Latest news with #JoshHeuston
News24
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Sharks, survival, and serial killers: Behind the scenes of Dangerous Animals
Hassie Harrison stars alongside Josh Heuston in Dangerous Animals, a genre-blending survival horror set on Australia's Gold Coast. The film follows a troubled surfer's fight for survival after being abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer. In this Q&A, Harrison and Heuston discuss chemistry, high-stakes stunts, and exploring complex themes in their roles. Yellowstone actor Hassie Harrison stars in the Australian survival horror film Dangerous Animals. Directed by Sean Byrne, the film follows Zephyr (Harrison), a solitary surfer with a troubled past who has come to Australia's Gold Coast to find an escape. Her peaceful existence is disrupted when she meets Moses (Josh Heuston), a local real estate agent and fellow surfer. After a romantic night with him, she flees to the ocean but is abducted by Tucker (Jai Courtney), a shark-obsessed serial killer. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival during the Directors' Fortnight section and received various reviews. Courtney was lauded for his performance, with many calling Tucker one of the best new horror villains, while Byrne's direction was praised for blending serial-killer thriller with a 'creature feature,' delivering tension and slick production quality. In this Q&A, Harrison and Heuston discuss their roles in Dangerous Animals. From building instant chemistry to navigating thrilling stunts and blending complex themes, they share behind-the-scenes insights. You both create a believable connection in such a short time, which drives the action for the audience. We understand why these two people now have something to fight for and live for. How did you work with Sean to establish that relationship? Josh Heuston: Sean, first of all, had it all mapped out, every single moment and beat. He had hand-drawn sketches for everything, so every day he comes to set, he already has the entire shot just mapped out for you. So there's that. But then, in terms of building a connection, we just clicked instantly. Hassie Harrison: We did a chemistry read before, and just have always had each other's backs and championed each other. JH: Hassie already booked the role, and I dropped a line in the chemistry read, and then Hassie was like, 'Oh, that was my bad', and pretended that she made a mistake to help me get over the nerves. I messed up the audition for a moment, and she had my back and saved me. HH: I had his back since day one. It's actually kind of funny, too – when we did the movie, our whole first week was just our opening love story. So when we first started the movie, it felt like I was doing a rom-com. It was just so easy, fun and light, and then all of a sudden, we had to switch gears. Courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder Dangerous Animals is such a fantastic mash of genres; it's a shark thriller, but it has the serial killer element added. What did you enjoy about having that blend of genres? HH: It's always cool to be able to bend genres because I feel like it's more representative of how complex life is. It's more than just one note. JH: For me, it was my first time stepping into thriller or horror, so it was just exciting. In certain dramas or sci-fi stuff that I've done before, the stakes aren't always 110%, whereas [in this], we're kind of all fighting for our lives. It was very exciting and fun; you're not usually screaming and running away or fighting a bear of a man - you're not doing that in other genres. It was a learning experience, but at the same time, it was just insanely fun. You both get to do stunt, fighting and combat work. What did you enjoy about the practicality of blocking that all out? HH: To be honest, it really inspired me; I want my next job to have a lot more stunts and stuff like that. I'm luckily a very physically capable person, and it adds this whole other fun element of choreography to the acting. It's just fun; you feel that adrenaline, just like you hope the audience does. JH: For me, I came into it being like, I want to do every single stunt I can, and I didn't want to have to use a stuntman too much. I loved it, but if you asked me in 20, 30 years, I'd probably be like, 'Someone else can do it'. It's physically demanding, but at the same time, this movie was just so much fun to make from day one through to the last day. Jai has spoken about how there were moments on set where you've got actors strung up in Tucker's feeding harness and how he felt the intensity and the weight of that in playing the villain. How did you both decompress from the darker elements of the story? JH: To be honest, after the harness scene, I went and got a massage. I was like, 'my body's not working the way it used to'. But I loved having Jai opposite me; he's feeding me the entire time. So it's so easy to fall into that. HH: It took me a little time to shake it, I'll be honest. I started having nightmares and stuff. Honestly, for me, just being on the beach, and we got to shoot on the Gold Coast – I would just go get in the ocean every day and wash it off. Courtesy of Mark Taylor. You're shooting much of the film on a boat, on location – what was that experience like, out on the water? JH: I grew up in Australia, so I'm used to being out there. I love the ocean, and I grew up with it - grew up surfing and doing all that sort of stuff. But I'm not a very good surfer, that being said. HH: You're great! That's what everybody says. JH: For me, I'm happiest near the ocean. So it was like a holiday, but just doing something I love at the same time. A lot of the tension and the horror in Dangerous Animals comes from the stillness that Sean Byrne employs, as much as he uses fast-paced moments. How did that manifest on set? JH: He's a very visceral director, so he knows exactly what he wants, and he's in the scene with you. We had a running joke, which was 'gritted teeth'. So a lot of his direction was 'gritted teeth, we need the gritted teeth', and we're all trying to deliver that. But he's heavy breathing and tense and fighting with us while we're in these same scenes. He's acting just as much as we are in the entire process. Which, for me, gave so, so much support. HH: Essentially, he's great at building tension. It's not like there's this overuse of gore just for gore's sake. There are these earned moments, and it builds up and then has a release. And that's what makes the ride so fun. The story contrasts humans as social animals against solitary sharks, but also against Tucker, this man who's isolated himself from the world because of the pain he's experienced. How did those themes resonate for you? JH: Moses' heart is on his sleeve, and he leads with that. For me, it was always trying to find the connection with Hassie, and that's my throughline throughout the entire film. He's just trying to follow this connection. It was a 12-hour experience of them hanging out, but for him, it was such an important moment in his life, and he just followed that. So, in terms of isolation, Moses is not trying to isolate himself at all. He's just trying to follow the love of his life in that moment, and it gave me something to fight for. HH: Zephyr is fighting what she feels and knows is real love, and the fact that she hasn't known a lot of kindness in her life, has her walls built up and has created a life that can match the level of intimacy she can handle. And then there's that mirror; as soon as she meets Josh's character, all of that is brought up to the surface, and she's like: 'Wait'. She's just a scared pup, a hurt pup. Courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder. We get some clues as to the reasons she feels isolated from the world. How did you understand Zephyr's mindset coming to Australia? HH: A big part of what informed a lot of my research, and it's not even touched on in the film really, but there's a tattoo that she has on her back that actually is a universal symbol for sexual abuse. And that's a big part of why she has closed up and run away and has become this vagabond. It's a really hard and truthful topic, and doing the research on that was heavy, but that's what was real for her. Australian horror is known for its particular brutality, and that's matched in this film with some fairly brutal moments – like a character biting their own thumb off. As an American, what was your sort of understanding of the Australian horror genre? HH: Australians are so well respected in this space. Between The Loved Ones and The Devil's Candy, Sean knows his stuff when it comes to all things genre. I love my Aussies, but you guys do seem to have a little dark, wicked side. But I was down to come play, and I knew I had big shoes to fill. [To Josh] Was I the only American on set? JH: Yeah, pretty much. Hassie showed up, ready to rock from day one. There were no reservations of jumping into the Australian culture- HH: And ocean. JH: Literally. There was no hesitation; she jumped straight in. I guess Australians are known for a bit of grit, like Wolf Creek, one of our cult classic Australian horror films. Recently, there's Talk to Me, which is amazing. Australia's on a wave right now, I think, with horror, and Hassie came and brought it and drove it as well. It's great seeing Australia kind of rock it in horror. Courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder Okay, let's finish on Zephyr biting off her own thumb to escape. What I loved about the thumb is how it wasn't just like this incredible act of bravery, but it matched thematically – the whole idea of a bear gnawing its way out of a trap. What was it like shooting that? HH: I was actually the most nervous about that scene. Of course, they saved it for the very last day, and everybody's trying to have this super cool last day, all partying together; summer camp's over. I think one of the things that was important for me to feel was her vulnerability and how scared she was to do it; you know what I mean? That was a hard scene to shoot. I kind of hyperventilated. JH: She passed out. HH: Yeah, I passed out. JH: The stakes are so high for you, too, like I'm still covered in blood across the room from you and trying to be present as much as possible. But yeah, you if you're like, because you are hyperventilating in a way, to try and get yourself to that emotional state, and Hassie, again, committed 100% and passed the f*** out. HH: I'll never forget. I just started, like, slowly tipping. And our DP was like, 'Hey!' and came and caught me. It's one of those scenes that you just have to commit to, and it looks so rank. I couldn't believe, watching it in the theatre, how everyone was cheering. I was like, 'Yeah, okay, all right!'
Irish Times
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Dangerous Animals review: Jaws meets Wolf Creek in this watery Ozploitation movie
Dangerous Animals Director : Sean Byrne Cert : 16 Genre : Horror Starring : Jai Courtney, Hassie Harrison, Josh Heuston, Rob Carlton, Ella Newton, Liam Greinke Running Time : 1 hr 38 mins Jaws meets Wolf Creek in a watery Ozploitation movie that seems to ask what would happen if Steve Irwin were a demented serial killer with a camcorder and mommy issues. The movie's villain, Tucker, played with operatic derangement by Jai Courtney of Terminator Genisys and Suicide Squad, runs a gnarly Gold Coast shark-dive business that is not what it seems. After luring unsuspecting tourists on to his boat, he sails into shark-infested waters, dangles his passengers overboard and films their deaths for his VHS snuff collection. New to town, Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) is a nomadic lone-wolf American surfer chick with a militant resistance to emotional intimacy. When she hooks up with a sensitive Aussie named Moses (Josh Heuston), she stays in her van and disappears before breakfast. Unhappily, that's when she gets nabbed by Tucker. READ MORE Zephyr's lock-picking girlboss survivalist isn't always enough to counter the film's fetishised female suffering or its subplot sending Moses to the rescue. For all the Oedipal signalling, Nick Lepard's script can't reconcile Tucker's strangely desexualised sadism with his desire to decorate his torture-porn tapes with locks of hair from his victims. The sharks – best when they are rotoscoped from nature footage – are demoted to junior partners in this crazy man's gendered trauma. They, of course, are not the dangerous animals of the title. A surprise inclusion at Cannes' Directors' Fortnight strand last month, Sean Byrne's third feature is neither as gripping as The Loved Ones, his prom-night horror, nor as intriguing as The Devil's Candy, his supernatural heavy-metal thriller, but it rattles along as effective B-movie gore. It even manages to include a rendition of Baby Shark without descending into the pointless camp of Sharknado. [ 'Incredible - real David Attenborough stuff': thousands of young sharks discovered off Ireland's west coast Opens in new window ] Harrison is a game final girl, Courtney is an imposing villain, and their two-step is a masterclass in look-out-behind-you dramaturgy. See it with an audience for the biggest possible splash. In cinemas from Friday, June 6th
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dune: Prophecy Season 2 Filming Update Hints at Release Date Window
actor Josh Heuston recently shared an update regarding the filming of the show's Season 2, thus teasing its release date window. The prequel series of the Dune movies by Denis Villeneuve premiered its debut season on HBO in November 2024. Despite its huge hype among the franchise's fans, the HBO series met with mixed reception from critics and viewers. The Heartbreak High actor, who portrays the role of Constantine Corrino in Dune: Prophecy, recently revealed the filming status of Season 2. While speaking to Collider, Josh Heuston conveyed that he was part of the second installment. He added, 'Yes. Definitely in Season 2. We go back, I believe, in August, and then we're filming through the rest of the year.' Heuston further shared more details regarding what fans can expect from his character in the upcoming season. He stated, 'I love playing Constantine. He's such a loose, fun character. And the way Season 1 ends, you can tell that he's probably going to go on a bit of a ride after that. So, yeah, I'm excited to jump back into those shoes.' Although Heuston avoided spoiling the plot details, he said, 'Production has lots of secrecy around it, basically like the show. But I know that it will have all of the factions going against each other. I know that much at least.' According to Screen Rant, in January 2025, Emily Watson, who portrays the character of Valya Harkonnen in Dune: Prophecy, also shared a filming update. She told the outlet, 'I think we are going to start in the fall, and I don't know anything [about Valya's story]. I know nothing, so I'm just as excited as you are.' Season 1 of the series came out in November 2024, almost a year after it wrapped filming in December 2023. With Dune: Prophecy Season 2 starting filming in August 2025, the release date window of the next installment is speculated to fall in late 2026. However, if the sophomore season doesn't follow the same aforementioned pattern as its predecessor, the release date can also be pushed to early 2027. Nevertheless, there is no official word from the makers yet about the release date window for Dune: Prophecy Season 2. Originally reported by Ishita Verma on The post Dune: Prophecy Season 2 Filming Update Hints at Release Date Window appeared first on Mandatory.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Hunky Aussie actor Josh Heuston left with 'cuts and bruises' on set of new horror film Dangerous Animals
Josh Heuston was in the wars on the set of his new horror flick Dangerous Animals. The Aussie star, 28, who has featured in projects such as Netflix 's Heartbreak High, Dune spinoff series Prophecy and Thor: Love and Thunder, opened up about his new scream-worthy movie about a rebellious girl and a serial killer, who abducts her to feed her to the sharks. Josh's character in the horror film, which was directed by Sean Byrne and filmed on the Gold Coast, sets out to try and save the abductee from becoming shark bait in the action-packed movie. However, the high-stakes film called for some high-stakes stunts, which the actor says left him with 'cuts and bruises'. Speaking to the Aussie hunk opened up about his experience on the film and some of the boundary-pushing stunts that put him through the wringer. The stunt that took the cake? Being suspended above his crew in a harness. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'It was the most physical – it was two or three days in that thing,' he recalled. Doing one test round before the real thing, Josh says he was the 'guinea pig' before the other two actors tried it out. 'So I got all the cuts and bruises,' he laughed. Also starring in the film is none other than Divergent's Jai Courtney, who plays the shark-obsessed abductor, and Yellowstone's Hassie Harrison, who plays the brave heroine. Over the years, Josh has made a name for himself in the industry, being named Breakthrough Actor at GQ Men of the Year awards in 2022 and attending international premieres for his numerous star-studded projects. In November, Josh cut a suave figure at the Dune: Prophecy premiere in Sydney. He wore a black suit with a white, wide-collared shirt unbuttoned down to the chest and paired the outfit with black boots, and styled his dark hair in a light tussle. Dune: Prophecy is a new series inspired by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's novel Sisterhood of Dune. Set 10,000 years before the birth of Timothee Chalamet's character Paul Atreides in the Dune film franchise. The series, which was originally commissioned in 2019, was previously titled Dune: The Sisterhood. The TV series follows the incredible success of Dune: Part Two, which grossed more than $710 million worldwide at the box office this year. The first Dune ended its theatrical run with around $400 million globally in 2021.
News.com.au
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Aussie star Josh Heuston opens up on Jai Courtney-led horror, Dangerous Animals
IN CANNES After starring in Netflix hit Heartbreak High and landing roles in both the Marvel and Dune franchises, there's no denying Josh Heuston's star is firmly on the rise. The Sydney-born actor, 28, is now appearing in Dangerous Animals, a horror film directed by Sean Byrne and set on the Gold Coast. It follows free-spirited surfer, Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) who is abducted by a serial killer (Jai Courtney) and must figure out how to escape before he feeds her to sharks for his own entertainment. Heuston's Moses also finds himself embroiled in the dangerous nightmare after setting off to try and find save Zephyr, whom he's just met and is falling for. 'It was my first time stepping into horror and thriller and I honestly had the best time ever,' Heuston told at Cannes Film Festival, where Dangerous Animals is having its global premiere. 'I just came off the back of [filming] Dune [Prophecy], and went straight into this. Going into a horror, the stakes are 110 percent at all times and it's just fun … You're almost like a big kid just running around and being chased by a bear of a man [Courtney].' He may be a sadistic killer on screen, but on set, Terminator Genisys and Divergent star Courtney was at the centre of the action every day, supporting the rest of the cast and crew. 'I learned a lot and he was there for me every step of the way', Heuston said, including while he was undertaking gruelling physical stunts, like being suspended 'in a harness'. 'And he's one of those actors where, even when he's not on camera, he'll still be giving you the performance … And it was so positive, because of Jai setting that example.' Not to give away any spoilers – but the harness, a particularly grisly element of the movie, proved to be one of the most challenging scenes to film. 'It was the most physical – it was two or three days in that thing,' Heuston recalled. 'We did a test round, and then just went straight in … I was the guinea pig in the harness for the first time before the two others went in. He added, laughing: 'So I got all the cuts and bruises.' One of the new generation of rising Aussie stars, Heuston also opened up about finding out he'd landed a role in Dune: Prophecy, the TV spin-off of the hugely popular films. 'There's a video of me getting the FaceTime and I've just gotten out of bed and I'm all messed up, going, 'What?!' he told 'I did one audition and then got it and flew out the same week, so it was kind of instantaneous.' Season one of the show aired last year, and its follow-up is expected sometime in 2026. Before he gets back on set though, Heuston is next set to film Prime Video's upcoming YA drama Off Campus in Vancouver. 'I like to mix up genres a lot at the moment – I just did sci-fi, and then horror, and now a dramedy, and then I'll go back to Dune … I'm just trying to do a bit of everything,' he said. 'It's a gut instinct thing, about what feels right, or what kind of story I feel like telling.' Heuston quickly added: 'That being said, I don't get everything that I gravitate towards!" The actor also made a brief, but memorable, appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder back in 2022, as 'Pretty Boy' Zeus. It saw him working alongside some of his heroes, including Chris Hemsworth and Russell Crowe, and he admitted that he'd found the experience 'insane'. 'You watch them and you just learn so much – you get to see how they work, and what they do … And then you can take bits and pieces. Being on set with people like that, who are just so experienced and talented, you learn a lot quicker.' Plenty of actors who've turned up in major franchises with famously passionate fanbases choose to avoid social media feedback, but Heuston admitted he does the opposite, despite it feeling 'a bit sadistic'. 'I'm a bit of an internet troll, so I'm on there – I'm doom-scrolling and I'm reading a lot,' he said. 'I don't comment. [People] are like, 'I don't like you', but I shut up. But you see it … it doesn't really bother me too much at this stage. You can't please everyone and I'm just doing what feels right – if it doesn't feel right, I don't do it. 'I can't really get upset if I'm living life like that.'
