EXCLUSIVE: Director Jason Orley Talks Charlie Day, Scott Eastwood, & his New Movie, “I Want You Back”
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Director Jason Orley is gearing up to release his new romantic comedy, I Want You Back. Starring Jenny Slate and Charlie Day, the movie follows Peter (Charlie Day) and Emma (Jenny Slate) as they attempt to win their exes back.
We got the chance to hear from the director about his new movie, the bromance between stars Charlie Day and Scott Eastwood, and so much more. Check out what he had to say below.
On the bromance between Charlie Day and Scott Eastwood: “The first day of shooting was all the Scott and Charlie in the gym. So, it was immediately… with the dumbbells and with all that stuff. I showed up and I was like, ‘I wonder what this is going to be?’ And it was like, ‘Oh, this is incredible. This is the Bromance. This is it. I think the first scene of the movie we shot, was Scott trying to get Charlie to take his shirt off when he is got the camera. That was the first thing we shot. And it was like, ‘Oh, this is… I’m just going to stay out of everyone’s way. I’ll be back here. This is not going to be an issue.'”
On finding the perfect balance between romance and comedy: “In all of my favorite romantic comedies, they come from a place of real emotion. The breakups are real and the sadness is real and the heart is in there. And I think, because you can take out the jokes and there’s still a great movie there. There’s still a great dramatic premise. So, for me, that was the most important thing was, before our amazing cast add their special sauce, which is how funny they are and how they can just take any scene to another level. Is there a dramatic story, we’re telling, that works? That was a big focus for me. And I think that’s what makes it funnier, breakups are relatable. They’re funny when you see somebody else going through something that you’ve been through and you can laugh at that. I think about all those crying scenes in When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail and all Nancy Meyers films. What I love was the dramatic scenes. Because, those were the funniest ones.
You can read the rest of what he had to say below. I Want You Back is set to be released this Friday, February 11.
Photo credit: Amazon
On working with Charlie Day: “Everyone knows how funny Charlie is and sees him on his show. However, I don’t think they realize how much thought goes into the more broad comedy pieces of, ‘Are we making sure? Okay, I’m jumping off the second floor into a hot tub. But, how did I get here? And who am I?’ And making sure that it doesn’t just feel like a joke for just the sake of being funny, for the sake of putting something in a movie. Like, ‘Who is this guy? How did he end up on this ledge?’ And making sure we’re bringing everything about this character and about the story we’re telling into these funny moments, him hiding in a basket and all this stuff. That was something that I was really excited by and meeting Charlie and from our first meeting, of just how much thought went into, even the things that feel like that they’re improvised, that feel like they come from this place of, ‘Are we telling the right story? Are we telling the story of our movie? And is this something my character would do?’ That was something that was fun. And yeah, I think people would be excited and surprised to know that.”
On balancing the line between focusing on an individual character and the couples: “I can start by saying this. I think that Scott [Eastwood] had probably, the most difficult job in this film, which is you meet him and he is dumping Jenny Slate, and you have to still like him, right? And I think, for me that was like, ‘Okay, who’s going to be this guy, that when you meet him, he’s dumping the most likable, sweet person, and he’s not the villain of our story?’ You’re still going to have to root for his love story and want to root for his wedding and for his happiness. And it’s not this Legally Blonde, this is Jenny’s origin story and fuck this guy. No, these are two characters that we’re going to have to care about for the whole story. You’re going to want her to want him back. And then, you’re going to want to be excited for him, that he’s found someone new, that actually makes more sense for him. And that was a Herculean task and Scott did it so well, because he has this charm and sweetness and he’s sad about breaking up with Jenny, he’s not enjoying it at all. And throughout the movie, you see that he’s just happened to have found someone that makes more sense for him. And I think that, that’s what Clark did so well, is that it was so important to me that Clark wasn’t playing this one dimensional, unattainable character there to make Jenny jealous. But, she had all of the traits of someone that you could see Scott’s character falling in love with. She was ambitious and funny and also a little quirky. And the way that she uses her Instagram, the way we meet her and her Instagram video. And the way that she… And talking on the phone and just, in all of these moments at the pie shop, that you’re like, ‘Oh, I get it. I get why this guy loves her. And I root for this relationship now, too.’ I think that making sure there were no villains in this story, was something that was really important to me, that you rooted for all of their individual love stories.”
On whether or not he would show up to an ex’s wedding: “No. Luckily, I’ve not had to be put in this situation. But, it was something that I thought about when we were making the movie, I was like, ‘Would Scott’s character invite Jenny? Yes.’ And I had been to a wedding a few months earlier, where a friend of mine was there and he was the ex of the bride. And I kept thinking about this movie and I was like, ‘Okay, this makes sense.’ I was basically, following him around and interviewing him. I was like, ‘How do you feel right now? Is this awkward to you? Do you want to leave? This must be really hard for you, huh? Tell me about that. Tell me about everything you’re feeling.’ He’s like, ‘I’m just trying to enjoy myself.'”
On his go-to karaoke song: “Oh, please don’t start with me. I can’t sing. I can’t sing for shit. God, I think I put some of those into this movie. So, I think they’re in there. “Torn” is a big one. I mean, “You Ought To Know”, was a great one. I’m a Sinatra guy. I’ll do, “My Way”. I think that, that’s what I’ll do that. I feel that’s safest, because I sound most like him, when I sing.”
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity