00:00You were in pretty much every frame of this movie.
00:03How did you approach playing this role and carrying the weight of this film?
00:06You know, it was a pretty heavy film for me, emotionally, but also the workload was pretty tense.
00:14But I think, you know, when you're making an independent film, there's a camaraderie that happens
00:19where everyone understands that you're working against a limited budget, limited number of days,
00:24and you've got to get in there and just give it your all.
00:26And I got to work with a longtime friend of mine, Robert Schwartzman.
00:30We've known each other since 2006 or 2007, and so there was a lot of trust built in.
00:36And so, you know, while there's the heavy emotional moments of the film,
00:38at its core it's really about hopefulness and family and connection,
00:42and that's kind of what I tried to focus on.
00:44And, you know, I'm thrilled now to see so much excitement about it
00:48and that people are here in the theater today.
00:50It's bizarre and, you know, amazing.
00:53I love the photos you posted recently of your family with Priyanka and Malty.
00:58And thinking of the title of this movie, it made me think,
01:00do you feel like you're in the good half of your life now as a husband and father,
01:04and how would you describe this era of your life?
01:06I mean, you know, hard to sort of pick a half.
01:09It's all been pretty beautiful.
01:11But certainly, you know, after we got married and had our daughter, life just got a lot better.
01:18And, you know, to share moments like this with not only my wife,
01:23but before we left, saying goodbye to my daughter as she watches Moana or something
01:27is a pretty incredible thing.
01:29Like you said, you and Robert go way back.
01:31I went to the When You Look Me in the Eyes tour in 2008.
01:34I saw Rooney open for you guys.
01:36Take me back to that time, and what's one memory you have of when you first became friends?
01:40So we first met through our mutual producer, John Fields,
01:45who, you know, knew that we would hit it off right away.
01:49And, you know, we wrote a couple songs and got to know each other and eventually did the tour.
01:54And he's just a phenomenal guy who has a really clear creative vision,
01:59whether it's in music or film.
02:02And, you know, I think we just kind of spoke the same language right away,
02:06and that's what you need in a collaborator.
02:09And, you know, to be this far into our friendship and relationship
02:12and have a movie coming out together is a pretty cool thing.
02:16And I heard this movie was many years in the making.
02:19How did he first approach you about playing Wren in this film?
02:22Well, I first heard about the film because I got sent the script kind of out of nowhere.
02:27And I read it really quickly and then picked it up again, read it right away again,
02:33and just thought it was so well-written and funny and sad and all the things.
02:38And I kind of said, look, I want to do this if we can figure it out.
02:43And luckily the stars aligned for the schedules to work out,
02:46and we went back to my home state of New Jersey and made the movie.
02:49And coming up, you're going to be in the last five years.
02:51Returning to your Broadway roots, what is it about this show that made you want to come back to the theater?
02:56Well, this show is obviously so beloved.
02:59It's never been on Broadway.
03:00So when I was approached by the creative team to bring it to Broadway for the first time, I was over the moon.
03:06I mean, at my core, I'm a theater kid.
03:08I'm a theater nerd and couldn't be more excited to be a part of this production.
03:14And then to get to work with Adrienne Warren is a dream come true.
03:17She's a phenomenal talent, and she's going to bring so much to the role of Kathy.
03:21And, you know, now that the tickets are on sale and it's, you know, closer every day,
03:27I feel like my excitement about it is just getting bigger and bigger,
03:31and also my nerves are getting bigger and bigger.
03:33But it's going to be a great experience, and I can't wait.
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