Aussie star Josh Heuston opens up on Jai Courtney-led horror, Dangerous Animals
After starring in Netflix hit Heartbreak High and landing roles in both the Marvel and Dune franchises, there's no denying Josh Heuston's star is firmly on the rise.
The Sydney-born actor, 28, is now appearing in Dangerous Animals, a horror film directed by Sean Byrne and set on the Gold Coast. It follows free-spirited surfer, Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) who is abducted by a serial killer (Jai Courtney) and must figure out how to escape before he feeds her to sharks for his own entertainment.
Heuston's Moses also finds himself embroiled in the dangerous nightmare after setting off to try and find save Zephyr, whom he's just met and is falling for.
'It was my first time stepping into horror and thriller and I honestly had the best time ever,' Heuston told news.com.au at Cannes Film Festival, where Dangerous Animals is having its global premiere.
'I just came off the back of [filming] Dune [Prophecy], and went straight into this. Going into a horror, the stakes are 110 percent at all times and it's just fun … You're almost like a big kid just running around and being chased by a bear of a man [Courtney].'
He may be a sadistic killer on screen, but on set, Terminator Genisys and Divergent star Courtney was at the centre of the action every day, supporting the rest of the cast and crew.
'I learned a lot and he was there for me every step of the way', Heuston said, including while he was undertaking gruelling physical stunts, like being suspended 'in a harness'.
'And he's one of those actors where, even when he's not on camera, he'll still be giving you the performance … And it was so positive, because of Jai setting that example.'
Not to give away any spoilers – but the harness, a particularly grisly element of the movie, proved to be one of the most challenging scenes to film.
'It was the most physical – it was two or three days in that thing,' Heuston recalled.
'We did a test round, and then just went straight in … I was the guinea pig in the harness for the first time before the two others went in.
He added, laughing: 'So I got all the cuts and bruises.'
One of the new generation of rising Aussie stars, Heuston also opened up about finding out he'd landed a role in Dune: Prophecy, the TV spin-off of the hugely popular films.
'There's a video of me getting the FaceTime and I've just gotten out of bed and I'm all messed up, going, 'What?!' he told news.com.au.
'I did one audition and then got it and flew out the same week, so it was kind of instantaneous.'
Season one of the show aired last year, and its follow-up is expected sometime in 2026.
Before he gets back on set though, Heuston is next set to film Prime Video's upcoming YA drama Off Campus in Vancouver.
'I like to mix up genres a lot at the moment – I just did sci-fi, and then horror, and now a dramedy, and then I'll go back to Dune … I'm just trying to do a bit of everything,' he said.
'It's a gut instinct thing, about what feels right, or what kind of story I feel like telling.'
Heuston quickly added: 'That being said, I don't get everything that I gravitate towards!"
The actor also made a brief, but memorable, appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder back in 2022, as 'Pretty Boy' Zeus.
It saw him working alongside some of his heroes, including Chris Hemsworth and Russell Crowe, and he admitted that he'd found the experience 'insane'.
'You watch them and you just learn so much – you get to see how they work, and what they do … And then you can take bits and pieces. Being on set with people like that, who are just so experienced and talented, you learn a lot quicker.'
Plenty of actors who've turned up in major franchises with famously passionate fanbases choose to avoid social media feedback, but Heuston admitted he does the opposite, despite it feeling 'a bit sadistic'.
'I'm a bit of an internet troll, so I'm on there – I'm doom-scrolling and I'm reading a lot,' he said.
'I don't comment. [People] are like, 'I don't like you', but I shut up. But you see it … it doesn't really bother me too much at this stage. You can't please everyone and I'm just doing what feels right – if it doesn't feel right, I don't do it.
'I can't really get upset if I'm living life like that.'
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