Exclusive: Director and Stars Talk ‘The Boy Downstairs’ At TFF Premiere

Interview with Matthew Shear

Tell me a little bit about the role you play.

I play Ben Weinberger and Ben is a guy who has had his heart broken a few times. He finds out that one of the women who broke his heart lives in his building. He’s forced to confront that relationship and the awkward reality of being around someone you really don’t want to be around. We get to explore that in the movie.

How was working with Zosia?

It was awesome. I loved working with Zosia. She’s so funny and smart and just easy to be around. We like to improvise on this movie. We could go all night. She’s just the easiest person, she’s so fun.

How was working with Sophie, the writer/director?

Sophie is sort of an ideal director. She’s someone who has a lot of focus and knows what she wants, but is like totally okay with letting people improvise and experiment and then reigning it back in. We land on our feet together. I think she’s a really good director.

What’s coming up next for you?

I’m currently filming a TV show called The Alienist in Budapest, Hungary. It’s been really great and I’m going back there tomorrow. I’m here for the week, visiting family and doing this.

Is the show on a network?

It’ll be on TNT. It’s a crime investigation show that takes place in the late 1800s in New York. I play a detective.