This film’s been compared to Napoleon Dynamite a lot?
“Yeah, it has and I don’t mind that comparison.”
It’s a good comparison.
“Yeah, it was a great film. It was really funny. It can’t hurt for this film to be compared to that. I still think they’re kind of different. I think this film’s probably got a little bit more pain in it and a little bit more tragedy.”
And it’s definitely got more of a bite to it.
“Yeah, yeah, and but then again I think they are different films, you know? That film is more like nerd triumph and this is more like nerd acceptance.”
Would you consider revisiting these same characters?
“I think I’d consider revisiting versions of these characters in another film. Yeah, for sure, I’m always attracted to stories of the underdog and the people who don’t usually get represented in films.”
Was it easier for you to direct this because you knew your cast so well?
“It was a lot easier. It made the whole shooting environment a lot more bearable. The fact that people would come to work and not bring any ego or attitude to the set… We all knew each other well so there was no room for that. We could be very honest with each other and have a very truthful working environment. So the whole experience was pleasurable.
It was quite collaborative. I would always ask them what they thought of certain things, what they thought their characters would be doing in these situations. I think once you hand over roles to actors, you need to step up and own those characters and become them and make a lot of decisions for those characters. Even if it’s just like what kind of clothes these characters wear and what do they look like. It’s always nice to have a chance to collaborate with other people when making a film.”
What’s your next film?
“My next film is called Volcano. It’s about a little boy growing up in a tiny, tiny town in the country in New Zealand at the time when Thriller was released.”
