Graham McTavish, known for his role as War Clan Chieftain Dougal MacKenzie in the Starz series Outlander, has shared details about his new venture outside of the popular show.
The 65 year old actor is taking on a starkly different character in his upcoming film Dirty Boy.
Dirty Boy follows Isaac (portrayed by Stan Steinbichler), a reclusive schizophrenic raised by a suppressive cult that’s now framing him for a string of ritualistic killings.
Isaac must uncover the truth about his real parents and vindicate himself before time runs out, but both the cult and his alter-ego Frankie pose significant challenges.
McTavish embodies the menacing cult leader Walter Wentworth, the patriarch of the religious group who manipulates everything behind the scenes, reports the Scottish Daily Express.
In an exclusive chat with Reach Screen Time, McTavish revealed he was “immediately drawn” to the script penned by Doug Rao, who also directed Dirty Boy.
While some might categorize Dirty Boy as a “horror, the actor said it was ” McTavish asserted it was “much more than that,” likening it to a psychological thriller.
He added: “But it’s very disconcerting, very disturbing and you just keep feeling like something really bad is about to happen.”
The Witcher and House of the Dragon star has portrayed numerous villains throughout his career, but he ranks Dirty Boy’s Walter among the worst due to his irredeemable traits, even drawing parallels between the character and the infamous American child sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
“There are parallels you could draw with a character like Wentworth with Jeffrey Epstein and that kind of world. Epstein didn’t create a cult, but that sort of giving yourself permission to do anything and feeling that there will be no consequences, and that’s what people like Wentworth do,” McTavish detailed.
He continued by discussing how figures like Epstein would “rationalise” their actions into a “story they tell themselves”, labeling this mindset as the “root of evil”.
Additionally, McTavish confessed that unlike some of his past antagonistic characters, justifying the actions of this role was challenging, making it “very difficult” to portray.
Reflecting on one particularly unsettling scene from Dirty Boy, McTavish recounted the moment Walter gazes at himself in the mirror while anticipating cult member Hope (Honor Gillies) for a sexual ritual.
“It’s very creepy. He’s not looking in the mirror to see if he has any blemishes, he’s just staring at himself, like that phrase ‘staring into the abyss’,” he commented.
Shot in 2023 against the picturesque Lake Grundlsee in Austria, Dirty Boy juxtaposes its serene setting with the sinister events unfolding within the story.
The cast of Dirty Boy includes McTavish alongside Susie Porter of Netflix’s Apple Cider Vinegar and Wentworth Prison, Olivia Chenery known for Penny Dreadful and Queen, Ava Merson-O’Brien from Hetty Feather, and actors Ruaridh Aldington, Heidi Rolph-Stott, Alice Lucy, Katharina Scheuba, and Michael Kodi Farrow.
The indie flick is set to premiere in the UK at the Raindance Film Festival this weekend, before making its way to theaters in August.
McTavish is currently juggling several projects, including two films, his own bourbon brand McTavish Spirits, and a role in Starz’s sequel series to Spartacus, Spartacus: House of Ashur, which is slated for an autumn premiere.