Andre Hyland and Michael Angarano find themselves involved in the bizarre situation of a woman in Willing. After about a decade starring in several online comedy shorts, Hyland began gradually expanding her acting career into feature film and TV projects, including the Kate Beckinsale-led film. Guilty party and Bill Hader Barry. Angarano, on the other hand, has been acting since he was a teenager, having starred in everything from Cameron Crowe Almost Famous to Disney Very highChristopher Nolan Oppenheimer and NBC This is uswhich earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Based on the Australian show of the same name Willing revolves around party planner Ruby, who one day discovers that her former sexual partners are dying in the order in which they slept with her, leading her to investigate why. Hyland stars in the show as Zack, the boyfriend of Ruby's best friend AJ, who also lives with them both but is a notoriously lazy and self-centered figure. Angarano, meanwhile, stars as Richie, a person Ruby once slept with, who becomes a rift in the sex timeline and is ignored, joining her on her quest to find answers.
Alongside Hyland and Angarano, the group Willing cast includes Oscar nominee Everything everywhere at the same time veterinarian Stephanie Hsu, The DecameronZosia Mamet, Good problemare Tommy Martinez, Andre Hyland, Elizabeth Bowen, Olivia Holt, Ryan Pinkston, David Denman and Susan Berger. Utilizing its gonzo premise to deliver some shocking deaths while also remembering the characters' genuine humanity and the humor that comes from its concept, the show is a hugely entertaining ride.
Before the program's premiere, TelaRant interviewed Andre Hyland and Michael Angarano to discuss Willingwhat drew them to the American adaptation of the Australian comedy, how intrigued they were by how it “Trojan horse“is a darker comedy in its romantic comedy presentation and the joy they found in working with Hsu on the show.
Hyland & Angarano Felt Willing I had “Such a good hook”
“You read it and it really left the page.”
ScreenRant: I'm really excited to talk about this show. I watched the first seven episodes the other day and was hooked from start to finish. Andre, I'd love to start with you, and then Michael, what really made you two want to be a part of the show?
Andre Hyland: I like that it's a dark comedy, but it's fed like it's not. It's kind of a twisted romantic comedy, I like that. The way it looks and presents itself, you wouldn't think it gets a little graphic at times, or dark, I guess is the quickest way to say it. So I think that's cool, that's what grabbed me.
Michael Angarano: For me, I just thought about a few things. It has such a good hook. When the question arises like, “Why is this happening?”, you just want to know. So I felt like this was a really good engine for a show in general. And then, the scripts were so funny and so well written. You read it and it really clicked off the page.
But when you actually started playing the scenes themselves, you'd find all this range in them. And obviously I love Nahnatchka and Sally. I thought the sentiment of them – there were so many jokes per page that it almost felt like a comedy from the heyday, you know, I guess a broadcast comedy. But it was – and I hate the word – edgier, darker, and it felt like you had a lot more freedom in terms of tone than you could really inject. And they did.
They've injected it so much, it's so self-aware that it knows what it is, and it's not afraid to poke fun at itself and other things as well. Not afraid of being politically incorrect. It makes really good jokes, I thought, and the characters jump off the page too. So, it was just exciting. It's so rare that you have a show that can really reach people, that people can see, that is fun to be on and also fun to watch.
Andre Hyland: Yes, I agree with that. I feel like it's kind of a dark twist that turns Trojan Horse into this kind of family showcase that people are used to, in a sense. It's a way to trick people into something new and more interesting. [Laughs]
Ruby's dynamic with Zack and Richie will grow in unique and different ways
“I feel like what Richie and Ruby have almost feels like brother-sister.”
I would love to talk about both of your characters' dynamics with Stephanie, because obviously with Andre, you kind of don't like her but also have an indifference towards her, whereas Michael, you start off on a really bad note with her but as the show goes on, something starts to grow there. What was it like for each of you to find that dynamic and relationship with her during filming?
Andre Hyland: Well, I think both Zack and Ruby are in each other's lives because of AJ. They both kind of need to experiment with each other just because one is best friends and the other is boyfriend. They are the sidecar that accompanies either party, so they don't like each other, but they are there. It's like a classmate, like, 'Well, we're here together, so we can sit together at lunch at school, but not spend the weekends together.' But then, as the show progresses, everyone grows in directions and everything, but I think that's the initial situation.
Michael Angarano: I feel like what Richie and Ruby have almost feels like brother-sister. There is a lot of irritating and brutal honesty in their relationship. What makes their relationship interesting is that they repel each other, which is why they grow closer. He's one of the few people who can be brutally honest with her, and she's not afraid of being judged by him, and he by her. At least the baseline, “Take it or leave it.” They are very much a take-it-or-leave-it type with each other. “This is who I am. I'm not trying to impress.” They're not afraid to be themselves around each other, and I think that lends itself to their future dynamic.
Angarano and Hsu couldn't get through one of their audition scenes together without laughing
“…that made our relationship clear from the beginning.”
I don't want to spoil anything, but there is a kind of romantic comedy hidden in this show. What was it like finding that specific dynamic with Stephanie, in particular?
Michael Angarano: It was great watching Stephanie play this character because I felt like Ruby and Stephanie's voice acting were a perfect marriage. Nahnatchka and Sally wrote such a specific character, and when you heard Stephanie read it, say the lines, and inhabit the character, it felt so natural and authentic. So, I don't know, I felt like our relationship was really easy from the beginning.
We also have very, sometimes heavy, long, funny and dark scenes with each other. I'll tell you a good joke. When I auditioned, we couldn't get past one scene because we both burst out laughing at the same thing, and that was just the audition. And that revealed our relationship from the beginning. Immediately, you felt like we were on the same page.
Andre Hyland: Yeah, too, it's cool working with Stephanie. She's rooting for everything to work out, and trying to make it work, not just keep her place. She is an easy and pleasant person to work with.
On Willing
A woman discovers her former lovers are dying in unusual ways and must go back in her sexual timeline to confront her past and move forward – “Laid” is a fucked-up romantic comedy where the answer to “why can’t I find the right one?” Baby, is there something wrong with me? is a resounding “Yes. There is. The problem is definitely you.
Stay tuned for our others Willing interviews:
Source: TelaRant Plus