If you’ve spent the last few years watching Jack Alcott navigate the bloody legacy of his father on Dexter: New Blood, his latest role might feel like a familiar tune—but with a much different soundtrack. In Lone Rider, which held its world premiere at the RiverRun International Film Festival just a few weeks ago, Alcott trades the snowy woods of Iron Lake for the humid, midnight backroads of Pennsylvania.

Directed by Adam Jumba, Alcott portrays a “lonely millennial” who steals his father’s 1989 Mustang while dealing with old regrets and navigating relationships in Pennsylvania. Ahead of the premiere, we chatted with Alcott, Rose Reid (who plays Alice) and Jumba.

Here’s what they had to say.

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Alcott the origins of the story and Tyler’s emotional paralysis:

Before we did Blue Glass Heaven, we did something for that… Tyler has strong feelings. He’s conflicted the week before she moves and wants to tell her how he feels, but he doesn’t. This is a feature—a follow-up to try to get closure, but not much has changed. It stuck him in the mud, and he has stayed pretty mired. It was an opportunity to revisit a character.

Alcott on His First Feature Film:

“It’s been a blessing and a blast. This is my first feature in film; everything else has been in television. It’s the first time I’ve gotten to come up with my own stuff in that way—it’s a truly creative medium. More importantly, post-COVID and post-strikes, this felt like a door opening, a ‘show me what you got’ moment. It’s a quirky, interesting, human piece of art. There is something really special about getting to make a project like that; it feels extra authentic.

Alcott on his role as a Producer and the collaborative process:

Producing on this project did start like, ‘Shoot, I’ll put my name on it,’ but that can take all sorts of shapes. I enjoyed really getting to collaborate. I will take zero credit in writing it, but I was involved as far as tweaking and streamlining. The narrative is complex but super subtle; if it’s not executed correctly, it can read as flat. We were adding scenes, subtracting scenes—everything was a conversation and a willingness to give it a shot. Little things here and there helped in the casting process and determining what might make this look and feel more authentic.

Alcott on what he hopes audiences take away from the character:

Tyler is a really specific character, and I hope people don’t see too much of themselves in him. But everybody has felt stuck, whether their problems are crushing and massive or they just don’t want to do anything about them. If audiences don’t identify with Tyler, they definitely know a Tyler. It’s very easy to be stuck in processes that aren’t massive. It doesn’t take much—you can make life so much harder for yourself, but it also doesn’t take much to see the light. I hope audiences can find that in the story and see that in themselves.

Photo: Jumba Films Production

Reid on her long-standing friendship and creative trust with the team:

Jack and I have been friends for a very long time. We reconnected through mutual friends, and seeing the faith Jack had in Adam made it so much easier to dive in. It changes everything when it’s a team effort and you’re working alongside some of your best friends. The thing that really grabbed me about the script was that the love wasn’t unrequited; Alice knew Tyler loved her, and she felt the same way, but he just didn’t have the courage to say it. It’s a beautiful, discovering tale, and while I can’t speak to what the ‘canon’ is, Alice had a lot going on. She had these big dreams, but she also really loved Tyler. Had he said something, she might have put those dreams aside—but when someone isn’t brave enough or is too afraid, you eventually have to move on.

Reid on her acting process and stepping into Alice’s world:

My process depends on every film. With Alice, she was ambitious and eclectic. I’m not very eclectic in my own life, so I tend to experience the world through someone else’s perspective. When I read a script, I focus on the character’s main goals—something I think a lot of actors hone in on. I look for the subtext in every single line. She’s saying this, but what does she really mean? It was so much fun to explore that with Alice, especially because she had such a strong presence and I was working with friends like Jack.

Reid on the ultimate destination of the journey:

I hope audiences take away the idea that as long as you’re on your journey, the destination matters. Tyler and Alice end up in very different places, but those destinations weren’t wrong. I truly cannot say more glowing things about this project.

Photo: Jumba Films Production

Jumba on the Film

I would simply say that this is a personal film that I worked on since 2015 off and on, and I feel like all the little eras of my life during that window made it little by little in the film – crafting it as it came together. And getting to make this movie with some of my best friends, in the city I grew up in, filming in locations such as — my high school football stadium, the house I grew up in, the marina where my first ever job was, and more — and then getting to premiere in the city I went to film school in, at the exact theater where I had all my directing classes, is both surreal and rewarding beyond anything I could have ever dreamt!

Featured Photo: Jumba Films Production

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Author Bio

Jael Rucker is the founder of Decked Out Magazine. She has previously worked as the Associate Commerce Editor at PureWow, focusing on analytics and trends to pitch stories and optimize articles that build and engage their audience. Her work has also been seen in Footwear News and WWD. Prior to 2024, she was the style and pop culture editor at ONE37pm for over three years, contributing numerous product reviews, brand profiles and fashion trend reports, which included interviewing Steph Curry, Snoop Dogg and more.