"I'm very picky," insists Dylan O'Brien, looking back on a productivity spurt over the past 12 months that has included movies like "My Little Pony," "Saturday Night," Caddo Lake, Max comedy series. "Fantasmas" and James Sweeney's "Twinless" screened at Sundance. "I'm going to get criticized for saying that... but I think if I was a 'say yes to everything' kind of guy, my career would be very different."

He launched his career as a heartthrob in MTV's Teen Wolf and the Maze Runner movies more than a decade ago, and each of his recent projects has earned the actor praise for his versatility; no Both characters are identical. But according to O'Brien, his most recent body of work reflects not just one year's work, but more than five years — a period that also includes a cameo (as "himself") on Curb Your Enthusiasm and "The Other Two" and four other films. and the short film "All Too Well," directed by Taylor Swift.

His series of projects actually started after reading Twinless in 2019. In this film, Sweeney won typeIn Directors to Watch in 2025, he plays twin brothers Roman and Rocky, who form a deep bond with a support group member (played by Sweeney) after the latter's unexpected death. friendship. Even with the challenge of dual roles—one straight, one gay—the actor said Sweeney's writing gave him exactly the kind of impulse that told him to get involved in a project.

"When I read something, it's like I can hear the person's voice, or I can't," O'Brien said. "From the moment I picked up the script, I thought, 'Rome is in my heart.' I knew this guy. When I was exposed to Loki, I also felt an instinct for him."

What surprised Sweeney most, he remembers, was his transformation into an introspective Roman who, like O'Brien, was heterosexual. "My Roman voice, because he pointed it out, I recognized it right away," he said. "But that's how I dealt with the stress of the very sheltered life he had up to that point, and then the tragedy that he went through — that's what the f---ing worked out. (James) said, 'I love it.'"

Meanwhile, in order to play Rocky authentically but never stereotypically, O'Brien said the pair implemented a "gay scale" on set, with Sweeney (who is gay) dialing it up or down. "Most of the time, he would say, 'You're so blunt,'" he recalled with a laugh. "I'm very happy to have that permission...The mark of a great filmmaker is to always allow you to go in a direction or not go in a direction."

The credibility of these two performances - like others released before them - is a testament to O'Brien's centrality, which he attributes to his growing ability to identify nurturing, creative environments. "I'm talking about your filmmakers, the work itself and the confidence you have in it," he said. "A useful tool to have or try to develop is to be able to determine if you are in a safe position."

While he admits that appearing in music videos is a "space that I'm really uncomfortable in," O'Brien said two of those safe hands belong to Taylor Swift, who invited him to star in "All Too Well" in 2021 "played the male lead in ". "This was her first time directing, and Taylor had the absolutely right instinct of, 'I hired these actors because I'm a fan of what they're doing, and I'm going to let them come in and do the work,'" he said . “I liked what she was trying to say. I totally feel like I understand my role in it, and that’s exciting to me. "

The actor, who said he's finally "in a position to choose to operate," said his future plans include reuniting with Sweeney ("James and I will definitely work together again on something") and that he's hoping to land My Little Pony distribution deal," which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024. "I'm lucky enough to be able to pick these projects that I'm really interested in and inspired by in some way, and I have the ability to do that," he said .

“Those choices you’ve seen me make over the past year are consistent with what I want to do,” O’Brien added. "It's not that I don't identify with my character in Teen Wolf or the Maze Runner movies. Those are my cornerstones. But it doesn't tell the full story of who I am as a creative person."