“Everybody Wants Some!!” is the story of a college baseball team’s first three days at a Texas university in the 1980s. It was written and directed by Richard Linklater, who also wrote, produced and directed the films “Boyhood” and “Dazed and Confused.”
I got to sit down with “Everybody Wants Some!!” actors Blake Jenner, Tyler Hoechlin, Will Brittain and Ryan Guzman to talk about the movie, play intense games of tic-tac-toe and laugh a lot.
What was your initial reaction to finding out that you’d been cast in an ‘80s film?
Hoechlin: “I was stoked, especially since Rick [Richard Linklater] was directing. Obviously, that lets you know that you’re going to be in something very authentic, and you’re actually going to feel like you’ve experienced it.”
Guzman: “I was more stoked that I was going to be in a movie with baseball as its background. I’d always wanted to be in a movie that had some kind of baseball in it.”
Jenner: “It was kind of surreal for me. I remember after my last audition Rick called me after and told me face-to-face. My mind was going like a fiesta, but, on the outside, I was trying to be a chill dude. It was a crazy moment.”
Brittain: “I grew up watching a lot of ‘80s movies, so it was really rad to be a part of that, to be in a movie that fits into that category.”
In the movie, your characters become kind of like family. Did everyone on set become a family, too?
Hoechlin: “The chemistry in the group was insane, especially for an ensemble. Sometimes, with an ensemble, it’s hard to get everyone to get along, 12 guys in particular. But from the first day that we all met, we were out at Rick’s property staying in a bunkhouse, and from the second or third day in, we all realized that everyone was really cool, and we weren’t going to have a problem with anybody. We still have a text chain that goes off every day.”
Jenner: “We all have severe separation anxiety.”
Brittain: “We really are close friends. We know each other’s moms, and we go over to each other’s houses for dinner. It’s a blessing to do a movie and to come out of it with really good friends who get you and whom you can trust.”
The film takes place at a university in Texas. What will college students find most relatable about it?
Hoechlin: “It’s those days leading up to the start of class. We wanted to capture what it’s like for someone to go off to school. I remember getting dropped off at college and my parents driving away and realizing that I was on my own, that these were the first moments I could be who I want to be and do what I want to do, and the consequences were my responsibility alone.”
What was it like to film a movie set specifically in the ‘80s?
Hoechlin: “Growing up, I would hear ‘80s songs on the radio, but when you put the music with these characters, when you’re at the disco, and you have that look and energy, it brings a whole new feeling to it. I had a new appreciation for it.”
Jenner: “I got to realize what the fuss was about. My parents jam out to music from that era, so I got to embrace all of that.”
Brittain: “Disco dancing was nice. I am not a great dancer, but disco allows you to be yourself. No one can really look at it and say, ‘That’s not how you do it.’”
Do you think that your characters fit your personalities well?
Hoechlin: “The one thing that McReynolds and I have in common is competitiveness. I grew up playing baseball, and I find it fun to compete.”
Guzman: “There aren’t too many things that I can say that I relate to about Roper. He’s very misogynistic, and he’s a partier. But he does care for his boys. He cares about the people he lives with, even though he doesn’t show it in a conventional way. I kind of relate to that.”
Jenner: “Jake and I definitely both have a thoughtful side. I process things quite a bit and pick situations apart, so that’s how I’m able to relate to him. We both analyze life.”
Brittain: “I don’t relate to Billy too much because I feel like he’s a jerk in some of the scenes. But I do relate to coming to college and having that overwhelming sense of uncertainty with all the different things happening and all the different people you’re meeting.”
The film currently has a 94 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so, obviously critics love it. But, in your opinion, what makes “Everybody Wants Some!!” a great movie?
Hoechlin: “I think it’s refreshing to see a movie that’s being labeled as a comedy be about the characters. It’s such a character-driven film. There aren’t a lot of movies you can go to and come out feeling like you know five or six new people. You don’t have to have gimmicks or dumb something down for the audience. You can just see a great story, get to know these characters, and connect with them.”
Guzman: “For me, what makes the film great is the director. Everything that we are right now is because of him. He guided us to where we are.”
Jenner: “It’s timeless, for people our parent’s age or for people now. Music changes, fads change, and styles change, but growing up, having fun with your friends, and figuring out who you are stay the same.”
Brittain: “Watching one of Rick’s movies is like riding in the back of a Cadillac and looking at the window at the world you’re put in. It’s smooth, and it’s a little bit comfy, but it smells like your grandma’s car, too. That’s what it feels like, and it was cool to be a part of.”
If you weren’t acting, what would you be doing?
Hoechlin: “I would direct and produce, which I plan on doing sometime eventually, anyway. I’d be a baseball coach. Or I’d renovate houses. I like the idea of taking something and improving on it and creating a painting that people can live in.”
Guzman: “I would be doing professional fighting.”
Jenner: “I’ve taught improv to kids in Miami, so I could see myself being a teacher. I might be a therapist because I like listening to people. Or I’d be a vigilante.”
Brittain: “I’d be a personal trainer, military man or storm chaser.”
“Everybody Wants Some!!” hits theaters on March 30.
Photo Credit: G. Ducanis
