Known for his portrayal of Dawson in the first season of Reacher, and as Jamie in the dance drama Swing Kids, A.J. Simmons has also appeared as Vincent in the horror drama Slasher. Based in Toronto, Canada, the film, television, and theatre actor is also a tap dancer and choreographer. In the horror thriller FROM, Simmons is Randall, a recent contentious arrival who may hold the secret to the mysterious town and its frightful inhabitants
FROM is a tense thriller/horror series about feeling trapped. What drew you to the role of Randall?
A.J. Simmons: I just like how intense he is. How pragmatic he is. And he just doesn’t take any crap. He’s very much about doing his own thing. He’s selfish but efficient. And he’s not afraid to stand up for what he believes. I like characters like that who have a strong point of view.
What did you find most challenging about being in this series and playing Randall?
Simmons: Every project has different challenges. I think coming in late to the series and trying to get into the grove of where everyone else was. It was just that everyone else was so good and keeping up with their energy and not dropping the ball. It was an anxiety of mine.
Randall is a practical skeptic who sees things outside the box. Will he and Jim team up to figure out what’s actually going on?
Simmons: Well, maybe (laughs). And maybe not. Who knows? What I can say is that it’s nice that Randall has a kindred spirit in Jim. They want the same thing and they’re thinking from the same page. They’re not closing the door on any possibility. Where that will take them, well, there’s definitely fireworks there.
Do you have a favorite scene or scenes?
Simmons: I kind of like the scenes where Randall interacts with Donna (Elizabeth Saunders). It’s this constant back and forth, butting their heads. There’s always the threat of danger there. In fact, there’s always a threat of danger with Randall, and that something’s going to go south very quickly. And working with Eion (Jim Matthews) was great.
What have you learned about this business that surprised you?
Simmons: That I should not have my character have his shirt open in the wintertime when shooting outside (laughs).
Switching gears, what do you enjoy most about dance and choreography?
Simmons: The freedom. You don’t need anyone else for it. You can just turn on the music or not and just express yourself.
Were you like in high school? The guy most likely to…?
Simmons: Ahhmm. I don’t know. Disappear maybe (laughs). I didn’t do much drama in high school. But dancing, yes.
