Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Woodmere’s own, Eddy Maday, has entered the film world, making his début in the horror/psychological thriller, “Presence.”
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, “Presence” follows the Payne family as they move into a large suburban house inhabited by a poltergeist, referred to as the “presence.” The film was shot in single long takes, from the ghost’s point of view.
Maday stars alongside Callina Liang, Chris Sullivan, Julia Fox and Lucy Liu.
“Presence” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, in Park City, Utah, last January, and hit theaters a year later, on Jan. 24.
Maday, 24, grew up surrounded by music. His father, Eddy Maday, is a violin maker and restorer, and his mother, Janet Holmes, is a cellist and a cello teacher. Eddy began performing in theater at a youngster, with Drama Kids, a children’s theater group in Nassau County, taught by Sandee Leonhard. Over the years, he transitioned to shows at Woodmere Middle School, and got involved in the Hewlett Theatre Company at Hewlett High School, directed by Dawn DeMaio.
“At our school, drama is not just a club,” DeMaio, who teaches theater at the high school, wrote in an email. It is a program all its own, with five theater-arts courses, and full-length musicals and one-act productions every year, she explained.
“Eddy took part in them all, and was always an excellent student and leader,” DeMaio added.
She remembered his extraordinary talent and drive, after starting the program a year late and doubling up on classes to finish the theater sequence.
“It was so important to him, so he dedicated himself to learning as much about theatre and acting as he could,” DeMaio wrote. “He also wrote original scripts, directed his own one act play and acted in many productions while he was my student.”
Maday had leading roles in “As You Like It,” “Clue,” “The Laramie Project” and “Pride and Prejudice.”
“His ability to commit to something so fully — as well as his undeniable innate instinct for drama was always a large part of his personality, so I was not surprised at all that he became a professional actor,” DeMaio wrote. “His talents in high school always expanded beyond the classroom and into concert halls, stages, improv shows and speaking contests. All of that is still part of him, and he has only grown in his abilities.”
After high school, Maday attended Northwestern University, in Illinois, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in theater. In his senior year, he performed in a showcase for show business professionals, and he received a number of offers from management companies and agencies.
“He already seemed to be getting work, which for someone right out of college is rare,” his mother said. “We found out more than a year ago,” she added, referring to his casting in “Presence,” “and it was one of these things that’s an amazing lucky break for him. We were pretty much stunned by it, and it was pretty awesome.”
“We’re pretty down-to-earth simple people, so to see our son doing all theses exciting things is incredible,” Holmes added. “I didn’t know it would happen right away, but there’s something about Eddy always being outgoing, confident and courageous that gives him star quality.”
Her son attributes his inspiration for wanting to become an actor from Johnny Depp’s performance as Captain Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, especially the first movie.
“It was so magical to me and seemed like an amazing time — what better way to spend your job than in the Caribbean, shooting movies, “ Maday said. “That was the initial thing that set me on this path, and trying to learn how to act.”
He auditioned for “Presence,” while he was still in college, and learned he’d landed the role of Tyler in June 2023, just a month after he graduated.
When he was first approached about “Presence,” he didn’t know what to think, because he had done seven previous auditions for movie roles.
“I got this one for ‘Presence,’ and I like to look up all the directors of these projects just to get an idea of what scale it is and to get an idea of the vibe of the project,” Maday recounted. “It was a crazy theme, with Steven Soderbergh, and honestly, I didn’t think I would get it.”
Being Korean, he thought that they would cast a “white” actor in the role. “For a film of this scale, I assumed they were going to center it around a white-cast family, and so I did my best, as I always try to do,” he said. “I didn’t think I was going to be considered for it until I got the callback.”
Filming began in September 2023 in Cranford, New Jersey, at the beginning of the Hollywood writers strike, but the film was granted a permit to begin production.
“This was definitely a different experience (from) most studio productions, because it was independent, and largely people Steven had worked with before,” Maday said. “It felt more like the set of an indie film than anything else.”
As a new actor, he learned from his co-stars about how much work goes into making a film. “It’s so inspiring to work with people like that …,” he added. “It was inspiration to me, as someone just getting into the industry, to work hard and see where I can get to.”
“Presence” is currently playing in AMC and Regal theaters across the country.
