Aside from a skiing trip he took with his family when he was a kid, Dylan O’Brien doesn’t have much of a connection to Utah.
His biggest association with the Beehive State is the Sundance Film Festival.
For the second year in a row, “The Maze Runner” star is featured in a film at the Park City-based festival — and he’s particularly excited about this moment in his career.
‘Twinless,’ starring Dylan O’Brien, premieres at Sundance
Fifteen minutes before the world premiere of “Twinless,” a dark comedy that sees O’Brien playing a character who is grieving the loss of his twin brother, the actor was practically giddy as he talked about being involved in the film.
“It was one of my favorite scripts I’ve ever read — from the moment I picked it up,“ O’Brien told the Deseret News at the Eccles Center in Park City Thursday night. ”I still can’t believe it got sent to me. I got really lucky.”
O’Brien first read the script back in 2020, but the film didn’t begin production until after the Hollywood strikes ended in 2023.
The actor said he immediately connected with the tone of the story — the darkness peppered with humor throughout.
“It’s just like my favorite kind of movie,” he told the Deseret News during a brief interview. “It’s funny, it’s kind of heartbreaking ... every character is so distinct, and the relationships are beautiful and authentic and real.”
The movie, which features director and screenwriter James Sweeney in a starring role alongside O’Brien, comes with its fair share of twists as the two characters form a friendship over a shared trauma of losing a twin — and as that friendship dramatically unravels.
“Twinless” is not yet rated. It includes strong language and brief instances of nudity and sexual content.
There were some technical issues at the opening night screening in Park City.
The festival briefly delayed the premiere to address an audio glitch, but the sound still cut out a handful of times during the screening.
The issue, however, didn’t affect the warm reception the film received from its first public audience.
Now, O’Brien and the film in general are receiving high praise as the Sundance Film Festival wraps up.
‘Twinless,’ Dylan O’Brien win Sundance awards
On Friday morning, the Sundance Film Festival handed out top prizes and awards — and “Twinless” rose to the top.
As Variety reported, the film won the Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic category, and O’Brien took the Special Jury Award for acting in the same category.
What ‘Gilmore Girls’ star Lauren Graham said about ‘Twinless’
Lauren Graham, who has solidified her role as a strong motherly figure in shows like “Gilmore Girls” and “Parenthood,” brings an edgier tone to her supporting role as O’Brien’s grieving mom in “Twinless.”
“James (Sweeney) said, ‘I’m surprised that you’re willing to play someone so unsympathetic,” she said with a laugh during the post-screening Q&A. “And I said, ‘Yeah!’”
Like her co-star O’Brien, Graham said it was a no-brainer joining the cast of “Twinless” — ultimately a testament to Sweeney’s knack for storytelling.
“I was so fascinated when I read it,” she said during the Q&A. “It was unlike anything I’d ever read, and it still is.”
