Actor Graham Phillips on Starring in Goats
- Photo courtesy of Kristiina Wilson1/4
Can you tell us about the plot of Goats and the character you play?
"I play Ellis Whitman, who's fifteen years old. He's used to a relad, laid-back lifestyle in Arizona with his new-age mother and his goat-herding father figure, who everyone calls 'Goat Man'—played by David Duchovny. My character decides that he wants to get closer to his biological father, so he decides to go to an all-boys boarding school on the East Coast."
"Ellis meets his father, played by Modern Family's Ty Burrell, and he's the polar opposite of his mother—he's trying to live a very structured, strict new life. He bosses Ellis around and is really critical of him. The film is really about accepting that there are gradations of love. Just because a part of someone is bad for you and toxic, it doesn't mean you have to totally reject that person. It's about learning to take parts that are good for you and leaving the rest behind, and coming to terms with your family."
- Photo of Graham and David Duchovny in Goats courtesy of Prodigy PR2/4
It seems like an emotionally taxing role. What were some of the challenges in taking this on?
"It was my first lead in a film, so it was difficult on a base level. I was working hours that I had never worked before. The script had so much more depth for my character than I was used to. I just loved that; I loved having that whole process of creating a character from scratch."
This movie has an incredible cast. Did you bond with the other actors?
"David Duchovny and I became really close, and we got together after the film was done. He actually wrote me my letter of recommendation to Princeton because he went there as well. I love Modern Family, so it was a dream for me to work with Ty Burrell, although Ty's role in this film is very serious. There were multiple times that Ty's character is supposed to deliver a joke and try to be funny, but it doesn't land well. Seeing Ty force himself to make a bad joke was so funny because I know how funny he really is. Vera Farmiga is so talented, and she was supportive of me on and off camera."
- Photo of Graham and David Duchovny in Goats courtesy of Prodigy PR3/4
You're headed off to Princeton in the fall. Why did you decide to take a break in your career to attend college?
"My dream is to direct and write my own screenplays as well as act, so I wanted to get some formal training. Writing is something that requires a little more structure, and I love learning. I want to study psychology, and if I am making my own films, I think it's important to have that background. Everyone I've talked to has said that beyond the learning experience, college is such a unique social experience that I'd be a fool not to at least try it."
- Photo of Graham in Goats courtesy of Prodigy PR4/4
Do you have any other projects on the horizon?
"I just finished a film called Innocence, which is about this girl who discovers that her school has a vampire-like witch sect. It's a psychological thriller. I'm also starting a music career, and we're about to start my album. Growing up, I always loved Frank Sinatra, so we're fusing that style with a Michael Buble sound. Singing has played such a huge role in my life; I started doing theater when I was younger. My dream is to do all three: film, television, and music."




