Dan Ewing in ‘Love and Monsters.’
Dan Ewing makes his Hollywood debut in Paramount Pictures’ comedy-adventure Love and Monsters, which follows humans who were forced underground after giant creatures took control of the land.
Formerly known as Monster Problems, the Queensland-shot film directed by South African-born Michael Matthews stars Dylan O’Brien (Maze Runner, American Assassin) as Joel Dawson, who reconnects over the radio with his high school girlfriend Aimee (Jessica Henwick).
Aiming to rekindle their romance, he ventures out to find her, battling all the dangerous monsters that stand in his way.
Ewing plays Cap, a former naval officer who is giving Aimee and members of her colony sanctuary at sea. “My character has seen the brutal horrors of what these creatures are capable of and offers the colonists a real chance at survival,” the former Home and Away star tells IF.
“Very Noah’s Ark. He also puts a great spanner in the works for Joel. It was non-stop popcorn fun. I found Michael very collaborative with the creative process and I had great support from Paramount and the team at 21 Laps.”
Scripted by Brian Duffield and Matthew Robinson and produced by Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen for 21 Laps, Love and Monsters premieres on-demand in the US on October 16. The Australian release plans are yet to be determined.
Meanwhile Ewing looks forward to the cinema release in Australia and the US of Luke Sparke’s Occupation: Rainfall, which has its world premiere at Monster Fest, which runs from October 29- November 1 in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
The sequel to 2018’s Occupation, which introduced Ewing’s character Matt Simmons, picks up two years later as survivors of the intergalactic invasion of Earth fight back in a desperate ground war.
The actor relished playing opposite Ken Jeong, Jason Isaacs, Temuera Morrison and Daniel Gillies as his character struggles with his moral compass and the horrors of war.
Dan Ewing in ‘Occupation: Rainfall.’
“He is more soldier fighting for humanity than a man fighting to protect the ones he loves and with that comes great internal conflict,” he said. “Matt’s head and deeply suffering heart always seem to be at odds and the script let me explore that wonderfully.”
Reflecting his versatility, he played Jake, the husband of Jessica Tovey’s Mary Jane, a mother grieving the loss of her child in director Aarron Warwick’s drama Beast No More, written by Jennifer Van Gessel and Matthew J. Schelle.
“I’m certain the audience will not always agree with Jake’s decision making but they will certainly be able to comprehend and maybe even connect with his motivations and why he chooses the methods he does,” he said. “Above all they will see his profound love for his wife and child.”
In writer-director Robert Braiden’s 1, which is in post, he plays a guy named Darren, the last man on Earth who undertakes a long, perilous journey in search of redemption while trying to stay one step ahead of an alien invasion.
“We had an incredible script, a passionate skeleton crew and the incredible vision of Robert Braiden, the perfect melting pot to explore the themes of the piece,” he said.
He’s attached to play a detective in Amie Casey’s TV series Society, a gritty look at the criminal underworld of the Gold Coast.
“I’ve always taken great pride in sculpting diverse characters with layers of depth and dimensions that will not only connect with audiences but also take them in directions they didn’t expect,” he concludes.
“I am eternally grateful to all the filmmakers I’ve worked with on these projects for trusting me to bring these fantastic characters to life.”