation with DECIDER, Hall shares his thoughts on the controversy and reflects on the film’s commentary on internet culture.
DECIDER: You have a touch of acting experience from your cameo in Netflix’s He’s All That, but aside from that this is your first big role as an actor. How does it feel to jump into this line of work? Does it feel natural since you’re used to being on camera?
BRYCE HALL: You can’t say that I had acting experience from the first role. That was just a cameo; I think I had one line. [Starring in Skillhouse] was cool. I really liked it. It felt like I was filming like a long form video, a YouTube video, except with multiple different angles. So it was pretty fun.
How did your producer, Ryan Kavanaugh, approach you to start working on this film?
Well, he introduced me to Josh [Stolberg], who’s the writer of Saw. He [Kavanaugh] explained the concept and I couldn’t picture it. Once Josh broke it down I thought it was a great idea, and I wanted to be a part of it, so I immediately signed the contract.
Vine star Hannah Stocking plays your sister in the beginning of the movie. How did it feel to meet and work with her?
Oh, that was cool. We never really collabed on anything, so that was interesting. But we have known each other – we were mutuals on social media for a while, so it’s pretty natural to social media people going back and forth on cameras.
Your character Carter, along with some other influencers, is kidnapped by the Triller Killer and taken to the content house from hell. The house they are trapped in is the original Sway House where you made your claim to fame. How did it feel to be back?
It honestly made me feel more comfortable, filming in a house that I was already on camera a bunch in. I think it was cooler for the viewers. They’re gonna see the house in the film, and they’re just gonna have nostalgic feelings. But for me personally, it was just comfortable. And my changing room was actually my old bedroom, so that was pretty cool too.
During the filming of a particularly gory scene, one of the camera guys got so overwhelmed that he fainted and took the camera down with him. How did you react when this happened?
I don’t know how he passed out. I mean, it was really gross, and it looked extremely realistic. But I guess you should know it’s fake, so I don’t know how he passed out from it. But he did break [the camera]. It was expensive, and [him passing out] was real. Everyone thought it was fake, but it was completely real.
How much went into the special effects of the film behind the scenes?
A ton. Some of the scenes when you’re filming, you don’t know exactly what they’re going [to look like], because there are green screens and everything. There was a green screen around someone’s head, and I was like, what is this supposed to do? And then I saw the final product, and it was insanely realistic.
There has been quite a bit of viral controversy related to this film regarding 50 Cent’s involvement. What was your reaction when you first heard about the lawsuit?
I have no idea why he’s doing it. It was something about financials, and that’s something I can’t speak on for him. But he was trying to hold the film hostage for 5 million dollars. And we beat him in court a week ago, so everything’s fine. I was shocked because he was great when we were filming together. There were no problems while we were filming, so I don’t know.
Carter is arguably the most desperate out of all the other characters to grow his following. Have you ever felt this pressure, like you were forced to go to great lengths for views?
When TikTok was first starting, I was doing some pretty crazy things to get views. And then I found a good group of people to keep me grounded. So yes, at the start of my social media career I was a little edgy. I was very controversial. and that comes with wanting views and attention.
What do you think this film has to say about the state of social media and content creation right now?
I like the fact that there’s a deeper meaning behind it, and I hope people understand that it’s not worth it to get attention. It doesn’t matter. What matters is how you get the attention. And some of the morally incorrect things aren’t the best, coming from a guy that used to do it.
Skillhouse is now in theaters. Tickets for Skillhouse are available for purchase at FathomEntertainment.com and participating theatre box offices.
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