Imagine discovering blueprints to build a time machine. What would you do? Gather your friends and attempt to build it? Use it to alter your past or future?
In the upcoming Sci-Fi movie Project Almanac, that is exactly what actor Allen Evangelista does. He plays Adam, a computer genius that helps his friends build a time machine that takes them through a wild adventure into their past. Just don’t expect any time travel back to the age of dinosaurs.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Evangelista about his past and his experience with starting out in the business. Check out the scoop on his upcoming film and where fans can find him in the future.
Audrey Magazine: How did you get started with acting?
Allen Evangelista: I actually got discovered at a mall. I was working retail for a clubbing store, and this lady comes up to my manager and says, “Are you guys into child labor? Because there’s no way that kid is 15.” At the time, I was 18! She turned out to be a soap opera star, but she told me I’d do really well in the business and she guided me to this open audition in front of agents and managers. I got lucky.
AM: Did you always want to be an actor when you were younger?
AE: Not an actor exactly, but I always knew I loved entertaining people and being in front of people. Whether it was playing in a band or performing skits, I’ve always loved making people laugh. I didn’t think about acting until I took a quarter of it in high school. It was fun but I just never thought of it as a career until after high school.
AM: Being Filipino American, did your parents approve of that?
AE: Nope! They were really supportive, though, in their own way. They gave me this realistic look on it. They kept me grounded. They told me to continue to work side jobs and go to school. But I got lucky because I actually booked the first three auditions I’ve ever had and that was enough for them to say, “Hey, maybe this is possible. Maybe my son can actually do this.”
AM: Project Almanac comes out this month. Without revealing too much, what can you tell us about the film?
AE: It’s about five friends that stumble upon blueprints to build a time machine and it basically asks the question, “What would you do if you had that kind of power?” It grounds you a little bit. We can’t go back to see the dinosaurs or anything. It shows you what normal teens would do with this kind of thing. The best thing, I think, is the chemistry between the cast. The time travel definitely plays a big part of it, but the relationship between the characters works really well.
AM: Can you tell us about your character, Adam?
AE: Adam is the computer expert. He’s like a programmer. He can take apart an Xbox and do all these things, But he’s also the voice of reason. He’s the cautious one. He looks after everybody and double checks everything we do to make sure we’re not going to destroy the world.
AM: The move seems quite intense and action-packed. What was the most difficult scene to film?
AE: There’s going to be a crazy scene between me and the lead character. I can’t give too much away. It was supposed to be summer time (in the film) and we were in shorts, but it was actually the coldest time in Atlanta, Georgia. We were getting angry with each other in the scene, we were wearing shorts and it was freezing! Everyone around us were in coats and blankets and snuggled up. We were trying to get through this thing without stuttering because we were so cold. It was pretty intense.
AM: What was the most fun?
AE: We got to shoot at Lollapalooza, so I would say everything that happened in Lollapalooza. Getting to call that work for a weekend… you’re pretty lucky.
AM: Your character has the ability to go back in time. If you had a time machine, where would you go or what would you change in the past?
AE: I would do exactly what my character does and win the lottery multiple times to the point where they would have to say, “You can’t play anymore.” My character is very logical and I’m the same way.
AM: Where can fans find you in the future? Are there any upcoming projects?
AE: Yes, I recently shot another episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which will be airing some time in January. And you can find me on Twitter and Instagram @ifollowallen!
Project Almanac hits theaters Friday, January 30.
Feature image courtesy of Ben Miller.
