HYPNOTIC: Peter Billingsley Joins Cast of Mystery Thriller

Peter Billingsley Cast in Action Mystery Thriller ‘Hypnotic’

Who would have guessed the Christmas Story kid Ralphie (“You’ll shoot your eye out!”) would team up with Grindhouse maestro Robert Rodriguez’s latest film Hypnotic?

Not this reviewer, you can be sure. But then, little did I realize the remarkable dimensions of this actor over his long career, starting as a toddler in commercials. Peter was was born into a show biz family and the youngest of five siblings, who all performed as children. Peter’s has had the longest stretch in the business, however, primarily television and film.

Evidently to accommodate his busy work schedule, his early education was fast-tracked with tutors and private schools, which ended with getting his California GED at the tender age of 14. That same year saw him in The Dirt Bike Kid, the next of his kid-hero comedy films that fared well with viewers. After two ‘lovable brat’ films, he starred opposite Megan Ward in the 1993 CGI thriller, Arcade. In his early twenties he garnered an Emmy nomination for his role in the after-school special, The Writing on the Wall.

While the mainstay of Billingsley’s work up to that point were television sit-coms and family-oriented action films, he did not lack for experience in thrillers. For example, he had a prominent role as the imperiled tyke in the 1982 slasher film, Death Valley.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Billingsley made a smooth acting transition from adolescence to adulthood, during which he found his niche — directing and producing, the latter in particular, especially for television. Among the standouts is an innovative episodic cinema verité of sorts, Dinner for Five, produced with long-time friend and associate Jon Favreau, chatting with prominent figures in the film industry. Another acclaimed production was F is for Family, an animated series co-produced with another close colleague, Vince Vaughn.

So, back to the original question: How did Billingsley and Rodriguez cross paths?

Actually, this is not as far out of left field as it might appear. Billingsley’s experience in projects with darker shades of comedy might appeal to Rodriguez, whose films have a palpable, wicked humor underpinning all that grit and gore he is famous for. He never loses sight of the exultation that is part of the exploitation drive-in movies. Yet he also uses that same kick to bring out the humanity of his characters, especially when it comes to standing firm (but never still) in the face of adversity.

Also, Peter Billingsley seems game for practically anything on the screen, and judging from his work he seems to broaden his horizons whenever he can. Plus, his apparent willingness to pitch in must be a breath of fresh air to any director. In short, Billingsley and Rodriguez seem simpatico enough. Experienced director and producer that he is, Billingsley may offer some of his own finesse to the project as well. Hypnotic is currently in post-production with no release date yet.

Leave your thoughts on Peter Billingsley cast in Hypnotic below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more movie news can visit our Movie News Page, our Movie News Twitter Page, and our Movie News Facebook Page.

Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, and Flipboard.