Since starting his career in the mid-1990s, Jonathan Tucker has racked up some 60 film and TV credits. But with his newest, the indie drama Palm Trees and Power Lines, the 40-year-old faced one of his toughest challenges.

The film, which marks the feature debut of Jamie Dack (who won a directing prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival), Tucker stars as a mysterious stranger who seduces a disconnected teenage girl. “I didn’t appreciate how challenging the whole experience would be of building the performance,” explains Tucker, who was quick to credit his director, co-star Lily McInerny and producer Leah Chen Baker for their work, adding that he felt it was his job to act while also supporting them during production. “But watching the movie as a father and as a husband is brutal. Watching somebody manipulate another vulnerable human being, particularly a young woman, is a hard watch.”

Even still, he’s gotten rave reviews. THR’s Lovia Gyarkye credited Tucker’s “disturbing brilliance” and he’s up for a best supporting performance prize at the Spirit Awards on March 4. Just don’t expect him to run to the theater when it comes out March 3.

“In many ways, the movie is grooming the audience, so when you finally understand how nefarious the whole thing is, you’re already at the end of the movie and you might feel used. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever watched myself in, that’s for sure.”

This story first appeared in the March 1 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.