Adulthood, directed by Alex Winter, stars Josh Gad and Kaya Scodelario as a duo of siblings who uncover a dead body in the basement of their parents’ house. Understandably, the situation spirals comically out of control, leading the two to resort to desperate, drastic measures to keep things under wraps.
Now available on VOD in the United States, the film premiered earlier this month at the Toronto International Film Festival, where our Peter Gray attended the red carpet where Winter and key cast members Billie Lourd, Camille James and Nicolás Londoño were in attendance, chatting to them about their own thoughts on adulthood, and if the film taught them anything new.
The film is about adult siblings confronting both the past and themselves. What truth about adulthood did you discover while making this film?
Nicolás Londoño: Through the lens of the movie, it just reinforces the fact that adulting is not easy, you know? I love that Alex took that to the next level by bringing murder into it. It’s a real metaphor for the fact that nobody’s having an easy time out there. It just reinforced that.
And the basement in the film is where they literally unearth family secrets. What’s your own personal “basement”? Something hidden that you have had to face to move forward?
Nicolás Londoño: I’ve tried to do as much cleaning out as I can (laughs). I like to not think a whole lot about that. Ask me again in five years, I’ll be like, “Oh, dude, there was a lot!”
Camille James: I would say, I’m a person who has the ability to dive into situations that I’m fearful of, which makes me grow. Our discomfort makes us grow and become better people. I think that things such as this, like learning a whole heap of (dialogue) at once, for example, as an actor, can be daunting. But it’s about galvanizing oneself and saying, “I can do this.” Positive self-talk helps.
The story very much informs us that adulthood is messy and full of mistakes. What’s one mistake that you made as an adult that taught you more than any success ever could?
Camille James: Mmm-hmm, yeah, it has to do with love and following your instincts. Maybe if you don’t, you end up on the wrong side of things, you have to cry a lot, and then you pick yourself up and find your strength. And you find somebody better.
Alex, I know you’ve lived through different creative chapters in your career: Actor, documentarian, director. Do you feel your own definition of adulthood has changed having gone through so many roles?
Alex Winter: Yeah, I mean, I started acting when I was so young. Professionally, I feel like I joined the adult world at around 13, which I think every child actor feels that way, because you’re in a very adultified world, and you’re on the clock. There’s a lot of pressure. I feel like I’ve gotten to enjoy adulthood as an actual adult much later, and that’s been better.
And I think you just realise that your parents had a whole life that you weren’t really paying attention to, because children are, by nature, narcissistic. As they should be. You hit adulthood, and you realise, however close you are with your parents, and I’m very close with my mom, my dad’s not around anymore, but you realise there’s a whole life there that you don’t know anything about. A life that has a whole depth to it. That’s what the film is about in a way.
Billie, the film takes a little deed and it just snowballs. Was there something for you, personally, where a moment spiraled into unexpected chaos?
Billie Lourd: My whole life (laughs). No, I don’t know. That’s a hard question. That’s a good question. But it’s an essay question. I got to think about that. What has actually fallen apart in my life? I don’t know. Things are going okay for me right now.
That’s actually a better answer anyway.
Billie Lourd: It’s positive, I’m doing well. It’s rare (laughs).
Adulthood is now available on VOD in the United States.
