Netflix 'Fear Street: Prom Queen' star Ryan Rosery was excited to be the popular jock in high school movie

Yahoo

4 days ago

The Fear Street films, based on the popular R.L. Stine book series, continue with the release of Fear Street: Prom Queen on Netflix. Starring India Fowler, Suzanna Son, Fina Strazza, Ariana Greenblatt, David Iacono, Ella Rubin, Chris Klein, Lili Taylor, Katherine Waterston, Rebecca Ablack and Ilan O'Driscoll, the Shadyside High prom season is in full force.
But when the 1988 prom queen candidates starts disappearing, prom night ends up taking a terrifying turn. While the previous three movies are considered a complete trilogy, Fear Street: Prom Queen is a stand-alone story that intersects with the established lore.
Among the stars in the film is Canadian Ryan Rosery, who grew up in Scarborough, Ont. He plays Chad, boyfriend to Rubin's character Melissa.
"He's kind of a goofball, but he also is one of the jocks," Rosery told Yahoo Canada. "He enjoys being a jock. He loves his friends. He cares for his friends. He really cares about his girlfriend, Melissa, as well."
"He's a little bit of an asshole too, but he's there to have a good time."
Being able to go back to high school for a character was something the actor was really excited about.
"I've always wanted to go back and do a high school role, because in high school I really wasn't the cool guy. I was actually such a giant nerd. I got made fun of. I like anime and they were like, 'What? This guy's weird,'" Rosery shared. "Going back now to being a popular character in this movie, ... this is such a different shift for me, and going back and .. replaying prom, it was a lot of fun."
For Rosery, his passion for acting started in the fourth grade when he was watching an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Rosery thought, "I want to make people laugh like Will Smith."
"I'd always been a funny, goofy, class clown kind of kid. I did all the drama in school, and then eventually in high school I started to get more serious about it, after a girl had broken my heart," Rosery said. "And I remember sitting there thinking, 'Oh man, I've got to get revenge. What can I do?' And I was like, 'Oh, I'm going to become an actor."
"So from that point I was basically just going all in and trying to become an actor. Thinking to myself, I'm going to become famous and then make this girl regret breaking my heart. But then as time went on, [it was] less about the fame and more about the work, and I just fell in love deeper with the craft."
But Rosery also admitted that getting a role, especially on a notable project with global reach, was difficult.
"From 2014 until about 2018, I wasn't really getting auditions, it was very far and few between, and I wasn't getting the opportunities that I wanted," Rosery said. "And I actually remember running into a friend of mine in an audition and was like, 'Man, I haven't booked anything in like two years, three years.' And he's like, 'Bro, how have you not quit yet?'"
"Then I ended up making a transition in 2018 to move to Vancouver and from that point, that moment on, I started getting on bigger projects. Riverdale, I got on Batwoman. ... It's been such a blessing, because it's a reminder that it takes time, and you have to be committed to what you want, ... and it's not for the faint of heart. You have to really love it.
Among Rosery's work is playing Latrell in Mayor of Kingstown, working with Jeremy Renner in Ontario. Initially only set to be on the show for a short time, his role ended up being extended to the entire first season.
"I'm actually very thankful for that as well ... because that was the same year my mom passed away, so I actually got to spend that last summer with my mom," Rosery shared. "But finding out ... that I got to be on this project, that I knew nothing about, and then to go on and meet Jeremy Renner, who's such a phenomenal talent, and even Tobi Bamtefa, who became a good friend of mine after that project, ... now I'm part of this amazing, beautiful universe by the great Taylor Sheridan."
"It was such just a blessing to be part of something like that, because I had no idea what I was going into. And then ... to be put into eight episodes, that was a win for me."
Something Rosery learned from that experience, from Bamtefa specifically, is to "take risks."
"Also I learned, just kind of watching Jeremy, ... he knows that he's in such a blessed position in his life and he loves doing the craft, he loves making art and he's just about the work," Rosery said. "He's not about the fame, the acclaims, ... he doesn't care about that. ... Just focus on the work and let everything else fall into place."
But being a huge anime fan, Rosery would love to get a role in a One Piece project.
"Luffy talking about, 'I want to become king of the pirates,' ... I was like, 'Oh, I'm invested in this kid's journey. I want to see him become king of the pirates,'" he said. "I love One Piece and I would love the opportunity to audition to be on that show."