With Reckless, Bryan James took on a daunting challenge—and rose to it. The movie puts a unique spin on one of the best thrillers of all time, Fatal Attraction, with Bryan stepping into the role of Alex Forrest. But how exactly did he feel approaching a character whom Glenn Close made wildly famous? And how was he able to find a new and different voice for Alex that still respected what Close created?

In an in-depth interview, TVBrittanyF.com spoke to Bryan about what interested him in Reckless and how much went into the project. He gave his perspective on Alex as a character, and shared how he kept his performance from turning into caricature. Plus, find out what it was like for him to just live in the space of one of film’s most famous villains.

Brittany Frederick: What was it about Reckless that made you want to be a part of the film?

Bryan James: I love the idea in the landscape of Hollywood right now of reimaginings… In terms of making this reimagining of Fatal Attraction, that was just so thrilling to me. The idea of getting to recontextualize that classic story and bring bring something new to it, and to play the Glenn Close role, it’s like a dream come true. I couldn’t be happier with all of it. I was immediately so on board and wanting to be in this, and wanting to make this happen, and wanting to bring this to life.

Did you go back and watch Fatal Attraction once you committed to the role? Or did you avoid the film so as not to have Glenn Close’s performance in the back of your mind?

That performance, it’s like chef’s kiss, forevermore. I’ve seen it many times over the years. Approaching this now, it was imperative to not revisit it and to do my own thing with Alex Forrest. [I have] all the reverence in the world [for] the titan that is Glenn Close, so it’s this interesting thing of I’m glad that I knew everything that I knew. I know that worked very well. But when I had this in front of me, not wanting to go into that; wanting to make my own kind of sand castle, so to speak.

This is so distinctly, originally, its own vision and piece. There’s new characters in it. There’s new things. But also, it will be fun after you watch this movie to go back and watch Fatal Attraction, because there’s little things here and there. Because if we’re going to do that, we have to do at least a few of the iconic moments, right?

There’s no denying that Alex Forrest is the more fun role, compared to the more straight-laced Dan Gallagher, played in Reckless by Max Ehrich. But that means Alex could easily become a caricature. How did you find the tone of your performance?

[That’s] the fundamental thing that I was most concerned about, and was constantly monitoring the pulse of. All I can say is, hopefully it will translate when you watch it, that it’s leveled and layered, because exactly what you said—it can become caricature. It’s a very interesting lane to live in.

I just approached everything—no matter how extreme emotionally it might become—from a logical, intellectual place. I really needed to wrap my head around the idea of what the perspective is of the character, and they’re not ever going to think they’re in the wrong. I think in life, humans have a hard time looking in the mirror sometimes and owning their side of the fence. That can be informative as a performer.

I can justify this character’s behavior. I’m not going to defend it, but I can [justify it], and that’s imperative for me to hopefully bring nuance in a situation. It’s my responsibility to bring authentic integrity to the circumstance, whether it’s salacious or not. So it’s a really fun challenge. That’s constantly what was permeating in my mind as an actor in every scene, and kind of in the overall scope—wanting to bring truth to the character and not seem too over the top.

But because you have to go to these emotional extremes, what was the filming process for Reckless like? Were you able to set Alex aside at the end of the day, or did it take time to decompress after being in such an intense space?

it’s hard for me to step in and out of it that easily. With this, there were moments and times, and I spoke about it with my co-star, and it was great. It was a lovely two-hander with us, and they were supportive. Because you go to some dark places and then it’s like, oh, what are we going to do now? We’re getting dinner. [Laughs.]

I would say that this took a few weeks to really kind of release that Alex energy. I crafted this thing that I would connect to, and it’s like now, what do I do with it? It’s a really interesting thing. It can be taxing, and you just want to handle it in the right way. But that’s what I love about acting, too. So I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

To your point, Reckless as a film doesn’t work if the viewer doesn’t buy the chemistry between Alex and Dan, and your performance may not be the same if you don’t have a solid rapport with Max Ehrich. How would you describe working with Max, and what did that add to your work as Alex?

It was imperative to build a relationship with my co-star, and be able to dive into the psychosis of the truth of all of this. This is a very layered, intellectually stimulating situation. There’s so much going on. You can approach this and look at it like a Jerry Springer episode, but there’s so much more underneath. That’s what that original movie did. I was with Glenn Close in that performance until you can’t be.

So having dialogue with the talent, creating the perspective of what we’re walking into, was really, really imperative and informative. And then on the other side of it, just having the space and the respect to create that and to play in that zone, and then to literally go home. We filmed this over an elongated period of time—over several weeks. Sometimes people will film things every day. We weren’t working that way. And so the blessing of it was we kind of created a perimeter that just kept building. That’s kind of what happens in the picture too. But that is how I approached it, and that was the only way that there could be a heartbeat in this, because that’s what the movie is.

This is a two-hander between me and Max, and this is something that we needed to approach in a way that would inform it and enhance it. The pre-production work was even more important than the actuality of making it. My perspective sometimes is, as long as you’ve done all that legwork it’s a pleasure, because it’s like an athlete. It’s like being in the zone… I’m really happy with the way this all turned out.

Is there anything that you want to leave viewers with, or anything that you walked away with the project from?

This was such an amazing experience creatively for me. This is something I was working on for several years, and when you set out to do something, then actually do it, I think anyone can relate to that. It’s an exciting experience, and I’m nothing but grateful for the fact that I made it. I guess I just lead with that.

And I hope people will give it a chance. I think they’ll be entertained, and I think that it will be different than they might have thought it would be, which I’m really happy about. I want to give you what you want, and then I want to give you a little bit more—and give you something to chew on that maybe you weren’t thinking you were going to get.

You make a very strong impression in Reckless. Is there another role you’ve played that you would recommend to people who want to see more of Bryan James after this movie?

I have something called Gigolo that is going to come out in Valentine’s Day, and it’s another thing that I star in as an actor. And then just keep looking out for things from me, because I love acting more than anything.

Reckless can now be streamed at RecklessMovie.net. Photo Credit: Header image by Tommy Flanagan, inset images from Reckless film, all courtesy of Bryan James.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.