Sauk Rapids teen ready to star in A24 horror film

SAUK RAPIDS — Hudson Behling might see himself as a small-town kid from Sauk Rapids, but he’s about to make it on the big screen.

The 14-year-old eighth-grader recently returned from two months in Winnipeg, Canada. He is starring as the main character in “Altar,” an

A24 horror movie

set to hit theaters next year.

“I’m just a small kid from Sauk Rapids. I would’ve never thought a small-town kid would get a lead role in a movie,” Hudson said.

Neither Hudson nor his mother, Kari Behling, are able to share many details about the movie’s plot. However, some details have been shared from

IMDb, a movie review site.

“The project is described as a horror film that follows the summer of a young boy, forced to grow up faster than he ever imagined,” IMDb wrote.

The cast also includes Kyle MacLachlan, David Krumholtz, Lily Collias, and South Dakota native January Jones (best known for her role as Betty Draper in “Mad Men”).

Hudson’s work with GREAT Theatre and his affinity for Adam Sandler sparked his interest in the movie industry.

“I was like, ‘Mom, I really want to be an actor.’ And she didn’t expect me to do anything with it,” Hudson said.

Kari Behling was unconvinced, even doubtful at first.

“ ‘Yeah, OK,’ that was really my reaction,” she said. “I was like whatever, we’re from Minnesota, sure. But, then he did the research, he looked online, and he found everything.”

His break into the industry started with a simple online search, leading him to Netflix casting calls.

“What popped up was this

MTM

(agency). It’s a mother agency to get you on your feet,” Hudson explained.

Hudson, the youngest of 30 actors auditioning, caught the agency’s attention.

“They gave me an offer, and (to be) able to sign with them, I have to go through 30 weeks of acting classes and then they’ll start giving me auditions,” he said. “So, I did that and I did some auditions. I got close to a couple, but nothing really big.”

The teen then traveled to an expo in Texas. There, he auditioned for agents and managers. He used monologues, a commercial, a cold read, and a two-person read.

Some actors don’t get any callbacks. Six callbacks are considered a success.

Hudson got 11 callbacks.

Directors and casting teams continued scheduling extra auditions with Hudson. Not long after, he had a manager and a new agency,

DDO Artists Agency,

a California-based company.

He was then paired with a Hollywood coach for another 30-week acting program via Zoom.

“She pushes you. It’s really fun. She made me a better actor,” Hudson said.

Hudson received several callbacks for “Altar” and eventually found himself on a plane to Winnipeg to film the movie.

“It was a really nice, fun experience. I can’t even express how fun it was,” he said.

“Altar” is directed by Egor Abramenko and written by Will Soodik based on a short story by Philip Fracassi,

according to a report in Variety.

A24 has found success with its horror movies, including “The Lighthouse,” “Hereditary,” “Midsommar,” and a trilogy of movies starring Mia Goth (“X,” “Pearl” and “MaXXXine”).

During the 52-day filming process, Hudson often worked 10-hour days on sets.

Despite that, the eighth-grader had to make time for schoolwork. He had to study for at least one hour a day or up to three.

“When I would get home from 10-hour days, I would go and do school, then I would practice lines, and then I’d go to bed,” Hudson said. “It was very hard, but it was a crazy experience.”

Now, Hudson is back at Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School.

“I got to go home on the earliest flight so I could go to my school and surprise my friends during lunchtime,” he said. “They ended up jumping on top of me. We went up against an emergency door, and we all fell out onto the concrete outside. It was so fun.”

When he’s not acting or at school, Hudson plays football, golfs, fishes, hunts and enjoys spending time with his friends.

“Altar” is set to premiere sometime next year in Los Angeles, New York City or possibly Winnipeg. Kari Behling said the movie will also be featured at festivals. A showing at the local Marcus Parkwood Theater is also expected.

Hudson hopes this is just the beginning of a flourishing acting career. 

“I want to be in 10 movies by the time I’m 30. Hopefully, I can achieve that,” Hudson said. “I want to meet Adam Sandler. That’s (also) a big goal.” 

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