Interview: Actor Luke Prael for BOARDING SCHOOL

For the upcoming release of the horror film BOARDING SCHOOL, about a troubled young kid sent to a mysterious school run by a sadistic headmaster, Shannon had the chance to speak with Luke Prael about his role as 12-year-old Jacob, finding acceptance and strength within, and his experience filming the movie with friends.

Nightmarish Conjurings: Hi Luke, thank you so much for speaking with me today. To start things off can you tell us a little bit about your character Jacob in the film BOARDING SCHOOL?

Luke Prael: Jacob is a troubled kid at the beginning of the film. He has these bad dreams [that wakes up his family] and he also deals with bullying at school. Basically, his dad sees him in his grandmother’s dress and sends him to a boarding school so that he can stop being a problem for the family. He gets sent to this school where all these messed up kids are also sent to and Jacob ends up saving most of them.

Nightmarish Conjurings: What was it about this character that interested you in the role?

LP: I liked that his character is about finding the strength in his weaknesses. He is ashamed of who he is at the beginning of the film but eventually finds his strength at the end.

Nightmarish Conjurings: Finding one’s strength is a really powerful theme that is showcased throughout the film, same with acceptance of people regardless of their sexual orientation, disfigurements, etc. It sounds like your takeaway from the film was similar in that you should treat people with kindness.

LP: Yup.

Nightmarish Conjurings: BOARDING SCHOOL is your feature film debut. What was your experience like going from doing short films to a full length feature?

LP: It was a pretty big experience. In the short film I only filmed for three days so it was a working adjustment. It was a lot of work but it was also a lot of fun. I didn’t really think of it as work, I just had a lot of fun doing it.

Nightmarish Conjurings: Was there a favorite moment you had while filming?

LP: I really liked hanging out with my friends Sterling Jerins and Kobi and Kadin George on set. That was really fun.

Nightmarish Conjurings: Speaking of which, did you all do anything to bond and become closer to prepare for the film?

LP: Me and Sterling, before we got cast for the roles, have been best friends since she was born. I’ve known her for all my life and our parents are really, really good friends, so it was kind of weird that we got casted in this movie together, but it was a lot of fun. Kobi and Kadi, I’m really good friends with to this day, and I just came back from going on vacation with them.

Nightmarish Conjurings: Last but not least, do you have any projects coming up that we should be keeping our eyes out for in the future?

LP: I have a film out now called EIGHTH GRADE which is directed by Bo Burnham.

Nightmarish Conjurings: Wonderful! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to speak with us and best of luck on your next project!

BOARDING SCHOOL arrives in theaters and On Demand/Digital HD on August 31st

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Shannon McGrew

Founder/Co-Owner at Nightmarish Conjurings

Shannon is the Founder of Nightmarish Conjurings and a lover of all things horror and haunt related. When she's not obsessively collecting all things "Trick 'R Treat" related, or trying to convince everyone that "Hereditary" is one of the greatest horror films ever made, you can find her designing interiors for commercial restaurants. An avid haunt fan, Shannon spends the entire year visiting haunts and immersive experiences throughout the Southern California area and hopes to one day design her own haunted attraction.

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