Adam Brody Interview The Kid Detective

Adam Brody Interview: The Kid Detective

We interview The Kid Detective star Adam Brody about what drew him to the project, his approach to playing his character, and much more.

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The Kid Detective, which is currently out in theaters and will be available through Hulu on October 20, follows a washed-up private investigator named Abe who stumbled upon his first so-called adult case. Adam Brody plays the title role, and he collaborated closely with writer-director Evan Morgan to bring the character to life.

Brody spoke with Screen Rant about the ways he connects to Abe Applebaum, as well as the work that went into grounding the larger-than-life story.

What was it about the story that drew you in personally?

Adam Brody: Honestly, and I know it’s a boring answer, [writer and director] Evan Morgan has got such a distinct voice and it’s music to my ears. I mean, he’s so sharp, but it’s a deadpan humor. It has a veneer of innocence with a subtext of the macabre – or not macabre, but darkness – and I just love it. I want to sing that song.

Furthermore, it wouldn’t even matter if the movie wasn’t good, but it is. To get to play the voiceover sleuth, the drunk detective, that’s like playing James Bond. What a great role for anyone; it’s one of the iconic roles of cinema. So, it’s a lot to chew on.

Speaking about Evan, this is his feature directorial debut. Can you talk to me about the collaboration process and working with him? How did him also being the writer help inform your performance?

Adam Brody: Yeah, it was a long process. He approached me at a film festival six or seven years ago and was like, “Hey, I’m a fan. I’ve got this other movie.” He was very involved in [it]. I checked that movie out. It’s very special; it’s called The Dirties, it’s also a high-wire act, and it’s a really special movie. And I was like, “Wow, he’s very talented.” Then he shared with me the idea; loved it. And they shared with me the first act; loved it even more. I was like, “Oh, I get it completely.”

And then he had to go write it, because he wrote the first act and didn’t know what the detective story was yet. He disappeared for, like – I didn’t hear from him for a year and a half. He came back, and he’s like, “I finished.” I just loved it, and then it was this four year journey of trying to get it made. Many times, I was like, “This is not gonna happen,” even though I would revisit the script every year.

I wouldn’t read it for a year at a time, and most scripts were over time. The first read is normally the best, like, “This is cool,” and then if you’re going to work on it, you’ve got to read it more to dig in. Then you know the surprises that are there, and then you start noticing the deficiencies. With this – and I really mean this – even on set, every time I read it, I’m like, “I like it more.” Hearing him direct on set with other people, he’s telling other actors things that I didn’t even pick up on, but are there.

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It was just a rich script that I kept getting inspired by. I kind of lost hope; for a while I was like, “Let’s just cut it up, maybe make it the first episode of a show, and let’s go pitch it that way.” He kept the faith, we got a couple of new producers, and got the money and got to make the movie the way we wanted. It was such a thrill. Such a thrill, after all these years of talking about it and thinking it wasn’t going to happen, to be on set with a real budget, casting who we wanted, working with who we wanted, making this movie, and collaborating on it very closely.

I’ve produced things before, and even on things I didn’t produce, I’ve been a very close collaborator if I’ve acted in certain things. But I’ve never been as instrumental from top to bottom before as I was in this. And it’s a thrill; it’s very fun to have a hand and all those other departments.

You’ve been in the public spotlight from a young age with The OC, and you’ve probably noticed your array of roles growing as you’ve gotten older. Can you talk to me about how your experience helps you relate to Abe’s coming of age story?

Adam Brody: Yeah, I think having some fame young certainly relates. I never felt like, “Oh, I have crushing expectations. I’m not living up to it, and my glory years are behind me,” exactly…

Although, now that I say that, that’s not exactly true. I do know that I had a realization at 30, at 32, at 34, that I don’t have as much say or as many opportunities as I did at 24. That’s a reality. I have plenty of belief in myself. It’s not that I had more belief then or whatever; I kind of was as pretty self-assured then as I am now – deficiencies and all – of who I am and what I’m capable of. But that’s a pill to swallow, you know?

And I think we all do that, in a way. Adulthood and growing up can be humbling. It’s a very universal experience for a variety of reasons, so it was easy to tap into that.

Can you talk to me about what you wanted to bring to the character that may have not been on the page?

Adam Brody: It’s weird, because it’s a fictional world, it’s a fictional job, it’s high concept – and it was a balance to figure out. What I like about the world is it’s this cartoony world; it reminds me of a lot of things, but in some ways, I kept thinking about the Peanuts world a little bit.

There’s this 20 year gap in his story, and in many ways, it’s a very broad character. Because it’s like, “Where’s his inner life? What are his details? Did he go to college?” There’s all these questions. And at the same time, you’re painting more in primary colors on one hand, and you don’t need to. It’s a heightened world; you don’t need to worry about that stuff as much. But at the same time, I want to make him a real person. I want to make him flesh and blood, and I want to make him not be a caricature.

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So, grounding him even though he’s a larger than life character in a larger than life world was a challenge. And then also, just as importantly, figuring out his look. We had so long, and we never dug into it too much until we’re about to film two weeks. Then I’m like, “Okay, well, what is he wearing?”

One of the things that really came to light that really set it right – because we had ideas for much more of a broad costume or less, and Evan always had the idea of the tweed jacket. But the thing we didn’t know about until he gets beat up in the beginning of the movie, and it’s like, “What should we do with the bruising? Does it fade pretty quickly?” And somewhat in a nod to Chinatown, which is the high watermark for the detective genre, but also to set the character, we decided he’s gonna have this [bruise]. He’s gonna wear it real. If you have this cut or this punch or this bruise, you would have it for a month.

And so, he’s looking beat up the whole movie, and that did so much to setting the character and telling you who he is and where he is at in life, and really giving him a signature look. That was a last-minute choice that we’re both really happy with.

Everyone’s excited to see you in the Shazam sequel. Pre-production is in the works, and it’s underway. Do you hope to further explore your superhero side, and what excites you the most about the Shazam sequel?

Adam Brody: I don’t know and nor could I, if I did, divulge too many details. But I’m excited to do more, and what excites me the most is getting to play a kid. You’re in these suits, but [it’s] getting to embrace the inherent goofiness of it. I’m sure there’ll be moments of real peril that you take seriously as well, but leaning into the comedy and leaning into the goofiness and the wish fulfillment of it all is a pretty natural and joyful experience.

Not to mention, just the nature of doing wire work and stuff like that. Which is its own experience that I’ve never done before except for in that movie, and it’s very unique.

This project seems primed for more sequels and stories. Have you started dreaming up where this character could go next?

Adam Brody: You know, I haven’t. At one time, like I said, I was going down the road thinking, “I don’t think we can get this made.” I pitched to Evan that we should make it as a show. But since we made it, no, I haven’t really given it any thought. That’s for him to decide, but I would go wherever he wanted to take it.

So, we’ll see how it does. I suppose it’s got to do well first.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/kid-detective-movie-adam-brody-interview/

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