Actors and director of ‘Hazard’ discuss ‘telling Appalachian stories’ ahead of film’s Friday release

By Matthew Young, RealWV

“Hazard” may not be a true story in the literal sense, but it is, at a minimum, the near-autobiographical tale of far too many Appalachians. 

Opening today throughout West Virginia, the film borrows its name from the small Kentucky mining town that provides the setting. Hazard follows Will, a young father desperately holding on to what remains of his life, as the town he grew up in withers and dies. Will’s journey leads him to fill the shoes of both victim and abuser.

It is a story authentically told by Will’s actor, Alex Roe. 

“I think actors are supposed to service the story,” Roe said, while speaking with RealWV Monday afternoon. “But in servicing the story, we can still want to be storytellers.”

Best known to American audiences for his portrayal of lawman Pat Garrett in the MGM+ drama series “Billy the Kid,” the British-born Roe flawlessly sheds his London accent in favor of a more traditional Appalachian dialect. But more so than his verbal transformation, Roe’s performance as Will – a character losing his fight with opioid addiction while trying to convince those around him that he isn’t – seamlessly evolves on screen as he descends further into despair. 

Playing the part of Sara – the mother of Will’s young son – is Sosie Bacon. Known for her role in the 2022 horror film “Smile,” Bacon’s Sara struggles to manage her sobriety, while balancing her love for Will with the understanding that his addiction is ravaging their family. 

John, Sara’s police officer brother and Will’s lifelong friend, is played by veteran character-actor Dave Davis. Known for his television work on “The Walking Dead” and “True Detective,” and his film work in “Logan” and “The Big Short,” Davis portrays John as believing his ethical-ambiguities to be the only path toward ending the opioid epidemic plaguing Hazard. John’s interactions with both Sara and Will are terse, and frequently strained. He speaks to them in a way that feels authentic when engaging with a denying addict. 

“The thing that we (actors) gravitate towards, is just vulnerable, honest works,” Davis said, while also speaking with us on Monday. “Good scripts and good characters that are based in reality – dialogue that allows you to create great conversations that are just real.”

Devoid of any true sense of good or bad, Hazard is a story told in the gray areas just below the surface of everyday life. It searches for the acceptance which rests between despair and hope, while acknowledging both the pain and the love that exist in all three. It is a story which reminds its viewer that, while redemption is attainable for everyone, it is a promise made to no one. 

But for all that it is, Hazard is simply a story well told.

“There’s certainly a time during production – whenever the actors start delivering the lines – it becomes their story, and not your story anymore,” said Eddie Mensore, who both wrote and directed the film. “They are every bit as much storytellers as I am.”

“There is a moment that it hits you, where you’re like, ‘It’s not my character anymore. It’s their character, and I’m just there to service them,’” Mensore added. 

Although Winter Storm Blair saw our conversation with the three storytellers relegated to a Zoom call, their excitement for the film was no less palpable than if we’d been drinking coffee at the same table. And for Mensore, the film’s Appalachian opening adds additional dimensions to that excitement. 

“I grew up in West Virginia, and I consider myself an Appalachian filmmaker,” Mensore, a native of New Martinsville, told us. “I love writing – it’s my heart. But I think those West Virginia history classes when I was a kid always just did something to me, and I always just really fell in love with those stories.”

“Mine 9,” Mensore’s 2019 film about nine miners trapped two miles below ground, was shot on location in a real West Virginia coal mine. 

“The older I get, I always think of those West Virginia history classes I had growing up,” Mensore said. 

Despite having no prior connection to Appalachia, Roe, who was also featured alongside Golden Globe-winner Timothée Chalamet in the 2018 crime drama Hot Summer Nights, found commonality in the humanity of Hazard.

“It’s a story that has addiction as a backdrop,” Roe said. “It has small town Appalachia as a backdrop, but it is really just a human story about hardship, and survival, and struggle, and love, and family, and all of those kinds of things.”

“I try to look for characters that are complex, who aren’t necessarily all good or all evil, who sit somewhere in the gray,” Roe added. “I think that’s where we all sit as humans.”

The film, Mensore noted, was shot in Harlan, Kentucky – about an hour south of Hazard. 

“Alex (Roe) went there very, very early,” Mensore said through a laugh. “More than he should have for what he was getting paid for.”

“He really dove deep into the people of the community, and went to NA (narcotics anonymous) meetings,” Mensore continued. “They really helped him. People in recovery, Alex worked with them daily for a long time. He met some people that he’s still close with today.”

Living in northern Europe, Roe has had limited exposure to the opioid epidemic, noting, “I think it hit this part of the world in a different way than it hit the UK.” However, both Mensore and Davis have been deeply affected by the crisis.

“I’ve seen far too many friends fall victim to opioids,” Davis said. “I’ve lost, sadly, multiple friends to heroin, and I’ve seen many more struggle with all sorts of other drugs and alcohol.”

“It’s extremely personal,” Davis added.

Being from Appalachia, the situation is personal to Mensore, as well.

“I look at it the same as a coal mine disaster – like when Sago went, ” Mensore said, referring to the 2006 mine explosion which claimed 12 lives. “It’s just some of the shocking things that happen during our lifetime growing up here.”

“So yeah, I know too many people, and too many stories,” Mensore added.

Rounding out the cast are Steven Ogg, Barbara Eaker, Kevin Sizemore, and young Emmett Moss in the role of Sara and Will’s son, Morgan. 

In summation of the film, Mensore described Hazard as “a story about compassion and love.”

“I hope people on the outside that watch it can have a greater compassion for the people of Appalachia. And for the people of Appalachia, I think that we can have greater compassion for those going through addiction, that are very easily written off in life,” Mensore added.

Davis also offered a brief summary, albeit far more on the nose.

“On a grand scale, I think the title really says it all,” Davis said. “It’s a warning – Hazard. It’s a big, red sign saying, to anyone anywhere in the world, be careful because this could just as easily be your loved ones, or just as easily be you.”

Hazard opens today in movie theaters throughout West Virginia, including Marquee Cinemas locations in Charleston, Huntington, and Beckley, Upshur Cinema 6, New Martinsville’s Valley Cinema 3, Lewisburg Cinema 8, and many others. Hazard will also have a limited three-show run at The Alban Arts Center, January 24 and 25. Check your local listings for showtimes and availability in your area.