Calum Worthy on Sew Torn: Inside the High-Stakes Crime Thriller and His Advocacy for Social Change

May 9, 2025May 8, 2025 thextramile calum worthy, sew torn, SXSW

Fresh off its debut at SXSW 2025, Sew Torn is already making waves as one of the festival’s most gripping and original thrillers. We sat down with Calum Worthy, who stars as Joshua, a man caught in a high-stakes web of consequences triggered by a single fateful decision. Known for his wide-ranging roles in The Act, American Vandal, and Austin & Ally, Worthy opens up about what drew him to the film, the pressure of living up to the acclaimed short it’s based on, and how he balances storytelling with his ongoing commitment to social change.

TEM (The Extra Mile) : The one thing I enjoyed about Sew Torn was that, you know, it builds tension kind of almost through like a cleverly layered structure and where every choice kind of sets off like an elaborate, almost mechanical sequence of unexpected events. So I’m curious, when you first read the script, what was your like, hell yes moment that you knew you wanted to be a part of this?

Calum: I actually knew I wanted to be part of it even before the hell yes of reading the script, which I also had a hell yes after the script. But I was a fan of Freddy’s even before this. I was sent his short film which was the short film version of Sew Torn, from my agent. And I watched it, fell in love with the cinematic style that he brought to the project. And I felt like it was so mature. And it was so it was both nostalgic and new wave, which is very interesting. And it felt like it was very, in some ways, American in terms of a Coen Brothers style, but also very European. I thought I got to meet this guy. So thankfully, my agent was able to arrange a meeting. We met and we decided to make a film, a short film together called Shedding Angels that K Callan was also in. And after we wrapped that, Freddy and I were talking about just wanting to work with each other And he said, you know, I’m thinking about writing a feature version of Sew Torn. He wrote it. And I was I was wanting to make the feature version after I saw the short. So I was already I was pre-signed on even before Freddy met me.

TEM : I mean, you know, you played characters in everything from mockumentary American Vandal to the true crime, The Act. (2:29) What was different or maybe that you found, let’s say, even uncomfortable about stepping into Sew Torn’s world?

Calum: The thing that was difficult was the stakes. There’s so much stakes for for Joshua throughout the movie and also making sure that we stuck to and maintained the incredible tone that he set for the short film. I felt like there was there was a standard that we had to meet because the short film was met with so much acclaim and people really loved it. I wanted to make sure that we did it justice. So the most difficult thing for me was just making sure that I didn’t screw up his vision and make people think, why did you make it a feature? Because you cast this idiot when we could have kept it short. So I want to make sure that we lived up to the potential. And luckily, I didn’t even have to worry about that because Freddy did such a good job and the other cast were so good in it that even if I had messed it up, it would have been still a great film.

TEM : I think it’s interesting because this film explores how a single decision can really branch into, you know, different paths of life. Was there ever a moment, would you say, in your own life, whether it be like personally or professionally, where you made a choice that kind of felt like a multiverse moment?

Calum: Absolutely. I think doing Austin & Ally, which is a show that I did for a long time on Disney Channel, that was definitely a big moment because it brought me down from Canada to the United States. And I mostly worked in the Canadian and British market. And it was really my entry point into the U.S. film and TV market. And it was a big decision because I also wasn’t sure if I would go continue on with university in Canada, whether or not I’d stay in the industry, would I not? And by making the decision to do Austin & Ally and for them choosing me to be a part of it, that was a pivotal moment that really shifted things for the rest of my life.

TEM: You’ve also done incredible advocacy work with Al Gore and the whole Wild One campaign. How do you balance projects like Sew Torn with your passion for like activism? And do you see any crossover between storytelling and social change?

Calum : That’s a great question. I do. I see a lot of crossover because I think the best social change happens when there’s a clear narrative and there’s a clear story to be told. These big issues like climate change, gender equity, international investment, and international aid, these are big concepts and it can feel overwhelming. And so I think it’s really important for storytellers to enter the advocacy space because they know how to take a big idea and big theme and contextualize it for audiences to really understand in an entertaining way. Because I also know that most people, when they are scrolling through social media, they’re not really looking necessarily to be educated on something. They’re likely doing amazing work on their own and their own job. And they might be going on social media just to get distracted from being in the medical field or the education field and helping people. And so in order to get people to really sit down and watch a video about something that’s heavy and deep and requires a lot of time and energy of people, it needs to be entertaining as well. And I think if you can mask a big issue in some kind of entertaining way, that’s when magic can really take place and real change can take place. I’m grateful for the groups that I work with. I feel like the real change makers are the ones that are the ones that are doing it full time at these organizations. I feel like I’m just kind of like holding a microphone up for them to really tell their own story in many ways. Because there are so many incredible people whose stories are not always told. And it’s not just about doing the right thing. It’s also the smart thing as well and making sure that we balance it where it’s a lot of this is not just it’s just charity. It’s a lot of it’s empowering people who are already doing the amazing work to just have the resources and tools to do even more amazing work. And so I really believe in using your platform for social change and addressing big global issues, too. And I think if there’s any actors or influencers or singers or any of the following out there, if you team up with great organizations, you’ll be guided in the right way. You don’t need to do it yourself. I think it’s best to work with people who are already doing the work rather than you trying to take it all on yourself.

TEM: The film you shot it in Switzerland, which is basically like a postcard. Were you secretly looking for the perfect cheese or chocolate combo at all?

Calum: Oh, yeah. Well, that was the thing. So are crafty. So like craft services is like where all the food is out for people to snack on. I was so worried about how much I was eating during the production because we luckily had an amazing team who was in charge of craft services, who curated a great group of food. And we and a lot of projects have that. What was different is that our food was curated from Switzerland, which has the best cheese and chocolate in the world. And so I was eating a lot and I I was I was eating. I was almost eating too much. I was being a little selfish. It was it was incredible. If anyone has not been to Switzerland, you need to go.

TEM: So we’re all about going the extra mile here. So how do you go the extra mile, whether that be in your personal life, professional life?

Calum: That’s a great question. Going the extra mile. I think it’s an important thing. It’s funny when you said that, I actually thought about the physical version of that, which is a Canadian reference. But with Terry Fox, I would go the extra mile and was like the living embodiment of that idea. But I do think it’s think it’s important. I don’t know if it’s going the extra mile or if it’s just doing what you should do. I think if you have the ability to have a platform, it’s important to use it for good and to really be careful about how you use it. Because I think a lot of people now, everyone almost has a platform. Everyone has a social media account. So therefore, I think everyone is an influencer. I don’t think you need a million followers to be an influencer. I think someone with 100 followers is also an influencer. And I think it is important to think about how are you influencing the world and who are you influencing and making sure that you are strategic and careful about the information you give. Because the people that we actually rely on for a lot of our information comes from our family and friends as well as the people that we look up to or follow. So I think it’s just important to make sure that you’re curating the information in a smart way and making sure that everything’s accurate and you’re doing the right thing. So I think I go the extra mile when I just make sure that anything I share on social media is accurate, verified and something I can really stand behind.

Sunrise Films releases Sew Torn in theatres May 9 2025