There are ghost stories, and then there is Presence, which is told from the first-hand perspective of a ghost. The film first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and is now available to stream on Apple TV and Prime Video. Before the film’s official release, we Facetimed with actor West Mulholland, who stars as Ryan Caldwell, to learn more about working with Steven Soderbergh, the experience and process of filming, and working with a star studded small cast. 

Presence follows a family who becomes convinced they aren’t alone after moving into a new house in the suburbs. The entire film is presented from the ‘Presence’ point of view in a series of long takes. Lucy Liu from Charlie’s Angels and Kill Bill stars as Rebekah Payne and Chris Sullivan from This is Us plays Chris Payne. The film also stars Callina Liang as Chloe Payne and Eddy Maday as Tyler Payne. West’s character Ryan is Tyler’s new friend and Chloe’s love interest. 

“Instantly I knew it was a Soderbergh film and I lost my mind because I am such a big fan.”

The film first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and West said the coolest thing about the experience was meeting people on the street who had just watched Presence and wanted to talk with him about playing Ryan. 

West is a rising star, who first got his start as Axel on TNT’s crime drama Animal Kingdom. He has worked with some incredible directors, including Soderbergh and David Slade on the film Dark Harvest. He also appeared in the dramatic film A Great Divide. West is also a film and media studies major at Stanford.

West revealed that when he first auditioned for the film, there wasn’t a full script yet so all he had to go off of for Ryan were the sides, also known as the excerpts or specific scenes from the script. Because of this, West got to experiment with his character, and also made a playlist for Ryan which included a lot of 90s rock from Nirvana to Pearl Jam. 

“I made a playlist for [Ryan]. I remember that was a really big thing and I do it for all of my characters.”

Steven Soderbergh’s directing career spans decades which includes Erin Brockovich, the Ocean’s trilogy and the Magic Mike trilogy, and West said it was an absolute dream getting to work with and learn from him. He said Soderbergh gave the cast a lot of input on their characters, which was a huge confidence boost as a young actor. West became very close with Callina Lang and Eddy Maday and loved getting to improv with them.

“[Steven Soderbergh] asking the younger actors our input was a really confidence boosting and collaborative experience.”

West also said both Lucy and Chris were so incredibly kind and welcoming. He always felt like his input was valued, which is an absolute dream as a young actor! 

“[Lucy Liu] and [Chris Sullivan] were both so welcoming and such mentors.”

Presence is shot entirely in the first-person perspective and includes lots of long takes without many cuts. Soderbergh was even the one behind the camera and West described filming as a “dance”, as it felt like a theater performance in an intimate way where there was a lot of trust and understanding from the actors and crew.

Whether you’re a horror fan or not, West said Presence is an experience film and if you’ve ever wanted the chance of experiencing what it’s like to be a ghost and observe, then this is the film for you. 

“I am so excited for [audiences] to be surprised and to be a ghost.”

Thank you, West, for chatting with Young Entertainment! Follow him on his Instagram at @westofmulholland. Watch the rest of the interview where we ask him more about the technical side of acting, and his advice for young actors. Stay tuned till the end for a rapid fire round of firsts! While you’re there, be sure to like and subscribe to our channel for the latest news in young entertainment. 

Consider this: 

• You’ll get as much out of your acting career as you put into it. There are times when you may have to make sacrifices and prioritize your career but the dedication and love you put into acting will make all the sacrifices worth it! 
• Sides are an excerpt of a script that an actor is expected to perform at an audition. It is a specific set of lines and it could be an entire scene or just part of one.