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Fans of BYU TV's "Studio C" may be in for a good shock when they go to the movies this month. Matt Meese, best known for his comedic talents on "Studio C", makes the leap from small screen comedy to big screen drama in "Saints & Soldiers: The Void" which opens in theatres Friday, August 15.
For Meese, the transition from comedy to drama was a daunting idea.
"It's harder to gauge how well you're doing when you're performing in a serious role," Meese said. "In comedy, you know if you're doing well right away because people will laugh or they won't. If the people aren't laughing, then something is wrong."
Although it might seem a lot of differences exist when it comes to performing in comedies vs. dramas, Meese feels there are more similarities.
"Acting is all about timing," he said. "Once you have the timing down in comedy, you can do other roles more easily. On the [Saints & Soldiers] set, it was a bit of an adjustment, but after a couple of days it felt like normal."
Meese says his involvement with "Studio C" led to him being chosen to have a role in the new "Saints and Soldiers" movie.
"Both (producer) Adam Abel and (director) Ryan Little's kids are big fans of 'Studio C,' so whether they liked it or not, they were already seeing a lot of me," Meese joked. "Lucky for me, my character (Barlow) has a few lighter moments in the story, so I think they thought I would be a good fit to play him."
But that casting decision didn't guarantee an easy transition to a mostly dramatic role for Meese. He half-heartedly jokes the biggest challenge he faced in his performance was trying to be convincing as a serious actor instead of being his normal, goofy self.
"Let's be honest, I'm a goofball, and when people see me, they expect to see something that will make them laugh. My hope is that people separate the 'Studio C' version of me from the film version of me, since they are (very) much different," said Meese. "I had to take myself more seriously while filming for 'Saints and Soldiers,' which is something that does not always come easy for me."
Little, writer and director of "Saints & Soldiers: The Void", wholeheartedly endorses Meese's turn as Barlow. "Matt's fans from ‘Studio C' will be blown away by his performance. He absolutely nailed it," he said.
Another similarity between successful comedic and dramatic acting Meese mentioned was the attitude of everyone on set. "The storyline behind 'Saints and Soldiers' may be serious, but it was still a lot of fun to film. It was really fun on set, so that aspect was still very similar to 'Studio C'," Meese said. Overall, Meese had a great and memorable experience while filming the movie.
"Working with Ryan Little was great; he's a really fun director with a lot of energy," Meese said. "Everyone in the cast was nice to work with and it was fun to meet all of the 'Saints and Soldiers' guys and create something with them. It was really rewarding."
