It’s difficult to watch Black Fly and imagine Dakota Daulby in anything but the leading role – and yet, had his original audition landed a little differently, that would have been the case.
Black Fly is director Jason Bourque’s thriller about a charismatic serial killer (portrayed by Matthew MacCaull) and his conflicted younger brother (Daulby).
The locally produced film – based on events that went down in New Brunswick’s Kingston Peninsula where Bourque grew up – was a critical hit of the 2014 Vancouver International Film Festival.
Earlier this month, it was one of 10 Canadian films selected to screen as part of Telefilm’s showcase at Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes.
As Jake Henson, Daulby holds his own in intense scenes with MacCaull’s murder-lovin’ sociopath. Jake’s journey is intense, leading to a climax that is bloody and brutal and brilliantly executed.
But don’t just take Reel People’s word for it. The fine folks at the Leo Awards have nominated Daulby for Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Feature Film for his nuanced performance.
So it’s weird to think about anyone but Daulby in the role of Jake, and downright bizarre to learn that he originally auditioned for a supporting role.
“I remember reading the script for the first time and thinking, ‘Wow, whoever gets to play this role is a lucky guy, it’s a cool role,’ and I was envious,” recalls the Vancouver actor in a recent phone interview.
“Every audition is an opportunity to be seen by somebody, so I changed my mindset and I went and saw Jason and he was gracious and liked what I had chosen, and I didn’t get that role, and he called me back a few days later for the lead, and a week later I was on set.”
Daulby, 20, has amassed a long list of credits over the course of his young career.
Highlights to date include a recurring role on Falling Skies, impactful appearances in Sitting on the Edge of Marlene and iZombie, and a starring gig in the award-winning short, Why does God hate me?
At five years old, he was the national poster boy for Toyo Tires.
“They gave me my first introduction to what it was like to do something that’s in the film industry,” says Daulby.
He’s never idle, thanks to words of wisdom drummed into him by his mother, who was once a model and ran an extras agency.
“The constant advice I get every day – honestly, I get this every day – is to stay on your path,” says Daulby. “I have a very clear understanding of where I want to go with my career and what I want to do with it, so it’s about keeping that in mind every day when you wake up and doing something that moves the career forward, that adds to it every day.”
Daulby is up for a second Best Actor Leo: for Roar, a short film about (according to its official write-up) “two brothers divided by pride, brought together to fulfill their Grandfather's final wishes.”
And Daulby’s brother in Roar? Oh, just his brother from Black Fly, MacCaull.
The fact that Daulby and MacCaull were cast to play brothers a second time around isn’t too crazy. They worked hard to create and maintain that brotherly chemistry for Black Fly, according to Daulby.
What’s crazy is that the casting occurred by sheer coincidence.
The actors didn’t audition together, and Roar filmmakers didn’t have a chance to screen Black Fly before casting their short.
“They happened to cast us together, and we thought it was because of Black Fly, but no, they thought our chemistry would work,” says Daulby.
At the Leos, Daulby and MacCaull will compete against each other for acting nods in the same two categories.
Is it “bros before Leos” with MacCaull?
“I’m super thrilled that he got nominated because he did a fantastic job, and I’m sure he’d say the same about me,” raves Daulby. “We put a lot of time into both films, and worked a lot of stuff together so it’s cool that we’re both being recognized for that together.”
Their brotherly chemistry extends off of the screen.
“I remember going to lunch with [MacCaull] when we were filming Black Fly, and we were talking at the table, and I was laughing, and I said ‘shit’ or something like that, and he scolded me like a brother,” laughs Daulby. “I totally apologized.”
May the best bro win.
• The Leo Awards will be handed out over three ceremonies in June. Black Fly screens at Vancity Theatre on May 29. Tickets at VIFF.org.
