In our Q&A series Last Call, we get down to the bottom of every last thing with some of our favorite celebs — from the last thing they texted to the last thing they binge-watched. This week, actor Keegan Allen takes our call.
For all of our fellow Pretty Little Liars fans, Keegan Allen’s latest film No Escape kind of reads like it could be a twisted, 10 times scarier episode from the series — in which a social media star and his friends have to fight for their lives after they enter an escape room when abroad. So if you’re a horror movie fan and still rewatch episodes with Toby from PLL, you’ll probably want to add this latest film to your weekend watch list. Ahead of the film’s release, we chatted with the hilarious Keegan about the movie, the last piece of advice he received that changed his life, and much more.
What was your last day filming No Escape like?
Very fulfilling. Lots of great memories but, as you have seen . . . very hard on the body and mind. I was happy to grab a bite with our amazing director, Will Wernick, and celebrate. The last day was very fun. We danced . . . or maybe I imagined we danced? I could have just been asleep and imagined we all danced. Hmm . . . most of the movie was a night shoot, so I was sleepy and delirious. Now that we are talking about it, I don’t think we danced . . . now that I am thinking about it more, no one danced. I also think I dreamed about Will and I having dinner, too.
Last piece of advice you received that changed your life?
Not to compare ourselves to others today, but rather to who we were yesterday. Also, not to fly to Sweden with someone who is clearly in a cult. Or Russia for escape rooms. Just don’t do anything in a narrative that a character in a movie could possibly regret. Also, limit phone usage and be present with people you love. Cell phone addiction is really making me depressed lately. It’s been great to shut it off and pretend like I’m back in the ’90s . . . which was depressing for other reasons, but I was present!
Last thing you watched on Netflix?
I don’t have Netflix but I played The Last of Us Part II straight through and that was similar to binge-watching a great show. I cried. (I cry a lot.) And then I fell down a massive rabbit hole of videos discussing the controversy surrounding it. Not Netflix — the video game.
Last photo on your camera roll?
A picture of California’s Blade Runner skyline thanks to the gender reveal . . . I mean . . . forest fires burning statewide. Grateful for all our brave firefighters. True heroes. My friend Zach is out there now. Stay safe dude. The fire is very close to my house — super stressful. The air feels dangerous to breathe in. I rode my motorcycle up a mountain to get a better view. Here is a photo. Apocalypse orange diastolic skies fueled by climate, let’s change the subject.
Anyway, the light looks radioactive, here is a picture of [my girlfriend] Ali during the heatwave/fires/apocalypse! Humans are having a rough year, but we can always count on us to photograph and document it.
Last gift you received?
My [girlfriend] got me an SOS location GPS SAT SAR, which will bring search and rescue helicopters in the event of an emergency. It’s not random. I wanted this gift badly. I told her I wanted it for my [birthday], and she absolutely delivered. Now I can venture deep into the forest without fear! Thankful! Also, yes I got the idea to get one while shooting No Escape. Pressing the SOS button would trigger an abrupt rescue and a happy-ending “credits roll” to any real-life misadventure. Hopefully.
Last workout?
Legs. I did legs. Yeah. Leg day. I’m not joking. Why do I feel like you are laughing? Also, reminds me. I love stunt people. I tried to do my own stunts in this movie and ended up leaving it to the professionals. Wow. Huge respect.
Last time you got dressed up?
To do this interview. I put clothes on for the first time in months!
Last thing you do before going to bed?
Stare into my nightmare rectangle (phone) for great DIY recipes of foods I will never make, watch deeply complex debate videos on metaphysics [and] lectures on dogmatic origins of the cosmos, or allow full mental capitulation and watch infomercials . . . great to watch before bed. I sometimes also look at pictures of the “before times” like these! I miss my gym and my friends a lot. Yes we wore matching gym clothes.
Last song or album you listened to?
Phoebe Bridgers’s Punisher. Damn. It’s so good. All of Phoebe Bridgers’s (and her 52 other bands she’s in) music has been my pivot out of Elliott Smith during quarantine. So inspirational. Her music helped me out of a funk to write my new music (coming soon). She is a true genius. Her solo stuff is an amalgamation of all the right sounds with lyrics that will slap the tears out of you. She also has done probably 120 tiny desk concerts now. Each one is incredible, but the desk changes.
Last thing you did with your No Escape costar Holland Roden?
It was in the “before times,” we saw each other at the premiere — she told me that she is starting a YouTube channel. Appropriate!
Last thing you took home from a set?
My sides . . . are you trying to get me in trouble? I’m not a thief. Oh wait, I did forever borrow the boots I wore in the movie.
Last book you read?
Inner Engineering: A Yogi’s Guide to Joy [by] Sadhguru. Also, and I’m serious, Goodnight Moon. And here is me right at this exact second! OK bye! Enjoy No Escape. Also, stay aware! Vote! Stay safe.
Check out Keegan in No Escape, available now on demand and on digital platforms!