DJ Qualls may not be the most-known name in Hollywood, but he's made as much impact as any A-lister. Qualls initially received his start in Road Trip alongside Breckin Meyer, Sean William Scott, and Amy Smart, setting him up for an impressive career. While his role as Kyle amounted to a bit part in the movie, it established him as an up-and-comer on the scene. Since then, Qualls has landed role after role.
During an interview with podcaster Joe Vulpis, the Supernatural actor delved into how Road Trip led to the rest of his endeavors. Qualls explained that the comedy movie's success gave him some pull despite not knowing it at the time. He mentions learning how momentum works in the entertainment industry when The New Guy script landed on his desk.
According to Qualls, the pitch was initially great—the problem was that repeated rewrites changed the story too much, causing him to reconsider. Qualls' management team, however, took the actor's concerns to heart. They acquired script and cast approval, with the ultimatum being Qualls walking off the project.
The good news is that things worked out in the end because The New Guy was one of 2002's funniest movies. Who knows if the premise would've worked without Qualls because someone scrawnier or cooler in appearance couldn't make a dork's transformation into a rebel believable. Qualls had exactly the correct look for the role.
Interestingly, the now-veteran performer approved which actors worked opposite him—mainly the female lead. He spoke about traveling to the cheerleader-centric Bring It On premiere to meet with Eliza Dushku, presumably as an impromptu audition. They likely hit it off because the Wrong Turn actress wound up starring in The New Guy.
What Happened After
The New Guy opened many doors for Qualls—ones that he presumably didn't know would become accessible so soon in his career. At one point, he ran in circles with the likes of Paul Walker and Lindsey Lohan. They weren't necessarily close, though, in the same friend groups.
Qualls took on a few more movie roles, including ones in The Core and Hustle & Flow, before transitioning to mostly televised parts. He's done the odd job here and there while remaining consistent on various TV series over the years. Qualls is best recognized as Garth on Supernatural and Citizen Z on the zombie-laden Z-Nation.
Mind you, Qualls isn't done yet. He can be seen on HBO MAX's Bookie series and will appear in 1780 alongside Kevin Spacey later this year.