In Summer's Last Resort, a high-strung teen's vacation takes a turn when she's trapped with her free-spirited mom's try-hard boyfriend, who also happens to be her vice principal. Determined to end the romance, she hatches a secret breakup plan that spirals into a week of sunburns, sabotage and unexpected feelings.
The movie stars Sophia Bush, Jerry O'Connell, Violet McGraw, Tim Rozon, and Clara Alexandrova. The film is written by Emily Andras (Wynonna Earp), directed by Melanie Scrofano (Heartland) and produced by Blue Ice Pictures with Lance Samuels and Andras serving as executive producers.
We recently sat down with Sophia, Jerry, and Violet to discuss the hilarious new comedy (which is now streaming on Tubi). You'll no doubt recall that each of them has had major superhero movie roles; Sophia played Voyd in Incredibles 2, Jerry was the voice of Superman in several hugely popular DC Animated features, and Violet portrayed a young Yelena Belova in Black Widow and Thunderbolts*.
During our interview, they tell us why superhero fans will have a good time with Summer's Last Resort—Jerry, for example, explains how Superman inspired his performance—and reflect both on shooting in South Africa and on one of the movie's funniest scenes.
You can check out our full interview with the Summer's Last Resort leads below.
I know all three of you have starred in some big projects before this one, but just how much more enjoyable is it for all of you as actors when you get to film in the beautiful Cape Town surroundings seen in this film?
Sophia Bush: It was such a dream come true. I mean, getting there. I was saying earlier, I've never had more pinch-me moments in a movie than I did in our movie. Just looking around going, I cannot believe this is our job. Like, we really got so lucky.
Violet McGraw: Yeah, we did. We had a blast. Laughter every day. And we really got to like know each other because South Africa is so far away from where we all live. So, we kind of all connected and just really got to talk to each other.
Jerry O'Connell: You know what's funny? The first night we all got on location, we all went out to dinner. Remember that? Like literally like the first night got off the plane. I don't even think I went to my room. I got off the plane, and we went straight to dinner. And it was just one of those movies, and you have no idea how it happens or why it happens. It's just one of those movies where everybody just clicked and bonded, and you really see it on screen.
Jerry and Violet, I have to ask about Bubbles—or Kimberly—and just how fun and ridiculous that day on set was with your dolphin co-star.
Jerry O'Connell: Oh my God. You know, it was a really fun day. We really just went for it, you know. And it's funny. We have a scene where Violet's character and my character swim with a dolphin, and then something bad happens to the dolphin. We're responsible for it, and then we resuscitate the dolphin. And it was funny. I don't think I realised...you know, typically in movies when you do these things, there's supposed to be a huge audience there, like we're in a park like SeaWorld, like an aquarium. Outdoor dolphin auditorium, whatever that is called. Sorry, I don't know the terminology. But we really had hundreds of people in the audience.
Violet McGraw: We actually did, yeah. And I had to fart in front of the audience, which was really fun [Laughs].
Sophgia Bush: You really committed to the bit. Talk about diving into your first comedy. I was watching Violet as Summer's mother in the audience, dying of secondhand embarrassment. I didn't have to act that day at all. And you guys just crushed, and the improv was so good, and it was such a fun day. You know, sometimes when you're in a film or a show, you joke that you're like, 'Oh, today's a day where I'm basically an extra.' I've never had more fun on one of those days than watching you do that.
Violet McGraw: It was insane.
Jerry O'Connell: Yeah, it was just wild. It was all around. Summer's Last Resort was a wild experience. I couldn't believe they put all those people in that audience for us, and when they did, it really changed the energy, you know, like really, it's just funny. I mean, typically you fake that, or they CGI them in. It was a fun day.
A lot of our readers will recognise all of you for your superhero roles. Obviously, Superman, Voyd, and Yelena Belova. I'd love to know what you'd say to them about what makes Summer's Last Resort such a must-watch. I know I had such a great time with this film.
Sophia Bush: You know what I would say? I think if you love comics, you probably also love classic film. And for us, one of the things we talked about with our team of our amazing writer Emily, our amazing director Melanie, was like the movies that we grew up on, you know, movies like Home Alone, John Hughes movies, Chevy Chase Family Vacation movies, like to try to make something that pays homage to those things to to do like big body comedy and family jokes. And I don't know, it just felt nostalgic in a way, even though it's a totally new story. And I think that's something that your readers will probably really relate to and want to see.
Violet McGraw: I think this movie is just going to make you smile. Um, and it's a comedy. You'll love the comedy and the characters. Um, so it's funny, but there's also a lot of heart to the movie. And as I watched the film yesterday, those sweet moments were so special because I remember filming them. Like, that scene was really special to film and now seeing it on screen is so special to watch. So, hopefully they feel that energy.
Jerry O'Connell: You know, I play Superman in the DC animated films. Six of them, I believe. Whatever. No big deal. This character that I play in Summer's Last Resort is more Clark Kent than he is Superman. It's really funny. I channelled a little more Clark in there. It's so funny. I am so proud of being in all those DC animated films and playing Superman, mostly because it has significantly increased my Rotten Tomatoes score. Significantly. I want to thank critics, audience viewers, everybody, everybody who comes up to me and says, 'Hey, I'm a fan of those DC animated movies.' I cannot thank you enough. You have significantly helped my Rotten Tomatoes average. Thank you.
Summer's Last Resort is now streaming on Tubi.