Dylan O'Brien Reveals He Insisted on Rapping In the Buff In New Movie 'Ponyboi'

Dylan O’Brien pairs up with co-star River Gallo at the premiere of their new movie Ponyboi held at AMC Empire 25 on Tuesday evening (June 24) in New York City.

The 33-year-old actor and the star/writer of the film reunited for the screening event ahead of it’s theatrical release THIS coming Friday (June 27).

Also in attendance were their co-stars Murray Bartlett, Jacobi Jacobs, Jari Jones, Annie Henk, Moises Acevedo, Aphrodite Armstrong, Keith William Richards and Kevin William McDonald, as well as director Esteban Arango.

In a new interview, Dylan and River opened up about a particular scene in the film where he raps while nude, which he actually insisted on doing.

Keep reading to find out more…

“It was Dylan’s ass debut,” River told Entertainment Weekly with a laugh. “Literally in the script I wrote, ‘Bad rap goes here.’”

Dylan added he would “go home and work on it” every night before filming that scene.

“They trusted me to the point where I didn’t even show it to them until the morning that we were shooting it,” the actor went on. “This is now going to sound insane, because the rap is average, but if anything, the note was like, ‘It might be too good. He’s still kind of a loser, remember? These are the kind of lyrics this guy would write.’ I think it’s interesting if he’s not bad and not good, he’s right in the middle of it being something. It’s something he actually does want to pursue.”

“I wanted to do it naked, too. That was another thing I insisted on. We’re laying there naked, it would make sense that I’d get up and I’m rapping it naked in front of you,” Dylan said. “Even specifically down to the shot of my butt cheek with the coverage on River. My ass in the foreground, I thought would be a funny shot.”

River was fully on board, saying, “[I] full-heartedly approved. I said yes!” with another laugh.

Ponyboi first debuted at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival over a year ago. The movie, per Deadline, “unfolds over the course of a single day, as a young sex worker named Ponyboi (Gallo) is thrown into chaos when a drug deal goes wrong, forcing him to go on the run from the mob and his abusive pimp (O’Brien). With the help of a mysterious cowboy, Bruce (Bartlett), Ponyboi journeys through New Jersey’s underbelly on a quest for freedom.”

Browse through the gallery to see more photos of Dylan O’Brien, River Gallo and more at the Ponyboi premiere…