Rick Cosnett, best known for his role on The CW’s “The Flash,” stars as the hero in the new airborne thriller “Skybound.” In director Alex Tavakolis’ film, five plane passengers are unable to land after a mysterious disaster happens on the ground, but they may be in worse danger than they thought when a stowaway is discovered on board carrying a dangerous secret. “Skybound” is now on VOD and DVD.
Loren Kleinman (LK): Does the movie play into some of people's worst fears about flying? Is that part of the terror of the movie?
Rick Cosnett (RC): It does get very tense; being in a jet is definitely the underlying suspense the whole way through. I don’t want to ruin it for you but let’s just say it becomes a horrifying weighing up to find the lesser of a few evils, so being in the air may be the least of their problems.
LK: How do secrets play a role in the film? And does 'not knowing' also play into people's fears of flying?
RC: Before these characters take off in the jet they have no idea about the terror that awaits them. There are secrets in their physical world yet to be revealed, then there are also the secrets they are keeping from each other and finally the secrets they keep from themselves, which can often be the most dangerous.
LK: Can you talk about Alex Tavakoli's vision of the film? What was the process of developing your character to fit his vision?
RC: His vision was, to me, to create a glossy blockbuster feel: a real classic, slick action thriller. I understood that I was the central character and for that to happen in this kind of genre the audience has to be mostly on my side the whole way through. So making Matt grounded, innately good and courageous under pressure was essential, like any good action hero I guess. On top of that, for us, and what we believed was even more essential was to make him as human as possible so the whole film could feel more real and palpable.
LK: Many sci-fi films talk to one another. What other sci-fi echoes or references are in this film that audiences will notice?
RC: A few references came to mind while we were filming for me actually: Speed, if Gossip Girl turned into a thriller, Con Air, and now I’m also thinking Event Horizon.
LK: Is it better to be in the air than on the ground?
RC: In the air. Life is short.
Watch the trailer for “Skybound” below.