Fear the Walking Dead's Nick Stahl stars in new horror, What You Wish For
By Renee Hansen
Actor Nick Stahl began his acting career on the stage when he was four. He would go on to star in many notable roles, but his performance in The Man Without a Face at the age of 13 is what brought him well-deserved recognition. Now he stars in a new horror film from Magnet Releasing and Evergreen Avenue, What You Wish For.
The film, written and directed by Nicholas Tomnay (The Perfect Host), was released on May 31, 2024, and can be watched via VOD on Prime Video, AppleTV, and more. Diana Trujillo serves as production designer, with Tomnay, Francesca Silvestri, and Kevin Chinoy as producers and Heidi Arkinstall and Yvette Cobarrubias as executive producers. Tomnay shared that the movie was filmed over the course of 23 days, in a small town south of Bogata, Colombia, where the cast and crew had no hot water, and Stahl shared a room with an unlikely roomie, a 2 ft. iguana.
The story follows a skilled chef, Ryan (Stahl), whose gambling debts have forced him to flee the country. There, he is welcomed by his friend, prestigious chef Jack (Brian Groh), who is wrestling with his own issues. Ryan is envious of his friend's success and extravagant lifestyle, something he desires for himself. Fate will favor Ryan and bestow his wish when he takes on Jack's identity and discovers just how he was able to lead the life he did. As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for.
What You Wish For Cast
- Nick Stahl as Ryan
- Brian Groh as Jack
- Tasmine Topolski as Imogene
- Randy Vasquez as Detective Ruiz
- Penelope Mitchell as Alice
- Juan Carols Messier as Maurice
View the official trailer for What You Wish For below. The film has an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, so be sure to check it out.
What else does Nick Stahl star in?
Fans of Fear the Walking Dead will recognize Stahl as Jason Riley, who was part of a doomsday cult led by Teddy Maddox (John Glover) in season 6. Stahl reprised his role in a webisode series, Dead in the Water, which tells of the personnel onboard the USS Pennsylvania at the time of the outbreak. You can view the episodes for free on YouTube.
Stahl's more recent roles include the Hulu series Tiny Beautiful Things with Kathryn Hahn and the International Feature Film Knights of the Zodiac with Sean Bean and Famke Janssen. He also appears in Let the Right One In, a Showtime horror drama.
He starred with fellow TWDU actor Robert Patrick in the horror thriller What Josiah Saw and alongside Devon Sawa in the horror movie Hunter Hunter. Stahl is also known for his roles in Sin City, Terminator 3, Carnivale, Sleepwalking, and more.
In March, he posted on social media about night shoots for a project titled Keep Quiet. According to IMDB, it is a crime drama that also stars Lou Diamond Phillips. He has also been cast in a revenge thriller Violent Ends.