Family has been a very important part of Charlie Plummer's life, from the unconditional support his parents have given him to many of the roles he's played. His latest work, "The Clovehitch Killer," puts him in a father-son struggle that could change that dynamic forever.
In "The Clovehitch Killer," Tyler Burnside (Plummer) is a member of his father's (Dylan McDermott) Boy Scout-like troop and a devoted churchgoer. His life begins to unravel when a bondage photo is found in his father's truck. Tyler not only begins to suspect his father isn't the prefect man he's always seen him as, but also could be the serial killer known as Clovehitch, who committed a series of murders 10 years ago.
Playing a close father and son was easy because of how well Plummer and McDermott got along during the filming. Plummer's admiration for McDermott ("American Horror Story") started long before the cameras rolled.
"I respect him so much as an actor," Plummer, 19, says. "We were able to meet a few times before the production started and we were able to lay down a little bit of the blueprint of what our dynamic was going to be. Once filming started, it was great because he was in character the whole time.
"So when you have a guy like him really setting the tone for a young actor like myself, it's just wonderful that I could follow his lead."
One of the main reasons Plummer was attracted to the script is it deals with a lot of issues of growing up. The movie reflects his own feelings about how most people will reach a point early in their lives where they will realize their parents are human, and that means they have faults.
He likes how that universal situation could then be ramped up through the introduction of the serial killer element to the story that makes the film a thriller.
"I think everyone has experienced the realization about their parents in some way. I most certainly have. That doesn't mean you don't love your parents or mean you aren't going to be loyal to them. But, you are both human beings who have different opinions. I think that's an important thing to talk about."
Plummer started working at such a young age he's already accumulated a lengthy list of acting credits, including the TV series "Granite Flats" plus the feature films "King Jack," "Lean on Pete" and "Behold My Heart."
Acting credits that had Plummer dealing with family situations include playing Eli Thompson's son Michael in the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire," the son at the middle of a family crisis in "The Dinner" and John Paul Getty III in Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World."
No matter the role, Plummer's approach tends to be the same. He always looks to the script to give him clues about the character he's playing. In the case of "The Clovehitch Killer," he was cast a year before filming started, giving him plenty of time to figure out details about the role.
The approach changes for him with a project like "All the Money in the World," where he was playing a role based on a real person. When there is a lot of real information he can use _ such as playing Getty _ Plummer loves that he can dissect the character's life based on historical information rather than having to create a backstory from scratch.
Plummer's interest in acting started at a young age prompted by his parents _ actress Maia Guest and writer-producer John Christian Plummer _ working in the theater. He loves that his parents prioritized artistic integrity and intelligence over everything else.
The bulk of his acting training came from all of the local theater roles he landed, but he also found that the many moves his parents made for their jobs was another learning experience. Once he started at a new school, Plummer knew he would have to adapt to new situations, much like an actor taking on a new role.
Once Plummer decided acting would be his profession, he was allowed to make the decisions in regards to the work he wanted to do. He quickly adds his parents would look at the roles he was considering and offer their opinion as to whether the project would be good for his career. Their main concern was Plummer working with the best people.
"There have been times when they would say they didn't like a script and I would tell them I loved it. At the end of the day, it was my career and they supported my decision," Plummer says.
