Jack Quaid on Companion: 'Humans usually make the wrong choice with technology'

Quaid was instantly drawn to the project, explaining in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com that became "obsessed" with the script and was excited about the opportunity of portraying the antagonist, Josh.

"It’s one of the best scripts that I have ever read. It really set a new bar for me in terms of what a good script means," he said.

"I read it and I became obsessed with the story. If I want to be a part of something, a good bar for me is, would I be a fan of this if I wasn’t involved? This was true for The Boys and it’s definitely true for [Companion]."

Throughout his career, Quaid has proven himself as a versatile actor who can play anyone from nice guys like Hughie Campbell in The Boys and Brad Boimler in Star Trek: Lower Decks to twisted characters such as Richie Kirsch in Scream.

The actor showcases both qualities with his performance in Companion, as the "ideal boyfriend" turns villainous and deceptive.

"Josh is complicated," he said. "When you play a villain of any kind, you don’t want to be moustache-twirly in any way, you want to make sure he feels like a real person.

"From his perspective, everything is going wrong, and he views himself as a romantic, but he’s delusional. It was really cool to step into the role of a villain who really believes that they are the hero of their own story."

He added that the ideal preparation for the character was to watch a lot of John Cusack movies from the '80s, because "that’s who I think Josh thinks he is".

"[He's] definitely one of the most insecure characters that I’ve played in my whole life," he continued.

The movie is a sci-fi thriller set in a near future where people can buy robots that are indistinguishable from humans as companions. The premise is so eerie and unsettling because, while it’s a future that’s slightly out of reach, the dangers of AI and technology – which are currently at the forefront of much debate – mean it's something that’s on the horizon and seemingly inevitable.

“The scariest part [of the movie] is how timely it feels and how close we are to this being a reality," Quaid explained. "I like doing things that have a tinge of social commentary, and this is no exception. Another reason why the script is so well done is that it feels like a future that is in the next couple months or days."

He added: "Technology in and of itself is neither a good nor a bad thing inherently. The message of the movie, for me, is that it’s not about the technology but about what we as humans choose to do with it. We usually make the wrong choice, and Josh definitely does."

Starring alongside Quaid in the film is Sophie Thatcher, who is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the most in-demand scream queens in Hollywood thanks to scene-stealing performances in Heretic and Yellowjackets. And the secret to what makes Thatcher so captivating in the horror genre is obvious to her co-star.

"It’s because she’s an incredible actress," he said. "Horror lets you use the entire spectrum of emotion and she can access that, which is unbelievable. Horror and her go hand-in-hand, and she’s crushing it."

The movie started filming in summer 2023, but as a result of the SAG-AFTRA strikes, it had to be temporarily halted. Filming resumed in winter after the strike was resolved, and this had its benefits – as Drew Hancock was given more time to focus on his vision for the movie.

"I think it made our movie better, weirdly enough," Quaid said. "During the strike, Drew was able to look at what we had shot. When we came back, Drew and other people who worked on the movie were essentially able to see the first half of the movie – because we shot in sequence.

"It made them realise the kind of movie that they were making even more and made the tone of the movie even sharper so they knew exactly what they wanted by the time we came back.”

However, this time away did have certain drawbacks, especially when it came to filming scenes in a forest in upstate New York.

"Probably the hardest part of shooting outside was when we came back as we had already established summer clothing, so if we had to shoot outside again we had to wear T-shirts," Quaid said.

"It was very cold, but I got the lower end of the spectrum as Sophie and Lukas [Gage] had to shoot outside at night in the pouring rain. So thankfully I was spared from the worst of it. But now I’m shooting outside in Toronto, and oh boy, it is cold!"

Following the release of Companion, Quaid will be back on the big screen again in March with Novocaine – a thrill-a-minute action movie from directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen. The film follows Nathan Caine, an everyman who must turn his inability to feel pain into an unexpected advantage when the girl of his dreams gets kidnapped.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, Quaid experienced the "greatest moment of his life" when music icon Billy Joel reposted a scene from The Boys.

"It took him five years but he posted the scene where we mention him in the very first episode of The Boys and I lost my mind," said Quaid.

"I believe he’s coming to Toronto on 15th March. I want to be there front row, if I can, unless my publicist tells me I can’t because I have things to do. I want to see him live because I still haven’t, and I was such a massive fan before Hughie."

Quaid ended the interview with a public service announcement directly to Joel.

"Mr Joel, please, I love you so much. Please just come and be on the show, we only have more season and we are shooting it right now. Just come, you can just walk by a scene and Hughie notices you. Mr Joel, please and thank you."

Companion is now showing in UK cinemas.

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