We Broke Up is the little film that could, finally premiering in theaters on April 16 and on VOD April 23 after nearly a decade since its inception. Writers Jeff Rosenberg and Laura Jacqmin brought a dying relationship to life in their unusual romantic comedy, and brought together such a stellar cast for a 15-day shoot that it seems almost kismet.
The couple at the center of the chaos is Lori and Doug, played by Aya Cash (The Boys) and William Jackson Harper (Midsommar). After a proposal gone wrong, they break up on the eve of Lori's sister's wedding and have no recourse left but to pretend to be a happy couple to get through the weekend.
Cash and Jackson Harper spoke to Screen Rant about their history with the project, how they view the family dynamics at play in the film, and which series they're excited about in their future.
Will, I know that you previously worked with Jeff on The Good Place. Is that how you were introduced to the project? What made you want to jump on board?
William Jackson Harper: Yeah. He brought it to me in my trailer one day. Jeff's a really cool dude, and he's a great presence on set. I really just liked him as a guy. He's like, "I have this project that I'm thinking about making. Would you want to read it?" I was like, "Sure, I'll read it."
I read it, and I really loved the character and the story. It felt really nuanced and grown up in a way that I was attracted to. So, it was kind of a no-brainer for me. I like this guy, I think he's really nice, and I think that we can do some cool stuff together. Then finding out that I was gonna do it was like, "Yo, dope. All right, this is great."
Aya, how did you get introduced to the project? What was your reaction to the script?
Aya Cash: Actually, like six or seven years ago, Jeff made me the offer. It was the first time I'd ever gotten a film offer, and I was really excited. I sat down with Jeff, I really liked him, and I thought the script was great. So, I was on board.
And then six years later, I got a call being like, "It's finally coming together, and we're out to Will Jackson Harper." And I was like, "Well, let's go!" Will and I had circled each other for a long time, and I was super excited to work with him. I already loved the script, so it was kind of a no-brainer.
I love how We Broke Up not only dissects the death of a relationship, but also how important family is to that relationship. It's not just two people, it's everyone around them that's affects too. How would you say that Lori and Doug relate to her family specifically, in this movie?
Aya Cash: Doug is beloved by her family, which is always complicated when you break up with someone that your family loves. Luckily, I've never done that. But when you're enmeshed in the way that you are with someone after 10 years, it's a question of how do you extricate yourself? You're just as much in a relationship with somebody's family and friends as you are with them.
I think, in some ways, Lori feels like Doug is more beloved than she is and that she's gonna be disappoint them by ending it.
As the beloved party, is there added pressure for Doug when the breakup occurs at the start of the film?
William Jackson Harper: Yeah, absolutely. When you've been with someone for such a long time, the family is very much a part of the dynamic. You're breaking up with this person, or you're ending this journey with this person, but you're also ending a journey with an entire community of people. And that's hard.
That's one of the toughest things about breakups. People winding up losing friends, because people pick a side or it's like, "Oh, are you gonna be uncomfortable if I'm hanging out with your ex?" It's really tough, and it gets really messy. I think that once you've been invited in to another person's space, you need to cede that space back to them. And that's hard to do when you care, you know?
Did you have talks about the backstory of the relationship with Jeff and Laura, or between yourselves about what led Doug and Lori to this place?
William Jackson Harper: We didn't have a ton of prep time. We just got the script and jumped right in. But I think that both of us have been in long-term relationships, so a lot of the script just made sense. It was very much that we can play it the way it laid, and it would sing, and it would do it click.
I think we both probably have backstory that we have concocted for ourselves, as to how they got to this place and what their relationship looked like in the past. But when it's been 10 years [of a relationship], in certain ways, what you are is what you've always been. Even if you are aware of how much you've changed over the course of those years, who you are in that moment is who you've been all this time. You feel that, even if you know consciously that's not true.
So, we just jumped right in. And I think, at least for me, I just pulled on some of the other stuff that I've been through and threw it in to see if it worked.
I'm so impressed that you did pull it off so well in 15 days. But what is next up your sleeves? Stormfront maybe won't be pieced back together on The Boys, but do you have something else going on, Aya?
Aya Cash: I mean, do you really want to see her put back together? I don't think she deserves anything. Look, I loved being on The Boys. I will always show up for them if they ever asked me. Who knows about season 3, but I will say that Stormfront does not deserve to be put back together. She deserves a slow and painful forever death.
I am on a new show called This Country, which will be on Fox coming soon-ish. Hopefully this year. And then I just did a little bit on a Showtime series called The First Lady, which looks really to be very interesting, about three of the First Ladies of the United States. And I want to take the summer to sit by a pool somewhere.
Will, I know you've got The Underground Railroad and Love Life. Can you share a little about those?
William Jackson Harper: Well, I actually was finishing up Underground Railroad as we were shooting this. As we were shooting We Broke Up, I still had a little bit of time left on Underground Railroad. I was going back and forth. I'm really excited for people to interact with that piece, just because it asked a lot of really interesting questions. I just want to see how people are affected by it.
And Love Life is coming up. I haven't started that yet, but I'm starting this summer. So, I will not be relaxing by the pool. I will be working out and working. All fear-based reactions here. So, that's what's next up on the deck.
We Broke Up will be in select theaters on April 16 and on VOD and Digital on April 23.