00:00There's a lot of driving for someone who is the first to admit not exactly a...
00:05speedster or like a talented driver. I wouldn't, I wouldn't have, I don't lead with that.
00:10I'm not like a car guy. You're not a car guy. No. You kind of became a car guy though.
00:15I actually fell in love with that car. Yeah. The El Dorado I fell in love with.
00:18We were like on the ground.
00:20We're about to shoot the movie and we're like, oh, the car hasn't run in three years.
00:23All right. We better make sure this.
00:25It's going to run. And you kind of, you spent a lot of time in the lead up just driving around.
00:28Yeah. And I.
00:30I really, I really ended up really enjoying it.
00:32Like sometimes I just sit in there and just kind of hang.
00:35out in between setups or whatever. It was almost a character in itself.
00:38Yeah. You know, in, in.
00:40this film, how long ago did you start like.
00:45working on this, on this movie?
00:46Well, it started as a short that I made in 2019.
00:50Um, I had been kind of researching it and developing it.
00:55back in 2018. So we're going on eight years. If you consider that the short and.
01:00then the kind of development build up writing the feature, um, to now. Yeah.
01:05How did you, did you know, did you guys know each other before this?
01:08Or were you just like kind of sending the script?
01:10around?
01:11No, we met through the project.
01:13Um, we'll read.
01:15We read the script and reached out and we got on zoom and fell in love.
01:20Oh, you reached out first.
01:22Yeah. We kind of reconnected over the, the script and.
01:25also the short, which I was a huge fan of. And then we just got the opportunity to.
01:30meet over zoom again. Um, and, and yeah, we, we, we.
01:35we formed like a very, very quick, uh, and very meaningful kind of.
01:40understanding of each other.
01:41And I think we were totally aligned over kind of how we wanted to.
01:45tell the story and also at that point, you know, Adam had been so kind of.
01:50involved within the community and had done so much work.
01:55you know, in a sort of collaborative way with the community up until that point.
01:59Um, that.
02:00it was like clear to me that he was the person to sort of continue telling this story.
02:05And so, uh, I felt very grateful to be brought along for the right.
02:08Were you and Noah making warfare?
02:10at the time that this movie was coming together or was this after.
02:13Like we'd made.
02:15we'd made it actually.
02:16we'd made it.
02:17and so Noah and I were fortunate enough to have this kind of.
02:20sort of pre-baked sort of brotherhood, which was really lovely and genuinely.
02:25made.
02:26made the process of like filming that stuff between us think a lot kind of easier.
02:30so natural.
02:31Yeah.
02:32I remember meet.
02:33I met with Noah and.
02:35and I was like pretty quickly after that thinking about him for the Jack role that he played.
02:40and then I met with Will and like at the end of our call.
02:45I was like, I was like, I'm thinking about Noah Centineo as your, uh, foster brother.
02:50And you were like, I love Noah just spent all this time together.
02:54He's the best.
02:55And then when I called Noah after we offered him the role, he was like, I think about Will
03:00as like a big brother in my real life.
03:02And he was like, so the chance to do this on a movie feels amazing.
03:05So it was just really like, we got lucky.
03:07When you were meeting with Noah, did he already have the long beard and.
03:10hair or was that, uh, at that time, I don't think he did.
03:15Um, I think he, I think he, that was.
03:20A part of the process for this movie.
03:22Yeah.
03:23Was growing it out.
03:24Yeah.
03:25Yeah.
03:26That's right.
03:25Yeah.
03:26And did you, who did you have?
03:27Cause like, well, you're, you're in real life.
03:29You're quite posh.
03:30Right.
03:30And not American or from Ohio.
03:32When you met Will, were you like, did you give him any tests?
03:35To see if he could like get down with the Ohio vibes outside of acts.
03:40And not acting talent, but just as.
03:42Um, Will's filmography.
03:45He speaks for itself.
03:46I'd watched a lot of it as a fan.
03:50And knew he could do it.
03:51I assume you'd seen Dope Sick already.
03:52I'd seen Dope Sick.
03:53I'd seen everything.
03:55That he had done.
03:56I'd been a fan for a long time.
03:58And then I.
03:59I.
04:00Felt like the.
04:01I mean, you've done like voice work.
04:05Super, so much of your.
04:06Career.
04:07That it was.
04:08A lot more.
04:10More for me about like.
04:11Um, linking the.
04:13Spirit of the person with the.
04:15character.
04:16Um.
04:17And that was.
04:18Like.
04:19Pretty instantaneous.
04:20I think.
04:21I remember actually even being kind of like.
04:23You do this thing when you're on the.
04:25On.
04:25On that call.
04:26Where like.
04:27At the end of the call.
04:28Like okay.
04:29I'll talk with my.
04:30Like people.
04:31You talk with your people.
04:30We'll be in touch.
04:31And like five minutes later.
04:32I was like.
04:33Hey, do you want to do the.
04:34And I was doing the same thing.
04:35On the other end.
04:35Yeah.
04:36Yeah.
04:37Do you have.
04:38A phrase or a word.
04:39That.
04:40Like.
04:40Like when you.
04:41Are doing an.
04:42Accents.
04:43Like maybe even.
04:44I'm thinking of like.
04:45In Death of a Unicorn 2.
04:45Like lets you lock in.
04:46To the.
04:47The voice.
04:48The person.
04:49Or the accent.
04:50Oh, that's interesting.
04:50Yeah.
04:51I mean.
04:52Often you'll work with like.
04:53Keywords.
04:54Or phrases.
04:55Or stuff.
04:56I mean.
04:57I work with an amazing.
04:55accent coach.
04:56Called.
04:57Sonia Fields.
04:58Who's.
04:59Who's fantastic.
05:00And she.
05:00Was very, very.
05:01Helpful.
05:02But also, you know.
05:03On this.
05:04Thanks to.
05:05You know.
05:06Our producing team.
05:07And.
05:08And to.
05:09Adam.
05:10We got the opportunity.
05:11To go.
05:10You know.
05:11To Belle Fountain.
05:12And.
05:13And spend some time.
05:14In the community.
05:15With.
05:15To whom.
05:16We kind of.
05:17Made the film.
05:18And that was.
05:19I think.
05:20Really key.
05:21Both.
05:22In terms.
05:23Of.
05:24You.
05:25You.
05:26You.
05:27You.
05:28You.
05:29You.
05:30You.
05:31You.
05:32You.
05:33You.
05:34You.
05:35You.
05:36You.
05:38You.
05:39You.
05:40You.
05:41You.
05:42You.
05:43You.
05:44You.
05:20You.
05:21You.
05:22You.
05:23You.
05:25You.
05:25You.
05:26You.
05:27You.
05:28You.
05:29You.
05:30You.
05:31You.
05:32You.
05:33You.
05:34You.
05:35You.
05:36You.
05:37You.
05:38You.
05:39You.
05:40You.
05:41You.
05:42You.
05:47You.
05:48You.
05:49You.
05:50You.
05:51I shouldn't have. So we were really lucky to spend that time ahead of shooting.
05:56I remember that I had also done, over the years I had done a lot of like documentary kind of interviews with folks.
06:01And I'd shared some stuff with you and Noah in advance and you locked in on.
06:06One man's like sort of specific kind of sensibility and stuff.
06:11I remember you working with Sonja on that and I checked in with Sonja one day and she was like, she was like,
06:16Will is a vocal genius. She was like, he's kind of a, I don't remember.
06:21I think maybe she used the word sabbat. I can't remember.
06:23I asked Sonja to say that.
06:25Yeah.
06:25Specific.
06:26And he is. You're correct.
06:31And I know exactly who you're talking about and that person made such a meaningful.
06:36contribution, not just to how I think we prepped for the film, but.
06:41Also in the, he's in the movie to you and he's fantastic and, and he sort of.
06:46It's one of those people that really embodies, I think what the film is about, which is, you know.
06:51Celebrating the work of people in recovery and the work that's being done.
06:56Done by the community, you know, in order to sort of work through the steps of recovery.
07:01Um, he's, he's a, he's a fantastic, he's honorable to that.
07:03Did you?
07:05No.
07:06I mean, you grew up in London, right?
07:07Did you know how to drive on our side?
07:11Before this, because there's a lot of, um, car work.
07:14There's a lot of driving for some.
07:16Someone who is the first to admit, not exactly a speedster or like a.
07:21Talented driver, I wouldn't, I wouldn't have, I don't lead with that.
07:24I'm not like a car guy.
07:26You're not a car guy.
07:26No.
07:27But, you kind of became a car guy though.
07:29I actually fell in love with that.
07:31Oh, yeah.
07:31The Colorado iPhone, I don't know.
07:32That's my uncle's car.
07:34I'm from the Midwest and I was.
07:36Like, I had like high school boyfriends with cars like that.
07:38Yeah.
07:38Very nostalgic.
07:39Yeah.
07:40Yeah.
07:41It was like sitting in a driveway for a long time.
07:42It took a while.
07:43We were like on the ground about to shoot the movie and we were like.
07:46Oh, the car hasn't run in three years.
07:48All right.
07:48I thought we better make sure this can run.
07:50But you.
07:51You kind of, you spent a lot of time in the lead up just driving it around.
07:53Yeah.
07:54And I really, I really ended up.
07:56Really enjoying it.
07:57Like sometimes I just sit in there and just kind of hang out in between.
08:00Yeah.
08:01Setups or whatever it was.
08:02Yeah.
08:02It was, it was, it's almost a character in itself.
08:05Yeah.
08:06You know, in, in, in the film and also talk about meaningful contributions, your uncle.
08:11Is one of the reasons that you first came to kind of meet a lot of the people.
08:16In the recovery community, right?
08:17That's right.
08:18Yeah.
08:18That same uncle introduced me to the judge.
08:21At the time in 2018, who was there when I.
08:26I first sat in on a drug court meeting.
08:28So it kind of, this movie starts and ends with uncle Brian.
08:31I was going to say, let's get his name in there.
08:33Yeah.
08:33Brian.
08:33I believe I read, I think it was in.
08:36In your like director's notes, um, that part of what your prep was, was driving around listening.
08:41To rap music around Ohio.
08:43Is that true?
08:44And if so, any particular.
08:46Tracks or albums that got you in the head, correct headspace.
08:51We did, I mean, you, it was in you and no, you ain't no, I did a lot of driving around listening.
08:56To music and also we were trying to sort of find music at the time while driving through.
09:01The local area, which Adam knows so well, you know, we were able to kind of sort of do two things.
09:06At once, which is sort of, you know, develop our understanding of the area and get to kind of know it.
09:11Um, while also trying to find a song that kind of captured, you know.
09:16Something of the camaraderie that exists between Cody and Jack as these two brothers.
09:21So, you know, nothing in particular like comes to mind, but we listened to a whole.
09:26A host of stuff and definitely stuff from the South as well.
09:28Like, yeah, there are, there were some stuff that was.
09:31It's in the movie that was written into the script that I feel like you and Noah were.
09:36Kind of like bumping throughout.
09:37Yeah.
09:37Prep.
09:38Yeah.
09:38And then, uh, you guys were both just kind.
09:41Kind of like alternate driving and DJing and playing stuff and I would just be in the backseat observing it.
09:46Loving my life.
09:48But getting more into becoming slightly more of.
09:51A car guy is that, did that end with the movie and your interest or are you going to like go.
09:56Will get a car and cruise around London now?
09:58Are you on a, are you thinking of the line bike?
10:00A Cadillac L.
10:01I wish I absolutely wish.
10:05Sadly, I don't have like.
10:06No, I do, I do drive now, but there's kind of nothing like driving through the, the beauty.
10:11Beautiful countryside of Ohio, you know, on an open road.
10:14That was my favorite version of driving.
10:16And, um, you know, that's another thing that I think the film really kind of encouraged.
10:21Absolates really beautifully is, you know, what a, what a lovely like corner of the world that, that is.
10:26And we were lucky to shoot it during this sort of spring summer transition.
10:31Which allowed for a kind of, I don't know, a setting, a backdrop that you don't.
10:36Necessarily typically associate with, you know, films about the subject matter and films the focus.
10:41And it's kind of important to remember that the hard work that.
10:46That goes into recovery happens all year round, you know, and it is a, it is.
10:51It is a kind of everyday day by day challenge.
10:52And I think the movie in a way is a reflection of that.
10:56Um, okay.
10:56So one question I'm asking everyone who comes in, if you remember what.
11:01Did you buy yourself with your first paycheck?
11:04What was your first kind of.
11:06Treat.
11:07Oh, wow.
11:11Paycheck is also, I'm like, what I bought myself.
11:16With my first like $20 for mowing the lawn was backstreet boys.
11:21Millennium.
11:23That's.
11:23So.
11:24Yeah.
11:24That's an answer.
11:25It's like.
11:25What.
11:26Whatever, whatever has that like nostalgic memory for you, right?
11:29I actually remember.
11:31buying Eminem's album when I was about 11 years old.
11:36Maybe younger from an HMV in Heathrow airport.
11:41It was not supposed to be sold this out.
11:43It was highly illegal for me to be sold this out, but.
11:46And I remember putting it on, in, in the house.
11:51And just kind of casually just sort of sitting up at like, you know, the kitchen table and
11:54eating my cereal and my mom.
11:56And my mom was like, what is going on right now?
11:59Um, that was like the first.
12:01Album I can remember ever by.
12:02You're eating mom's spaghetti.
12:03I.
12:05Exactly.
12:06Um, I remember that pretty well and, and I didn't get to listen.
12:11Listen to it for some years afterwards in the, in the house.
12:13The trick is you got to scrape off the explicit.
12:16The content label.
12:17The label.
12:18Yeah.
12:18I don't know what to say.
12:19Yeah.
12:21I don't know what to say.
12:22I don't know what to say.
12:23I don't know what to say.
12:24I don't know what to say.
12:25I don't know what to say.
12:26I don't know what to say.
12:27I don't know what to say.
12:28I don't know what to say.
12:29I don't know what to say.
12:30I don't know what to say.
12:31I don't know what to say.
12:32I don't know what to say.
12:33I don't know what to say.
12:34I don't know what to say.
12:35I don't know what to say.
12:36I don't know what to say.
12:37I don't know what to say.
12:38I don't know what to say.
12:39I don't know what to say.
12:40I don't know what to say.
12:41I don't know what to say.
12:42I don't know what to say.
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