In a recent interview with Variety, Garrett Wareing discussed his role in the recently released The Long Walk. The film, based on the popular novel by Stephen King under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, follows a group of 50 young men living in a fictional dystopian America who volunteer for the titular Long Walk competition, where they must walk until there’s only one survivor. In the film, Wareing plays Stebbins, one of the more dedicated young men who avoids making any connections to his fellow competitors in an effort to win.
In the interview, Wareing discussed the process he took to audition for the role, saying:
“Initially, I auditioned for The Long Walk five years ago when it was a completely different team. I just remember falling in love with this story way back then, and when I saw the film come back around, it just reinvigorated excitement within me. I initially auditioned for the role of Barkovich, and Rich Delia, our casting director, then asked me who I wanted to potentially play in the film. I was given the new script to read, and I found myself drawn towards Stebbins. One thing led to another, and I ended up doing a tape for Stebbins. I got my friends from “Ransom Canyon” to go out into the desert to shoot it with me, and we shot my audition tape walking in the desert.”
Wareing was also asked why he thinks the book has resonated with audiences for almost 50 years. Here was his answer:
“There’s something that we can all relate to within the story. Even though it is this brutal walk that we’re seeing these boys go through, it’s also a lesson to appreciate what we have while we have it. Everything is temporary in life, but if we can have beautiful experiences and share them with others during that temporary experience, can that be enough? We see how much these boys get to love one another and get to know one another, and it ends up teaching us a lesson just by being an audience member to appreciate what you have while you have it.”
The Long Walk is in theaters now.
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