Twisters Star Brandon Perea Talks About Difficult Task of Following Philip Seymour Hoffman's Footsteps: 'I Was Terrified'

Ahead of the release of Twisters, Brandon Perea spoke about how he learned that he will be playing the role similar to Philip Seymour Hoffman's Dusty.

By Marita Pinto

Published on Jul 19, 2024 | 12:38 PM IST | 77.7K

(Image Courtesy: Instagram/ Brandon Perea)

Brandon Perea had his big-screen debut in Jordan Peele's Nope two years ago, and he's back in Universal's latest July movie, Twisters. Almost unrecognizable from his Nope role, Angel Torres, Perea plays Boone in this film directed by Lee Isaac Chung.

Perea is Glen Powell's right-hand man for Tyler Owens, and together with Jo Harding (Helen Hunt), he leads a motley army of storm chasers known as the "tornado wranglers," who are most reminiscent of Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt's team in Jan de Bont's 1996 movie Twister.

Brandon Perea's character is similar to Philip Seymour Hoffman's Dusty in Twister

Perea's character is most similar to Dusty played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in the original movie although Dusty's profession may have required more scientific background than Boone's as a videographer, both characters are dedicated friends who love to party and wear tie-dye clothing. Undoubtedly, Perea was pushed through his paces by the strain of having to follow in Hoffman's footsteps.

According to Hollywood Reporter, Pera said in the middle of reading the script, he told his partner, “I read [the script] for [another] role, and ‘Oh man, there’s this funny guy, Boone. He reminds me a bit of Philip Seymour Hoffman." Perea said that he thought it would be a huge burden for the poor b*****d who portrays him. He went on to add, "So let me say this. And in the end, I was that poor bastard, So, of course, I was terrified."

Perea used to be the youngest professional jam skater—a sport that blends breakdancing with roller skating—before he started acting. He thought the role was meant for him, though, when he saw that Boone does a backflip following a successful storm chase—until the technique was cut from the final version.

Twisters

The 2024 Twisters is a sequel to the original film which was released in 1996. The movie's plot is as follows: Kate Cooper, haunted by a horrific tornado encounter, is enticed back to the wide plains by her friend Javi to test a novel new tracking system. Tyler Owens, a charming but impulsive social media celebrity who loves sharing his storm-chasing experiences, and she soon becomes friends.

Twisters will premiere on July 19.

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