Grace Van Dien finds herself at the center of a toxic relationship in the upcoming film What Comes Around when her internet boyfriend turns out to be much older than expected.
In an Us Weekly exclusive clip from the movie, which is out Friday, August 4, Van Dien’s character, Anna, gets a birthday surprise when boyfriend Eric (Kyle Gallner) — who she has never met in-person — reveals he is at her front door.
“I got a little lost. I don’t know where I am. Let me turn the camera around actually. What do you think?” Eric asks while showing Anna his location.
In response, Anna hangs up and questions Eric’s actions over text, writing, “Do you realize how inappropriate and aggressive this is?”
Eric calls back to issue an apology. “I am sorry. I guess I thought it was some big gesture. A big dumb gesture,” he says. “I have a gift for you, I will leave it on the porch.”
What Comes Around explores Anna’s relationship with mother Beth (Summer Phoenix) after she starts dating Eric. The coming-of-age film addresses topics such as toxic online culture, complicated family dynamics and grooming.
Van Dien, 26, recently opened up about how she collaborated with Gallner, 36, on Anna and Eric’s complicated fictional romance.
“Kyle is an angel. I am constantly looking for the next thing he is in. Like, I tried to watch Smile recently because I saw he is in that, but I got like five minutes in and then I got too scared,” she joked to Us. “But Kyle is the kindest person. He is always making sure that everything is OK and our communication is on par. I don’t understand how we found everyone [in the cast].”
Director Amy Redford also praised Gallner’s commitment to the project, saying, “He’s really dedicated to the work and I think what everybody shared was the desire to bring as much compassion to their characters as they possibly could. In doing so, you do a deep dive. You start doing your own internal research [and] you carry things in your pocket that nobody sees.”
Redford, 52, continued: “So he’s just that actor and his awareness about the people around him is what makes him such a great listener on screen — which is hugely captivating. He and Grace both shared that. Many times, I just have to get out of the way. But it was [also about] seeing him bring things to the table that I don’t think he’d necessarily be allowed to bring before — which is for a director the most exciting thing that can happen.”
What Comes Around opens in select theaters and is available on VOD Friday, August 4.
