Valley of the Bones and Ray Donovan Actor Rhys Coiro On Playing Against Type

Rhys Coiro Valley of the Dolls

When you see actor Rhys Coiro (“Entourage”) on screen, you immediately think he’s up to no good. In his latest movie, VALLEY OF THE BONES, at first glance he looks like trouble, but his character ends up being quite the opposite. He talks to CineMovie about playing against type in VALLEY OF THE BONES and the next steps in his acting career.

Directed by Dan Glaser, VALLEY OF THE BONES is an adventure thriller set in the harsh Badlands of North Dakota. Cairo’s character sets off with Anna, his widowed sister-in-law and a disgraced paleontologist, and her 10-year-old son to unearth a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil worth millions of dollars. Their lives are in danger with partner who’s an unstable meth addict with a price on his head.

Roles are reversed in VALLEY OF THE BONES whereas the female lead and motherly figure is unreliable and unable to connect with her son. Coiro’s Nate is more of a nurturing influence on the boy. That was a change of pace for Coiro who often times plays unstable characters like in the current season of Showtimes’ “Ray Donovan.”

“He’s the rock. The steady force in the movie, in a way, and that’s not what I’ve typically done in my career. For the most part, I’ve played the opposite of that. For me that was a nice departure.”

Another advantage in taking the role in VALLEY OF THE BONES was the outdoor locations. The production actually shot in the Badlands in North Dakota where the story takes place. Luckily for the cast and crew, the weather cooperated in the early winter shoot.   

“Luckily it was not as cold as it could have been. It was nice.  I love shooting outdoors. You get the grand scale. That’s what you want to see in a movie especially a movie like this. It’s not just tight shots of people’s face. You get the landscape.”

The Italian-born actor is fluent in Italian and Spanish. Coiro is interested in taking his acting further with a Spanish-speaking role in a Spanish film.  He tells CineMovie he’s met with a Mexico City agent and casting director with the intention of making a film there.  

“I would love to do it in the market.  I haven’t yet had the right opportunity come my way. It’s not a typical path. It’s atypical journey to go in that direction, but I would love to do it.”

One of his fondest memories for the 38-year-old actor was working in Durango, Mexico for the A&E series, “Texas Rising.”

“I had one of the best times of my life working there. I just had a great time.”

When he’s not working, Coiro likes to get his hands dirty. Coiro worked in construction before acting became his primary focus, but he hasn’t given up on those skills. “It’s a life-long past time,” says the VALLEY OF THE BONES actor.

Rhys Coiro’s acting career may still be under construction, but he’s got a busy slate coming up. Catch him in VALLEY OF THE BONES in theaters September 1. If you’re a fan of “Ray Donovan,” the actor teases you haven’t see the last of his abusive character.

His upcoming films include FINDING STEVE MCQUEEN starring Forest Whitaker and Travis Fimmel (“Vikings”), GOTTI with John Travolta and DEAD ANTS, a horror movie about giant ants premiering at LA Scream Fest October 13.

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