Rolling Loud: The Movie is now playing in theaters and ahead of its release, we sat down with director/writer Jeremy Garelick (Murder Mystery 2; The Wedding Ringer; The Grinder) and actress Christine Ko (Only Murders in the Building; Ghosts; Dave) to break down their wild new comedy.
Since the film is based on Garelick's real-life experience taking his son to the Rolling Loud Festival, he tells me more about how much of the actual story made it into the film and why he felt leading man Owen Wilson was the perfect choice to play the fictionalized version of himself. Then, Ko shares some fun behind-the-scenes details on how she was able to find the right way to play the most unhinged character of her career.
In case you missed it, we also spoke to Owen Wilson and Matt Rife. Check out our fun-filled conversation here: Rolling Loud: The Movie - Owen Wilson & Matt Rife Talk Travis Scott & Adapting Wild True Story (Exclusive)
The cast features Owen Wilson, Matt Rife, Christine Ko, Christian Convery, Jolene, with Henry Winkler and Travis Scott.
Jeremy Garelick helmed the feature, with a screenplay he wrote. His son Zion also contributed to the story.
Rolling Loud: The Movie is now in theaters!
Watch our full interview below and/or keep scrolling to read the full transcription. Plus, remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more exclusive content!
ROHAN: Jeremy, since this movie is based on a true story, how much of what we see in the film actually happened to you and your son? And, when did you realize this was the perfect story to adapt for a feature film?
JEREMY: 62% actually happened in real life. So, I was doing homework with my son Zion. He was 13 years old, and he got an— pretty much exactly what happens in the movie. He gets a text about Rolling Loud, and he got so excited: "Rolling Loud, Rolling Loud!" I'm like, "Wait, St. Louis? I don't understand what you're talking about." Um, he's like, "Dad, Rolling Loud is coming to LA. We got to go to Rolling Loud." I'm like, "I don't know what it is." "It's only the biggest hip-hop festival in the world." I'm like, "Oh, great! Like, Jay-Z will be there?" I was just excited for, you know, Jay-Z and Eminem— "Oh, those guys are like 50!" "Like Cardi B?" "Cardi..." I was like, "Oh, Cardi B, no, Playboi Carti." So a lot of the stuff, the confusion, was there. And then I took him. I lost him. And, uh, it was probably a good half hour before I found him. And once I found him, that's when I realized that it was a— it was a great opportunity for a character in a great setting with a really high-stakes objective, which is finding his son before his wife kills him.
ROHAN: Christine, you're playing such a funny, totally unhinged character, and since you're shooting this film at the actual festival, how did feeling that energy help you get into character?
CHRISTINE: She's completely unhinged. It was immensely helpful because I had never been to Rolling Loud, and I love hip-hop. And so I got to experience it like the audience members are going to experience the movie. And I realized how loud it is, the fact that there's pyro going around, um, you know, the energy of it. I mean, people are jumping, and it's like the ground is shaking from people jumping. So all those elements as an actor were extremely helpful. Like, I could be in the environment, and then to imagine what kind of person would self-volunteer at a festival and run around and, you know, try to help this father find his son? I mean, it's a very unhinged character. And, you know, I feel like for Linda, she's very serious about helping Hank. And that is what I kept with me, where I was like, as crazy as these scenes are, and maybe they're a little bit silly and goofy at times, in her mind, it's the most important thing in the world. And she's going to do whatever she can to make it happen. So if it means flying off a Ferris wheel or, um, you know, dancing around with her bush out, you got to do what you got to do. And, you know what? I feel like it worked!
ROHAN: Jeremy, you cast Owen Wilson in this film to essentially play a version of yourself. What did he bring to the character and to the movie that wasn't maybe originally in the script?
JEREMY: Sure, yeah. I always start, like I always write myself as whatever the role is. I always have myself, and then other people I know, I usually kind of put them as other characters. And then once an actor reads it and you're sitting with the actor and hearing their point of view, that's when it really evolves into something that is what you see on the screen. Um, Owen had a lot of ideas. He had a lot of— we have a lot of similarities: same age kids. Um, so he was bringing a lot of his own parenting style to the character. Um, he's so much cooler than I am as a parent. Um, so I think the original character was a little dorkier. Um, but, but yeah, Owen's so cool at everything he does, and it was just— he elevated the character. Also, um, he's a writer, so his insights to every scene and his input was just invaluable.
Hank can feel his family slipping away. His marriage to Melanie is strained, and his 13-year-old son Zion is growing up and pulling away. So when Zion begs to attend Rolling Loud, Hank sees one last chance to be the cool dad. Melanie says the festival is inappropriate for a 13-year-old, so Hank lies: he tells her they're spending the weekend at the lake, sneaks Zion into the festival—and promptly loses him.
Unable to call security without exposing his lie, Hank launches a frantic search through tens of thousands of festivalgoers. Along the way, he teams up with reckless old friend Terry and eccentric security guard Linda, and every attempt to find Zion leads to more chaos: drugs, backstage disasters, a Ferris wheel, a mosh pit and a run-in with Travis Scott.
When Hank finally finds Zion, he's safe—and having the time of his life. Hank realizes that his real struggle isn't finding his son, but accepting that he's growing up. After one unforgettable moment together, father and son race to the lake house before Melanie discovers the truth.