00:00Did you do debate in high school?
00:01I was on the speech team.
00:02I was a four-time Massachusetts state champion,
00:05three-time state New England champion.
00:07And then, I've kind of boofed it at nationals,
00:11and I'm not upset about it.
00:13Doesn't matter.
00:14Look at me now.
00:15Anyway, oh my god.
00:22I was so ready for that.
00:24Oh, that was so close.
00:25Damn, man.
00:26You were too good.
00:27Oh, god.
00:30What is the best thing that has happened to you at Sundance?
00:32Honestly, for me, my favorite moment was last night
00:35watching our film at the Eccles Theatre.
00:37I'd never had a film there, and it's like 1,000 seats.
00:42And it was the first night of Sundance,
00:45and people, you could tell, I think, were really keyed into it
00:50and to hold an entire theater that big in silence.
00:55If there's a silence in the moment in the film,
00:57and to feel that is quite energizing and to share it with an audience.
01:01And I hadn't seen it yet fully formed, so that was pretty special for me.
01:06You know, you were working so hard to get through something and to get it to completion,
01:10and I've been in a tunnel with it for a while.
01:13Then it was like I emerged from the tunnel last night,
01:15and there was all these beautiful, wonderful people that gave of themselves,
01:18and they were all surrounded there, just like the relief of that.
01:22It was really beautiful.
01:24I have a neighbor named Baron, who's in the film.
01:27I've known him in my life and went to school with his kids.
01:30And his wife passed a few years ago, and we all knew about it,
01:37and knew the conditions under that and the strait.
01:40And she planted these flowers, and he stopped doing any gardening after she passed.
01:46And he was showing me that there's these lilies that she would plant,
01:50and there's a few of them that continue to pop through every year.
01:55And he waits for them.
01:57How long was it between that happening and you knowing that was, like, the start of you making this movie?
02:04Like, did it come instantly, or were you...
02:06There was an accumulation of observations and experiences that I'd had over a course of time.
02:14And then, you know, there's philosophical reasons why it makes sense to do the serial love story,
02:22and I can certainly speak to that, but there was a precipitating moment.
02:25There was a friend of mine who lost his dad and had a divorce within a month of each other.
02:31And we were talking about that.
02:34And going through...
02:38There's this perfect intersection of love and time and regret and desire for what's next.
02:43And then he turned to me and was like,
02:45So, how about you? How about, like, you know, love and time and your life?
02:48And I was just like...
02:51I'm not used to that getting turned back on me.
02:54And there's a mantra that drove the script that you quoted earlier, which is,
03:00Have you ever wanted something so badly in life?
03:02You'd do all you could not to get it.
03:05And so, I built a love story around that.
03:07For a long time, I was like that about partnership.
03:10Like, it was, like, all that I wanted.
03:12And I also expected a certain type of assessment or judgment or abandonment.
03:18And I was, like, just on the wrong loop for, you know.
03:25Yeah.
03:25I think that's a common thing.
03:28But I think to put words to it, have an awareness of it, call it out.
03:33I think that's really rare, hard.
03:36Most of us don't do that.
03:38Yeah.
03:39And you shot this in your hometown, right?
03:42Mm-hmm.
03:42Partly in your childhood home.
03:44Yeah.
03:44Is that correct?
03:45Yeah, Rebecca's home in the film is my family home.
03:48Is that...
03:49Have you guys ever had a production that intimate, done anything similar like that?
03:54No.
03:55I actually think, weirdly, on Obvious Child, we shot in our producer's apartment for some of it.
04:03And I was, like, in her bed.
04:05Those were just, like, her sheets.
04:07Yep.
04:07Putting it to me.
04:09It's, uh, I feel really comfortable with that.
04:12Yeah.
04:13I really do.
04:14Like, and I liked, you know, in between shots, we're just hanging out in Rachel's parents' bedroom.
04:21Yeah.
04:22Then we'd be, like, look at these, like, they had, like, moved some of, like, the dolls from,
04:26like, either Rachel's room or her sister's room into there.
04:28And it was, like, are these Cabbage Patch Kids?
04:31Like, okay.
04:32I mean, it was, we were really in their house.
04:35How strong is the urge to snoop?
04:37I don't have that urge.
04:38Whatever's is out is what you're saying.
04:40Sounds like I'm clever.
04:41I'm like, no, I've never heard of that.
04:42But I, I, I really...
04:43Me?
04:44No, never?
04:44What's that?
04:44I've never, I've never looked, see what people's medications are.
04:46I don't know.
04:47Um, yeah, no, I, snooping, I think, is so scary.
04:50And I don't like it in movies when people snoop.
04:52Hmm.
04:53Like, in Father of the Bride, which I love, when he goes up there at the in-laws' house,
04:58and he's, like, and the dog, you know, the dogs, and it's like, you know, don't do that, Steve.
05:03Mm-mm.
05:03Do whatever you want.
05:04You're Steve Martin, but don't go up there.
05:05No.
05:05You know what I mean?
05:06How did you do that?
05:07Yeah.
05:09Great question.
05:09Anyway.
05:10What did you guys do to get to, like, to, what were, like, your first meetings or dinner?
05:15What was it that you guys did to kind of talk through the characters, and how you're gonna
05:19be in the movie, and get to a place of...
05:22Um, Rachel, I, I'd had the script for quite a while, so Rachel and I had a long time to
05:28read and digest, and then I'd send her questions, and we'd meet, we'd talk, we'd chat, and,
05:32and then Jenny got involved in the same thing. We'd read, and we'd talk, and we'd chat, and sort
05:36of kept it pretty, um, pretty loose, but, uh, Rachel also sent us this lovely sort of,
05:43essentially a novella, which was the backstory in, uh, of these characters, and their relationships,
05:50and grandparents, and uncles, and desires past, and generational desires past, and all that to,
05:57to build the world of it, which was quite helpful.
06:00Um, also, our, our composer had been working on the music for quite a while, so even before we
06:06started, we had the music to the, uh, the film, a lot of it, composed, which was extremely helpful.
06:13So, a lot of the, the painting, so to speak, had been already built, and it was nice to, like,
06:19look at it, and get a sense of it, and, and, and just essentially taking time and letting the script
06:25wash over you, and then meeting Jenny, uh, in person, and then realizing that we had a natural
06:33sort of liking of one another, and could hang out, and shoot the ship, have a good time, and, um,
06:38it's one of the, obviously, the, the most ironic, and the hardest parts about acting is, like, in action,
06:43you've known each other for 15 years, you've had a relationship for five, it was very intense,
06:49now make out, and have sex. Um, so, and the easiest way to do that, really, and it sounds
06:57dumb, is if you like the person that you're doing that with, and you'd be like, oh yeah,
06:59I could follow none of that person. And that, that's the dumb algebra of it, but it's, it's definitely true.
07:05You know what the other thing is, I'll say, is that, like, our characters are so drawn to each
07:10other, but for a lot of the film, it's actually about how, um, in spite of that, they're, they're
07:18bordering on, like, estrangement, or giving up, or it's going to be too much, or being afraid of, um,
07:25being afraid of, of the connection, and, um, how it will change them, or their lives, and if, if that's
07:32worth it, so, um, those feelings of not wanting to intrude on someone, not wanting to ask too much,
07:41those are things, I think, that, like, I don't know, if you're sentient, you usually come with
07:44meeting a new person, like, is this an okay thing to ask? And, uh, I am someone that often has a lot
07:49of regrets in that area, like, asking something too personal right away, but, um, we got to play with
07:54that, that discomfort, um, as well, you know, it was just, like, very nice.
08:01The, the debate, did you do debate in high school?
08:04I was on the speech team, I was a four-time Massachusetts state champion, three-time state,
08:08uh, New England champion, and then, um, I have to kind of boofed it at nationals, and I'm not upset
08:15about it. It doesn't matter. Look at me now. It's fine.
08:19You showed them.
08:20All those judges are eating their shit now, aren't they? Anyway, uh.
08:24Oh, my God. I was so ready for that.
08:31That was so gnarly.
08:32That was so close.
08:33That was good.
08:34That was too good.
08:34Oh, God.
08:36Chris, what was your, what was your, um, high school?
08:38Baseball. I want to be a baseball player.
08:40Baseball. Okay.
08:41Were you a state championship?
08:43State champion.
08:43I was a bad, bad player.
08:46Well, you showed them too, it seems.
08:48Not in baseball.
08:48Yeah.
08:49Yeah.
08:50Personally.
08:51In life.
08:51Yeah.
08:52That brings me to one of the questions I've been asking everybody who comes in,
08:55which is, what is the job that was the closest thing to, like, your backup plan?
09:01Like, what would you have done?
09:03Nothing.
09:04I didn't have anything.
09:05Never anything.
09:06Yeah.
09:07I had a total loss.
09:10Also good.
09:11Things worked out well.
09:12What did you guys get yourself with your first job?
09:17Like, you know, when you get your first job paycheck.
09:19Ooh, what kind?
09:20I'd been driving a 1972 BMW 2002 that I bought for $1,100 with a check that my grandmother gave
09:28me since high school.
09:30I had no air conditioning.
09:32It was a beautiful car, but not a puncture.
09:34I got a Mini Cooper.
09:37It was pretty cool.
09:40I don't know why I did that.
09:42That's not, that's not like part of the ad for that car.
09:45No.
09:45It could be.
09:49What did you get yourself?
09:50I don't, I don't remember what the first thing was, but.
09:54It was an important thing.
09:55Yeah.
09:55On Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, in the neighborhood where I live, there was like this beautiful old
10:01couch and it was like 800 bucks and I really wanted it.
10:06And I like, I just, it wasn't going to happen for me.
10:09And that was like the first thing I really remember being like, I can get this and I'm getting it.
10:14Do you still have the couch?
10:16No.
10:16Probably.
10:16Yeah.
10:17I don't.
10:17You don't, do you still have the Mini Cooper?
10:20From that, I went to a Honda S2000, which was an incredibly fun car.
10:25Um, and, uh, now just to, I rate a best spot.
10:32Sick.
10:32You do?
10:33Yeah.
10:34Whoa.
10:34That's so crazy.
10:35I feel like that would be so dangerous to me.
10:37And Bibi, yeah.
10:38Bibi, no thanks.
10:40Bibi, no thanks.
10:41Bibi, no thanks.
10:42Um, okay.
10:44Last question is, um, what is a note you never want to hear again?
10:49Well, here's the thing that I, I just don't think it means anything and it creates a lot
10:53of pressure is just be yourself.
10:55It's like, well, what's the, what's that?
10:57I mean, I think you guys are unique in that you guys are so open and receptive and anything
11:05that gets the thing to a new place or a possible place and it's, um, I tend to be a bit more
11:11hands-off and, but I, so I never really ventured into some of those territories, but you, you guys
11:15were so inviting of anything that could get you somewhere new or else or, so I, I can understand
11:22why there might not be anything you would.
11:24I think the thing that I, I, I like being directed.
11:27Me too.
11:27I think, I guess there's some directors or there's some mode of thinking of like, well,
11:32the record's done their job once they'd cast the film and it's like, well,
11:36they're called the director that.
11:39So I like to come up with like a tool bag and be like, what do you want?
11:42What do you want me to paint here?
11:43What do you want me to do?
11:44So I don't like a silent director who's like, and we're moving on and you know,
11:49without some sort of feedback.
11:50Cause also for the most part, a lot of it's, I'm performing for them.
11:53I'm a performer.
11:54So I'm like, I have to have some sort of audience, you know?
11:58Well, you guys are both about to do, you're about to go on stage, right?
12:01And you're about to do West.
12:02So you're going to talk about feedback.
12:05Yeah.
12:05Yeah.
12:06And I've done it.
12:06I've done a, I used to do, I did a lot of theater in my twenties and my thirties.
12:09And so I have a remembrance of, of that, of that, of that experience.
12:17And the closest feeling I've gotten to that recently was last night and
12:23in the theater watching our film.
12:24And there are a lot of silences in the film.
12:27And what I remember distinctly about being on stage is like, if, and when you have an
12:32audience sort of moving it at that same speed and you have everybody there, the moment you
12:40stand on stage and you don't speak.
12:43And there's that, that brief weight, it's like, there's a static electricity in the air.
12:49And it's like, you're garnering all, you're like, uh, harnessing rather all of that
12:54energy and taking it to the next beat.
12:57And that is so tremendously invigorating and exciting as a performer.
13:03Awesome.
13:04Well, thank you guys for counting.
13:05We appreciate it.
13:05Thanks.
13:06Thank you very much.
13:06For sure.
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