“The bear does cocaine. Big, bang, boom, that’s your movie!”
And just like that, Alden Ehrenreich and O’Shea Jackson Jr. perfectly sum up the entirety of Cocaine Bear‘s narrative and reason for being during a sometimes emotional, always entertaining conversation with our Peter Gray ahead of the film’s release. Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, this wild dark comedy finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest where a 500- pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of cocaine and gone on a coke-fueled rampage for more blow … and blood.
Talking with The AU Review, Ehrenreich and Jackson Jr. touched on their easy chemistry, working with the late Ray Liotta, and instantly reacting to the film’s title; ” I kind of look at Cocaine Bear as a Titanic. Yeah, it’s based on true events (but) we don’t know if the story or characters were there, but come see the boat!”
The chemistry between the two of you is pretty untapped here. Did you have any time off-screen to bond and form a friendship prior to shooting?
O’Shea Jackson Jr.: No, we just kind of clicked. I know, personally, I was excited. You know, we’re both part of the galaxy far, far away fraternity in Star Wars. I was excited to talk about that, and I was literally coming off Kenobi, so I was pumped to share experiences with him (Alden). Yeah. we just got along. It really is a plus when you have chemistry off camera because it translates so easily on screen. Yeah, he’s pretty chill.
And a lot of your time on screen is also shared with the late, great Ray Liotta. I can imagine that would have been an incredible experience for both of you. How was it to film with him? And did he leave any impact on you that you will take further beyond Cocaine Bear?
Alden Ehrenreich: Yeah, you know, Ray was just such a phenomenal actor. One of the best moments I had with him was doing the scenes, and there was these moments for him (that) I got to get into it a little bit. And (Elizabeth Banks) let us do that. I remember walking around and it was really thrilling. He was such a sweet man, and really seemed to be having a great time when doing it. We’re all missing him right now not being here. Sometimes the pressure is when you get to know people better, and it would have been really nice to be able to have that time with him now.
Working with Elizabeth Banks, did you find there was any difference on set being under the direction of a woman compared to one being male-driven?
O’Shea Jackson Jr.: I would say the only thing that’s different is (that) this is my first time I’m in a feature directed by a director who’s also an actor. That’s the biggest difference that Elizabeth has been in my shoes before. She kind of speaks my language, you know, she can say the right things to get you there as an actor. And she’s so very welcoming. Very open to collaborating creatively. That’s one of the big differences is just having another actor in the tent knowing what you need. As far as her being a female director, there’s no difference. Most of the time the difference you’re going to see in directors is all personality based anyway. You’ve got directors who are drill sergeants. You have directors who are more relaxed and welcoming, the same way that Elizabeth is. Elizabeth is a director who looks at you as a teammate, and not one of those (directors) that looks at you as a chess piece on their board. The biggest difference in directors is not gender of any kind. It’s mostly in personality.
Alden Ehrenreich: I agree. I went and did a film right after this for a director who’s also a woman and, you know, it couldn’t have been more different. Yeah, I just completely agree.
In the same way that we all know that Samuel L. Jackson basically said yes to Snakes on a Plane because of that title, did you get this script and just think, “I don’t care what this is about. It’s called Cocaine Bear!”…
O’Shea Jackson Jr.: I definitely was amped when I saw the title. I saw it in a tweet when they said that Elizabeth got to the rights to the film. When I clicked and read the story, my first thought was “There’s no way that they’re really doing this movie, and they’re calling it Cocaine Bear.” That’s awesome. Take my money now. I was already signed on as a fan. Then, from there, Elizabeth saw my tweet, and that’s how I got the call to join the cast. When I saw that I got to play Daveed, and me and (Alden’s character) Eddie’s story is one of those things that you want to jump on because you can show your skills a little bit. The arc was visible from the beginning (of) where you could go (and) where you can take it, and it allowed me to show a variety of emotions, on top of having an awesome world around it. I kind of look at Cocaine Bear as a Titanic. Yeah, it’s based on true events (but) we don’t know if the story or characters were there, but come see the boat!
Going on from that, we have the ambulance scene in the film, which was fantastic. We also have a scene where kids are spooning cocaine into their mouths. Is there anything when reading the script that you thought, “How the hell does this make it on screen?”
Alden Ehrenreich: (Laughs) Like, all of them. It’s just that it’s a bear. People love bears. They’re funny, but also scary. I hope that’s a quote that stays with me (laughs). But yeah, the bear does cocaine. Big, bang, boom, that’s your movie! (Laughs).
There’s the headline for all articles.
Alden Ehrenreich: That should be on the poster. The bear did cocaine, right? Get in there.
Cocaine Bear is screening in Australian theatres from February 23rd, 2023.
