Brian Huskey star/co-writer “A Better You”
Sunday night at the new UCB Sunset theater in Los Angeles, the comedy wasn’t on stage, as it usually is – it was on screen. And in the red carpet line and at the after-party. The occasion: the premiere of “A Better You,” directed by UCB co-founder Matt Walsh, co-written by Walsh and star Brian Huskey. A full review is also up on this blog: bottom line, yes, it was hilarious. How could it not be, with a cast that included Andy Daly (Review), Joe Lo Truglio (Brooklyn Nine Nine), Erin Hayes (Children’s Hospital), Morgan Walsh (Hotwives of Orlando) — plus the improv-sketch-comedy scripting UCB has long championed. Co-producer Anthony D’Alessandro kept the press line and interviews moving, aptly describing the film as “A comedy about alternative therapy, Matt Walsh’s second directorial effort. He’s like Altman, he puts a cast together fast, no waiting around, says everyone let’s show up, and shoots it in a week.” The film may well have viewers laughing longer than it took to film the project.
The stars weigh in on the film, film-making and life in LA.
Matt Walsh
“I hope people laugh and enjoy it,” Walsh said simply of the film, which opens Friday on VOD and in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Music Hall.
Inspiration? “I live in Los Angeles, but I grew up in Chicago, where if there’s something troubling you, you see the psychiatrist or the doctor. Here you might see your trainer or your acupuncturist. There’s a whole list of choices,” he notes. “I was a psych major in college which was also a factor. Brian and I created the character of Dr. Ron – a hypnotherapist with a self-published book and a mom and pop business. We spent a lot of time researching alternative therapy in Los Angeles.”
Casting? “Pretty much everyone from Brian to Horatio Sanz, we’ve all been friends for years. Seth Morris, Mo Gaffney – she’s the godmother to two of my children. I was kind of like The Godfather. I told people to do this movie or else, and they complied. So that’s how we got our cast together. Brian and I wrote the project with him in most of the scenes, so he could make a lot of the improv choices, and really keep the film together. Once we got on set, we’d rehearse the instructions and improvised story, and then we’d film.”
Sum up the story? “It’s a simple story of a man whose life has collapsed, trying to save himself.”
A new project in the works? “Maybe my third movie will be about that guy in Colorado whose cattle were grazing on federal land.” Walsh is also working on Veep, and the new Ghostbusters film, but is planning to get to work on another script next year.
Andy Daly
Daly plays the role of hilariously obnoxious neighbor Joel in the film, and is the star and creator of Comedy Central’s Review.
How was making A Better You? “Matt Walsh honestly creates an incredible environment to improvise. I think the movie reflects that comfort level and spirit.”
What’s new for Review? “All of Season Two has aired on Comedy Central now, and we’re waiting to hear if we get to make a third season. I couldn’t be more proud of it, whatever happens.”
Brian Huskey
The co-writer/star of A Better You carries the film, it’s tough to take your eyes off of him as he pushes the limits of comedy to the edge of tragedy and back, giving us loneliness, heartbreak, and inept, self-involved wannabe-guru all at once.
How did the project get started? “Well, Matt had an idea about a guru, who thinks he can heal others but can’t heal himself. The film grew out of that idea, with my character, Dr. Ron completely in denial.”
Shoot length? “12 days. Which was long enough in the wig.” Huskey’s character wears an obvious toupee through most of the film. “Wearing the wig was hot and it was sweaty. It more or less gave me a different dimension for the character though; costuming is really about changing yourself.”
Personal epiphany? “I was going through a divorce myself when we shot the film, so it was a pretty meta experience. As I was doing it, seeing this guy not dealing with himself, it was intense. But it was good for me to have that personal access to the character, even if it wasn’t entirely easy. During the time we were shooting, my daughter would stay with my ex while I was working. I really got into a frame of mind where it was all about the work. You focus on that. ”
Working with Matt Walsh? “Matt did an amazing job, editor Jay Daniels did, too. He did a great job of restructuring and balancing the film, giving it the right rhythm.”
What do you think happened to Dr. Ron after the movie ended? “After the film ended, he went out with his (former patient) Lindsey for awhile, then she got more confident, and the relationship changed, and Dr. Ron had to change himself again. His changing on screen – that’s not the last time he has to go through that kind of alteration.”
Morgan Walsh
Walsh plays Dr. Ron’s restless and ready-to-move-on wife, Margo. She’s essentially the straight-man here, leading Dr. Ron, their marriage counselor, and their children, onto more serious and stable territory.
How was it working with your husband as director? “We’re all friends, we’re all team players. It was a small budget film, with a big, fun, creative environment. I’ve been acting a long time, and I don’t always feel super comfortable in a role. Matt has such a gift, he’s a great director and great at improv. I knew Matt and the cast would take care of me in the more difficult scenes.”
What happened to Margo after the film ended? “I think she was very happy moving on with her life and her career. I think she was very happy as a single mom, sharing co-parenting with Dr. Ron but living her own life. Maybe she writes her own self-help book and goes on a book tour.”
Also at the premiere:
Kirk Roos, Producer (High Road, The Brass Teapot)
Tony Hale (Veep)
Gary Cole (Veep) “I had to come see this venture. I haven’t been to a crazy therapist. I can only imagine.”
David Wain (Wanderlust)
Mo Gaffney (Dr. Ron’s unstoppable-talker patient, Veep) goofing around with Morgan Walsh
Kevin Weisman (Scorpion)
Nate Corddry (Ghostbusters)
Owen Burke (Handyman Hugo’s friend)
Riki Lindhome (Obnoxious neighbor Joel’s wife, Another Period)
Joe Lo Truglio (Dr. Ron and wife’s marriage counselor/psych, Brooklyn Nine Nine)
Seth Morris (Children’s Hospital, Kroll Show)
Nick Kroll (Stuttering patient, Kroll Show, The League)
Paul Scheer (The League)
Jason Mantzoukas (The League)
You won’t get to try the delicious macaroni and cheese on hand at the after-party, but you should see the film anyway. And laugh.
- Genie Davis; ALL PHOTOS copyright Jack Burke