Catching up with August Maturo
Image by: Matt Kallish
A four-year-old August Maturo exited the stage of his church play, fuming. In that moment, it all became clear: he was called to the world of performance. “After I got off of the stage, I was angry,” the actor explains of his epiphany moment. “My mom asked what was wrong and I said I wanted to be back on the stage. Ever since then, I’ve been doing auditions and getting roles.”
Maturo, born and raised in Ventura County, California, boasts an illustrious resume for someone only fourteen years old. Best known for his eponymous role of Auggie Matthews in Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World, a spin-off series of the beloved Boy Meets World, August continues to make his mark on the screen, most recently helming the Indie horror film Slapface.
“Slapface is about a boy named Lucas who is dealing with grief and trauma from losing his parents in a car accident,” August says. “He is being raised by his alcoholic older brother and is also bullied by other kids. In order to cope, he befriends a witch in the woods and then things get even worse for Lucas.” The film, currently streaming on AMC+ Shudder, deals with a bounty of intense subject matter, requiring sophisticated preparation from August. “This role greatly differed from anything I’ve done so far,” he reveals. “At the time [of filming], I was in middle school and was dealing with bullies myself. Obviously not to the extent Lucas is bullied, but I was able to draw from my real-life experiences for the role.”
In addition to the emotionally demanding nature of the film, Slapface posed a unique physical challenge: stunts. “The hardest thing I had to do in this film was all the stunt work,” Maturo affirms. “I had to learn to execute them so that they looked correct on camera. So you’re trying to act, but still having to be technical, so it’s a lot going on. And on top of that the weather was super cold!” The stunts required devoted technical prowess and focus to ensure safety. “I learned about how to do them without getting hurt or hurting anyone else, like falling, stabbing with a knife, shooting a gun, punching, and of course, slapping.”
“I was lucky enough to have an incredible stunt coordinator named Mack Kuhr. Mack was on the ‘John Wick’ stunt team so I was fortunate in having him
teach me my stunts.”
Image by: Matt Kallish
In October of 2021, August’s hard work paid off in the form of an award: he won Best Actor at the Grimmfest Horror Festival in the UK. “I was fortunate enough to attend the festival with my co-star Mirabelle Lee,” August says. “I never dreamed I would win Best Actor, because, in general, these types of awards are given to adults, so I was shocked! The award just arrived in the mail and it’s really my most prized possession! I love acting, and don’t ever really think about getting an award, so when it happens it’s very humbling and surprising.”
Beyond enjoying hallmarks of the horror genre, as well as an award-winning performance from the film’s protagonist, viewers can expect a profound depth to Slapface, atypical for stories built on fear or shock factor. “I am so excited for audiences to see the amazing story that our writer/director Jeremiah Kipp created,” August says. “I’m excited for people to take the emotional journey of this film, and hopefully understand what the effects of bottled up grief and pain can do to you.”
Image by: Matt Kallish
Since accumulating accolades for Slapface, August has swiftly shifted focus to his next project: a docudrama hybrid film focused on a personal struggle in the actor’s life: food allergies. “I’m working on [it] with my former Girl Meets World co-star Ava Kolker. [It’s] a subject I am passionate about because of my own struggle with food allergies. We’ll be shooting that in the spring and I’m so excited to reunite with her in front of the camera,” he says. “I would love for people to go to www.justlikeyoufilms.org to learn more about the food allergy film Ava and I are creating and to see how you can get involved,” August notes. “I hope that I always do projects that make the world a better place. Life is rough, so I’d love to do work that makes people happy or feel seen.”
TEAM CREDITS:
Shot by: @matt_kallish
Styled by @bear
HMUA: @makeup_by_kristine_
Haircut: @_hairbylaurie
Skin: @kdskin @beautybydrkay
August is wearing Gucci, Carson Cartier, H&M, & Marni Italy
Meet the Author
Olivia Vitarelli is a writer and actress with a passion for stories and the people that inspire them. Her writing has been featured in her town’s newspaper the Wilton Bulletin, and in high school she hosted her school’s news show the Morning Warrior. In the fall, Olivia will attend New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and pursue a BFA in acting. Additionally, she loves songwriting, playing guitar, and laughing with her family and friends. She is thrilled for the opportunity to hear and help share artists’ stories as a writer for Rival Magazine.