DJ Qualls may not be the most-known name inHollywood, but he's made as much impact as any A-lister. Qualls initially received his start inRoad Tripalongside 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 aninterview with podcaster Joe Vulpis, theSupernaturalactor delved into howRoad Tripled 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 whenThe New Guyscript 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 becauseThe New Guywas 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-centricBring It Onpremiere to meet with Eliza Dushku, presumably as an impromptu audition. They likely hit it off because theWrong Turnactress wound up starring inThe New Guy.
What Happened After
The New Guyopened 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 inThe CoreandHustle & 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 onSupernaturaland Citizen Z on the zombie-ladenZ-Nation.
Mind you, Qualls isn't done yet. He can be seen on HBO MAX'sBookieseries and will appear in1780alongside Kevin Spacey later this year.
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