Actor Brent Bailey Discusses The Huntsman

Brent Bailey is no stranger to darker genre work, with roles spanning Tubi’s Dante’s Hotel, Fox’s Lucifer, and the upcoming horror film Dead of Night alongside Dermot Mulroney. His latest project, Epic Pictures’ The Huntsman, centers on an ICU nurse who volunteers to help a coma patient accused of murdering six women—only to find himself pulled into a disturbing web of lies, obsession, and deadly secrets as a detective closes in on the truth.

Joining the production at the last minute, Bailey found himself immediately drawn to the film’s dark tone and character-driven approach—particularly the complexity of Reynolds, a cop whose sense of justice doesn’t always align with the rules. In the interview below, Bailey discusses the creative process of making The Huntsman.

Watch The Huntsman here.

What was your first reaction to the script for The Huntsman, and what made you want to be part of this particular story?

What’s wild is that I actually read the script for the first time on the plane flying to OKC. Another actor had originally been attached to play Reynolds, but there was a last-minute scheduling issue, and the team needed someone to step in quickly. I talked with Kyle and Maddison, and they felt I’d be a great fit.

As I was reading it on the plane, I was immediately pulled in by the dark, mysterious tone of the story. What really drew me to the project at first was the cast — I’d admired all of their work across so many different genres, and the chance to collaborate with them was exciting.

Once I landed in OKC and actually met everyone, I knew I’d made the right decision. The energy was great, and I was genuinely happy to be part of the story.

Without giving anything away, your character occupies a complicated moral space. How did you navigate that ambiguity as an actor?

I obviously had my own interpretation of what I thought was really going on beneath the surface, so I came in having made clear choices. Playing a character with loose morals is always exciting because there’s so much room to explore — you’re not boxed into one clear right or wrong.

Once I got on set, though, I really trusted the director. Kyle was fantastic — he’s a pro and knew exactly what he wanted. I let him help shape and steer those choices in the way that best served Reynolds. At the end of the day, if he was happy, I was happy, because it meant the character was landing the way it was meant to.

What conversations did you have with director Kyle Kaukika Harris early on about tone, pacing, and how much to reveal through performance versus dialogue?

Because I came onto the project pretty last minute, we didn’t have a long runway of early conversations. Kyle had watched my reel and felt confident I could step into Reynolds, which immediately set a foundation of trust.

Once we were on set, everything felt very easy. Kyle is fantastic with actors, and we had a really open, ego-free dialogue. He was very responsive to what I was bringing to the character and would make thoughtful adjustments to shape it toward his overall vision.

I love working with directors who know exactly what they want, can clearly communicate it, and also know when they’ve captured it. Kyle is that kind of director, and that made navigating tone and restraint feel very organic.

Did you draw from any real-world experiences or influences while building this character?

Reynolds is very different from me, but I think that’s what made him interesting to play. I do believe he has redeeming qualities, and at his core, he genuinely wants to be a good cop.

That said, after doing the job for so long and being exposed to so much darkness, he’s drifted into a more cynical place. He doesn’t always want to follow the book — he wants justice, even if his methods are flawed. In his own mind, his motives are “good,” but the way he goes about achieving them is where things get complicated.

With any role, I try to bring parts of myself into the performance while staying true to the circumstances of the story. I wouldn’t personally make the same choices Reynolds makes, but I approached him in a way that allowed his decisions to make emotional sense to me.

Was there a particular scene that challenged you or pushed you outside your comfort zone?

Honestly, any scene where I had to be mean to Jessy Schram was challenging. She’s the absolute sweetest person in real life, and I’m so grateful I not only got to know her but also got to share the screen with her.

I always tried to play our scenes in a way where it made sense why her character would be drawn to Reynolds — why she’d want to be romantic with him or keep him as a partner — even though that emotional openness just isn’t who Reynolds is. Finding that balance pushed me a bit outside my comfort zone, but it made those moments more interesting to play.

What did you learn from this film that you’ll carry into future roles?

Every film, TV show, or even commercial I work on is a reminder of why I love doing this. I love stepping into new characters, meeting new people, and getting to experience places I might never otherwise see.

This film really reinforced that for me. I fell in love with OKC, and I made friendships on this project that I know will last a lifetime.

More than anything, it reminded me how fortunate I am to get to do this for a living. I don’t take that for granted, and I carry that sense of gratitude and openness into every new role.

How does working on tightly focused horror/thrillers such as The Huntsman or Dante’s Hotel compare to working on a romantic comedy such as The Idea of You?

Even though the tones are completely different, the approach for me isn’t necessarily that different. Working with Anne Hathaway and Michael Showalter on The Idea of You was honestly surreal. They’re absolute legends, and just being hired to collaborate with them is something I’ll never forget.

On The Idea of You, there was a lot more room for play — improv, exploration, and trying different versions of a scene. With tighter horror or thrillers like The Huntsman or Dante’s Hotel, the focus is much more precise. I’d come in, do the scene as written, and make sure we were hitting the necessary beats to serve the story.

Romantic comedies tend to allow a bit more freedom with the dialogue because the relationships are really what make them work. Another big difference is scale. When you’re only on a project for a few days, your job is to help build a piece of the puzzle. When you’re leading a film and living in it every day, you feel more comfortable helping rearrange the pieces. Both experiences are valuable — just in very different ways.

You have a horror film coming out called Dead of Night starring Dermot Mulroney. What can you tell us about your work on that film?

Dead of Night is a really fun film. It has this great blend of Stranger Things meets Scream meets I Know What You Did Last Summer. It’s campy in the best way and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

My character helps fill in some of the blanks and guides the audience through parts of the story without giving too much away. I actually met Derek Sulek and Oren Kamara on another film a few years ago, and we instantly became friends — so when they call with a project, it’s an easy yes for me.

One of the interesting things about this film is that all of my scenes were shot separately from the rest of the cast, which is easier to understand after you’ve seen the film. I haven’t seen their footage, and they haven’t seen mine, so I’m really excited to see how it all comes together in the final cut — especially alongside Dermot Mulroney.

What was your favorite horror film of 2025? Why?

I’m always terrible with “favorites” because my taste honestly changes depending on my mood that day. So I’m going to use this question as an excuse to plug a friend and say I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Not only is it a really fun horror ride, but my friend Leah McKendrick wrote it. Watching her career take off has been incredible — she’s insanely talented and was actually part of the inspiration for me to start writing myself, which eventually led to a film I wrote and sold to Lifetime in 2022 called The Holiday Dating Guide.

And while they’re not all from last year, some horror films that have really stuck with me over time are It Follows, Midsommar, and the original Final Destination.

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You can read our review of The Huntsman here >