After his starring in the sci-fi saga The OA, and his big-screen breakout in Jordan Peele’s critically acclaimed horror film Nope, Brandon Perea chases storms along with Tyler Owen (Glen Powell) as Boone in Twisters. A modern chapter to the 1991 blockbuster, Twister, the new epic adventure follows a group of storm chasers as they try to predict and possibly tame one of nature’s most destructive forces.
Boone and the rest of Owen’s squad hail from Arkansas, and the group of adrenaline junkies are in it for the thrills. “They’re a diverse group of fun and crazy hooligans who work efficiently together, but there’s a higher purpose in what they do,” Perea says. “They’re cool because everyone’s just being their genuine honest self, no false fronts. Their goal is to help people and have fun while doing it, and as they reveal themselves to the audience, they will earn everyone’s respect.”
Perea and the cast found inspiration for the vibe of their fun-loving, rag-tag group from the original Twister character, Dusty, played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. “I know that I’m talking about one of the greatest actors of all time,” Perea says. “Hopefully I can bring even just a pinkie-nail amount of that fun-kooky energy he brought to the film.”
Director Lee Isaac Chung also wanted to pay tribute to Hoffman by imbuing some of Dusty’s aesthetic onto Boone. “I also wanted to pay respect to Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was so beloved in Twister, for playing this quirky, thrill-seeking character, Dusty, and whose spirit can be seen in the storm wranglers,” Chung says. “Perhaps the most explicit of those homages are on Boone, Tyler’s right-hand man and hype beast, played by Brandon Perea, who rocks some tie-dye, and on Lily, played by Sasha Lane, the group’s free-spirited drone flyer, whose pants have swatches of floral fabric, all nods to Dusty’s wardrobe prints.”
Catch Boone and the gang as they wrangle tornadoes in Twisters, crashing through Philippine cinemas on July 17.