EXCLUSIVE: Ryan Carnes Previews His “Heart-Wrenching” New Movie

Soap alum Ryan Carnes (ex-Lucas, General Hospital ) cements himself as a leading man this week when he takes on the role of tortured hero Tristan Cole in the new movie The Air He Breathes . Adapted from the best-selling novel by Brittainy Cherry, the original movie debuts Thursday, August 22, on Passionflix, a streaming service that turns popular romance books into full-length feature films.

“It’s a good, old-fashioned heart-wrenching love story with lots of twists and turns and plenty of drama,” Carnes told Soaps In Depth of the film. “I don’t want to give too much away, but I’ll say it has a satisfying ending.”

Like the novel, which gained popularity recently on BookTok, the film follows widowed single mom Elizabeth (played by Kelcie Stranahan) and her neighbor, fellow widower Tristan, who find solace and healing in each other’s company after suffering devastating losses. As they navigate their grief and past traumas, they discover the power of love and second chances. “I could tell just from the audition scenes that there was a lot of heart to the story, and I really like love stories,” said Carnes. “There’s also a lot of difficult emotions. Grief, sadness, and loss are very complex things.”

Carnes was drawn to the darkness that surrounds Tristan, a misunderstood man who is consumed by the death of his wife and son. “When we first meet Tristan, he’s not doing well. Neither of them are doing well,” notes the GH alum. “They’ve chosen different paths to navigate; Tristan’s much harsher than Liz’s. Tristan doesn’t want to be bothered. He just wants the world to leave him alone and let him drift off into anonymity and live a quiet life of grief.”

As seen in the trailer below, although Liz and Tristan get off on the wrong foot, they then enter a rather unconventional relationship as they use one another to forget their late spouses. “They both realize that they have something very much in common,” explained Carnes. “She’s the perfect foil for him because, as annoying as she is to him at first, those annoyances are exactly what he needs to pull him out of this really dark place. They’re playing a dangerous game, but ultimately it helps reconnect them both to their hearts and heal.”

To tap into the darkness surrounding Tristan, Carnes drew upon some personal challenges he’s encountered over the last year. “I happened to be going through quite a lot at that moment in time… and you give it to your art.”

Available for streaming at Passionflix.com , The Air He Breathes will join the platform’s library of romance-themed movies and series. “I’m so grateful to Passionflix for wanting to tell this story, to Brittainy for writing this story, to Rachel [Helson] for being a wonderful director,” Carnes states. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to have been a part of it.”

You can see Carnes in the trailer for The Air He Breathes below.

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