The second the cute dog or cat or rabbit is introduced in a thriller, you immediately know something awful is going to happen to them. It’s a given. The pet is always the first casualty–either mysteriously killed, stolen or ‘lost’. There’s no way around it. But what happens when there is no pet? What does the psychopath/stalker/weirdo do then? This was the question on hand for Michael Ealy, star (and psychopath) of The Perfect Guy.

In the film, Michael Ealy stars as Carter, handsome, smart and successful – the seemingly ‘perfect guy’. He strikes up a relationship with Leah (Sanaa Lathan); but when things don’t work out and she breaks up with him, he reacts rather poorly. Turns out Carter is an emotional basket case – soon he’s stalking Leah, putting cameras into her home, hiding underneath her bed and, yes, stealing her pet cat. I still anxiously await the thriller where there is no pet just to see what the stalker/psychopath does then; but for now this interview (in which Ealy runs through exactly what would happen in such a scenario) will have to do.

In the following interview, Ealy also discusses how he would react if he found himself within particular situations in The Perfect Guy, his most traumatic horror/thriller memory and what research went into playing a psychopath. The Perfect Guy opens in theaters this Friday.

Michael Ealy:

• Ealy on why the stalker always goes for the pet
• On what would happen if there was no pet
• On how he would react if he found himself within particular scenarios in The Perfect Guy
• On the research that went into the role
• On his most traumatic experience watching a horror/thriller