Mike Vogel has been acting in TV and movies since he was young, but he said there’s one role that always stands out to him—and it’s one of his most recent roles. [Cooper] was one of the more challenging characters I’ve played because he was so different from me, Vogel said in an interview with People on Sunday. Vogel talks about Cooper Connelly, his character on the show Billions and the differences between him and his character. Mike Vogel Talks About Bringing Cooper to Life
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How did you get involved with this project?
Mike got involved in The Billie Holiday Project when he attended an open call. He was one of several people who read for all of the roles, and eventually they narrowed it down to him and another person. Even though he thought he wouldn’t get it, they gave him a shot. He knew that everyone there really wanted their passion project to become a reality, so he made sure not take it for granted.
What was it like working with director Craig Gillespie and co-star Jennifer Lawrence?
When I got a call from my agents about possibly being considered for The Silver Linings Playbook, I couldn’t believe it. It’s an amazing story and screenplay by David O. Russell and an incredible cast of actors he assembled, so just getting asked to read for him was a major accomplishment in itself. It ended up that I auditioned against another actor who was actually my best friend in college, which is hilarious but also says something about how much talent is out there right now looking for work.
Can you tell us about your first day on set?
When we first started shooting, I had just had a baby so I was exhausted and grumpy. But everyone on set was so excited about Billie Lourd’s new character that all my tiredness went away quickly. Everyone knew who she was and was eager to get started on working with her!
What do you think is different about this movie from others in the genre?
This movie didn’t rely on typical horror tropes, which was refreshing. Instead of focusing on jump scares, we created a story about realistic characters in an extreme situation and allowed that tension to build. There is so much humor between Billie and Jack in The Final Girls that I like to think of it as more a horror-comedy than just a horror film. I hope people will have fun watching it!
What do you hope audiences will take away from this film?
That it’s okay to be different. That we need to take chances, because they can lead us down unexpected paths. To make mistakes, but know that we are not defined by them. That it’s also okay not to make a decision when you have choices to make.
