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Like Father Like Son: Jay & Flashner on Serial Killer Psychology

Like Father Like Son star Dylan Flashner and writer/director Barry Jay spoke to Bleeding Cool about forging a tragic serial killer story.

Since bursting onto the scene in 2020 in his onscreen debut in the TV series That One Time, Dylan Flashner hasn't slowed down with memorable roles in the indie comedy The Comeback Trail (2020) and Focus Features' The Card Counter (2021). His latest reunites him with his That One Time co-star Dermot Mulroney in the Lionsgate psychological thriller Like Father Like Son about Eli (Flashner), who's desperate to distance himself from his father's (Mulroney) violent nature, who's serving on death row because of it. As Eli's life begins to fall apart, he discovers similar terrifying triggers in himself and takes extreme measures to ensure that the family's string of savagery comes to an end. Flashner and writer-director Barry Jay spoke to Bleeding Cool about Flashner's success, meticulously crafting Eli's victims, and if Jay considered infusing a law enforcement narrative as atypical in the crime thriller genre.

Like Father Like Son Director Barry Jay and Star Dylan Flashner on Forging Eli's Fall from Grace to a Serial Killer

Bleeding Cool: Dylan, you have been coming up in an industry for five years; what was the most valuable lesson that helped carry you on your way to this point?

Flashner: Thank you for that. I appreciate it. It's always been to treat other people how you want to be treated, and I've been fortunate enough to get the opportunity. I don't think many people get an opportunity. I come from a sports background, which was a huge aspect of how I approached acting, putting my head down, keeping working, and not worrying about the result. That's worked out for me so far.

Barry, given the way Eli's narrative structure has paralleled his father, then has this little life he's built with Ariel's character. Many of his kills seem just until the final victim; how do you resolve the narratives leading up to the deaths, especially on the final victim, and was there concern on how it frames Eli, blurring the line from being a hero to a tragic villain?

Jay: Eli had an overdeveloped sense of right and wrong, and the boundary was blurred. When he got triggered, regardless of circumstances and feelings that led to accidentally killing an attacker, I guess on the inside, Eli felt good. He stopped what he saw happening, and that released something. All the kills have justifiable anger attached to them, and in Eli's opinion, they're rightfully done, but the last kill was an unexpected trigger.

You never know when somebody is going to snap. Eli made it and managed for seven years, but seeing this guy, even though he's down and out, in his state wasn't enough. He got battered and got triggered, and that's it. That's how I came to the message. As you know, we affect each other. Abuse affects people. You leave. You can leave a scar on somebody, and forgiveness isn't always easy and isn't always granted. Depending on who it is, you might find yourself on the other end of an undeserving punishment. That's where I came from with it.

Was there any consideration to introducing a law enforcement side as part of the crime procedural element where they were tracking Eli's crimes?

Jay: No, that was 100 percent. One of the fascinating aspects of a serial killer is how many they get away with before they're caught if they're caught. At any given time to my research, 50 serial killers in the country were not caught and not detected. I thought to myself, especially in that period, no, I want that. I want there to be no real sign of law enforcement. One night, after a kill, he gets the flashlight in his window, but it has nothing to do with that, and that officer moves on. Eli can get away with it, like Ted Bundy did. He was living that double life.

Like Father Like Son, which also stars Ariel Winter, Mayim Bialik, Vivica A Fox, Eric Michael Cole, and Jim Klock, is currently in theaters, digital, and on-demand.

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