Good Boys is coming to the big screen on August 16 after charming audiences at South by Southwest earlier this year. The film revolves around three young boys who try their hand at living large, but every youthful adventure needs an antagonist to feel complete. Thankfully, actress Molly Gordon provides the perfect one in the character of Hannah. Gordon recently sat down with Screen Rant to chat about the energy of set and the humorous life lessons of the film.
Molly, you play the villain of the piece. Kind of the villain; it's situational. How is it stepping into that, where you get to play the antagonist?
Molly Gordon: It was so fun. I think I haven't gotten a chance to play someone who's just super dry and doesn't give a shit. And it was really fun. I think it's really a great juxtaposition to the kids’ energy.
Speaking of the kids, I just got done talking to them. They have a ton of energy, but it's hard to stay at that level. Are there any great moments that you have individually with them?
Molly Gordon: Yeah. I mean, they were just so sweet. They're such kind boys. You can hear them talking [outside]. So sweet. I felt really happy to go to work with people that wanted to be there. I think sometimes you're around people that are upset to be at work, and we're lucky we get to make movies. So, I was excited to be with people that wanted to be there.
I talked to you a little bit earlier, and something you said that really struck me was about when you met Seth Rogen. You talked about how it was more like a like a comedy bootcamp when you were making the film. Can you talk about that a little bit?
Molly Gordon: Yeah. The way that Point Grey, their company, makes movies is that they do a lot of alts on the day and a lot of improv. Things change, and you have to kind of throw away how you were planning on playing something and just go with what it is. And try all different things.
It was like school; it's like going to comedy class. And they've made so many great movies that I'm such a big fan of, so it was great to get to see how those were made.
Speaking of that, especially the improv stuff, you also talked about a scene that you wish had stuck around in the film. The kids all talked about this big dance sequence they had at the mall, so what was the one thing that you hope end up on the DVD extras?
Molly Gordon: I hope for them, because they are just really upset about the dance sequence. I hope for them that the dance sequence has another life. I hope that they just have like DVD extras of their improvs. They're so funny. Keith has a great improv about not wanting to walk to my car that I think is really funny. But they're just so talented. I'm really excited about their careers.
This film actually has a ton of messages in it. And the kids keep their moral core, which I think is great about this film. Obviously, it's a lot of situational comedy that the kids find themselves in, but at their core, they're teaching things like consent, and don't do drugs. What are you hoping that audiences take away from this film?
Molly Gordon: I just hope that they laugh and are brought back to that awkward time in middle school where you're first trying to figure yourself out. And I agree, I love that the comedy doesn't come out of the kids doing any of these things. It comes out of them just finding out what they are. They don't do the drugs. They don't actually use any of the objects that they find. They're just figure out what they are. They're like, “Ooh, I'm not ready for that.” You don't have to grow up too fast.
Based on your own personality, which one of the three would you be?
Molly Gordon: At that time in my life that time? I was definitely more like Lucas. I was more like a kid. I wasn't ready. He goes, “My mom is my best friend.” And I was like, “That's like my character.”
That's awesome. I loved this film; I think it's one of the funniest films of the year. Thank you so much for your time.
