Wasteman’s “Immersive” Prison Story & Production Broken Down By 100% RT Thriller Stars

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David Jonsson and Tom Blyth easily connected with and understood the experiences of their characters in Wasteman.

Originally intended for the Safdie brothers, this thriller is now directed by Cal McMau. It follows Taylor, a prisoner who’s spent 13 years cooking and struggling with addiction, relying on fragile connections with fellow inmates to get drugs. Just when Taylor learns he’s about to be paroled, a new cellmate named Dee arrives. Dee is dangerous and unpredictable, and his efforts to run a drug operation inside prison put Taylor’s newfound freedom at risk.

Following his recent roles in HBO’s Industry and Alien: Romulus, Jonsson takes the lead in Wasteman as Taylor. He’s joined by Tom Blyth, who recently starred in both The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and the Billy the Kid series, playing Dee. The film also features Alex Hassell (known from Violent Night), along with Corin Silva, Paul Hilton, Neil Linpow, and Layton Blake.

The prison thriller Wasteman premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival to widespread praise. It currently has a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. After its initial release in the United Kingdom in late February, the film will be released in American theaters on April 17th.

I recently read a fascinating interview on ScreenRant with David Jonsson and Tom Blyth about their new film, Wasteman. They talked about how incredibly immersive the experience was – they actually filmed inside a real prison! They discussed building a real sense of trust with each other, which was key for those really intense scenes, all while staying in character. What I found particularly cool was that they worked closely with the charity Switchback to make sure the film accurately portrayed life inside a prison.

Jonsson & Blyth Worked Hard To “Get Away From Acting” In The Film

Much of the praise for Wasteman focuses on how realistically it portrays the prison system, with filming taking place in locations like Shepton Mallet Prison, London, and Somerset. According to director Jonsson, the team’s main goal was to create an authentic and relatable depiction of the experience for anyone who has been through the system.

We wanted to create a film that resonates with a wide audience – those who’ve experienced crime as victims, those who’ve been involved with the justice system, or simply anyone who pays taxes. Essentially, we aimed for universal relatability. When making the film, we really focused on strong performances as the core of our approach.

Jonsson and Blyth created a truly immersive experience in their production by collaborating with the charity Switchback, a UK program that trains people preparing to leave prison with job skills. Switchback staff and program participants served as both consultants and extras on set, bringing authentic lived experience to the project. The actors intentionally moved away from traditional acting, allowing the raw emotion and reality of the situation to drive their performances.

Jonsson especially appreciated the authenticity and lived experience the Switchback actors brought to the project. He felt they helped him and his co-star move beyond simply acting, creating a more genuine performance. Blyth agreed, noting that whenever they felt themselves falling into artificiality, they only needed to look around at the Switchback actors—people who had actually lived through similar situations—to reconnect with the truth of the scene. They reminded themselves to simply be present and share the space with these actors, allowing their experiences to inform the performance.

Tom Blyth explained that the incredibly realistic prison set really helped them connect with the truth of the story. It also encouraged honest performances, because the other actors would quickly notice if someone wasn’t being genuine. He said actors dread being seen as inauthentic, and that motivated him to accurately and respectfully portray the characters and their stories.

Beyond the Switchback team, Jonsson and Blyth relied heavily on their strong connection to make sure they were completely aligned throughout the project. As someone who previously worked on Long Walk, Jonsson emphasized that a film like Wasteman demands “a huge amount of trust” between everyone involved, adding that he and Blyth were “friends first and colleagues second.” Given the incredibly tight 18-day shooting schedule, there was simply “no room for error,” meaning everyone needed to be fully focused at all times.

A key moment testing the characters’ trust occurred during their first meeting, when Dee immediately disrobed, unexpectedly establishing a dominant dynamic with Taylor. Blyth jokingly remarked he’d have to be more selective about future roles, referencing his recent full-frontal scene following a comedic nude scene in People We Meet on Vacation. He quipped that he’d shown too much skin already.

Because it was early in filming and their roles were emotionally demanding, Jonsson and Blyth made a point of regularly checking in with each other to make sure they were doing okay, despite staying in character most of the day.

Tom Blyth explained that when they accidentally broke character during filming, it was usually him checking in with David, asking if everything was okay. David, being a seasoned professional, would always give him the go-ahead to continue. One of the first times this happened, Tom was very close to David and jokingly apologized for putting him in an awkward position. Ultimately, though, Tom believes these moments contributed to the film’s boldness and authenticity.

Wasteman’s Big Riot Scene Was “Really Cathartic” For Blyth To Film

For most of the 90-minute film, Taylor is consumed by anger, which finally explodes when he attacks two rival prisoners and starts a riot. He then fiercely fights against the heavily armored guards. Actor Blyth described filming the riot – which happened near the end of production – as a very freeing experience. He enjoyed being able to move freely through the prison wing and was encouraged to fully commit to the chaotic scene.

He revealed that much of the scene wasn’t scripted, but rather made up on the spot. The director, Cal McMau, and the crew initially planned the basic movements, but the location itself inspired a sense of unpredictability. Despite enjoying the shoot, the actor confessed to having one minor disappointment about the whole experience.

Tom Blyth described the experience as a chaotic push against the riot shields, where he and others went all-out. His main regret was simply not being in better shape; he quickly tired from physically pushing against the shields and the well-trained stunt performers acting as the opposition. He wished he’d prioritized cardio beforehand.

I was really fascinated by a recent conversation between director Tom Jonsson and actor Daniel Blyth about the riot scene in Wasteman. Jonsson was saying how you’d never even know how physically drained Blyth was during filming, and Blyth immediately joked that it was down to the ‘great editing’! He then went on to explain that he actually busted his lip and was literally banging his head against the riot shields during the sequence. It got so intense that, by the end, he couldn’t even tell the difference between the real blood and the fake stuff – talk about commitment!

Towards the end of the interview, the discussion shifted to the upcoming Alien: Romulus sequel. Caius Jonsson is likely to reprise his role, and while Fede Álvarez is writing the script again, he won’t be directing – he revealed this last September. When asked for updates, Jonsson jokingly said, “I’m not allowed to share anything,” adding, “You knew I was going to say that to you.”

Jonsson shared his personal excitement for the project and thinks Álvarez is working on something amazing. However, he doesn’t have any new information to share about the Alien: Romulus sequel at this time.

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2026-04-13 18:16