The new coming of age comedy βBooksmartβ held its NYC premiere Monday night with most of the cast present to celebrate.
The film marks the directorial debut for actress Olivia Wilde and follows two best friends on the tail end of high school as they make a promise to themselves go out with a bang. With a star-studded cast that includes Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever, Billie Lourd, and more Booksmart hosts a whole crew of young up and comers. The Knockturnal was on scene at the NYC premiere to talk to cast and crew members about the impact of the movie, its inspirations, and their own embarrassing high school moments!
The Knockturnal: So, Ms. Fine, is obviously the type of person you want to look up to in high school. If you had to cast any public figure as like your own ‘Ms. Fine’ in your life, who would it be?
Jessica Williams: Yes, that’s right. Oh it’s got to be Oprah, there’s many, Oprah, Serena Williams, Beyonce and Solange, and Tina Knowles would be the trifecta. JK Rowling, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, there’s so many, there’s so many!
The Knockturnal: Definitely. This soundtrack plays such a huge role in this movie, so if you had to choose an artist to do your character’s soundtrack who would it be?
Jessica Williams: Oh my God, my Character? Wow. It’s going to be like, you know, she’s a little older. You know she had a time in high school. I’m going to go back to like, I don’t know, something like, I’m gonna say Fall Out Boy. Let’s go with she’s in high school, either Fall Out Boy or like Ashlee Simpson, I’m gonna go with Fefe Dobson, and just something, just any of those three.
The Knockturnal: So for this movie, it’s like coming of age, and kind of a renaissance of coming of age movie. So were there any coming of age characters when you were coming up, or growing up, that you kind of looked to and admired?
Jessica Williams: First of all, I love black representation, So I mean like teen, black, female, I’m just really all about it. So, like ‘Moesha’, I watched a lot of that. ‘Fresh Prince’, I loved. Let’s see, he was teen and a fun guy, I’m trying to think. I just liked, for some reason I love the movie ‘Blue Crush’, I loved all the girls in that movie. It’s like one of my favorite movies to this day. Yeah, but I think that’s why this movie is important, is because there isn’t actually a lot of representation in that age group or that time; and this was the movie that I would have wanted to see when I was in high school.
The Knockturnal: This movie doesn’t really have a mean girl but you’re kind of the closest thing to it…How did you approach playing her so she wasn’t completely antagonized?
Molly Gordon: I feel like I didn’t even have to choose to do something with it because Olivia and Katie Silberman just brought so much depth to her. I feel like… in the way that she was clothed, I feel like a character like that usually has her tits out. She was like a real human being, someone that owned her intelligence, and her meanness only came from people being mean to her, which is rude and she needed to learn to not be mean. I actually think a lot of people were judging her, that she likes to give a lot of hand jobs. This movie is just about communication. If we all communicate with each other then I think a lot would be better.
The Knocturnal: Do you have any classic coming of age characters that you looked to for inspiration for this?
Molly Gordon: Just anything Molly Ringwald is like… someone said at an event last night that Beanie was our generation’s Molly Ringwald and I started sobbing because I just think the world of her and I completely agree. Yeah, I hope to see more movies with her leading the charge.
The Knockturnal: The soundtrack was so dope in this movie…
Molly Gordon: It’s amazing.
The Knockturnal: So if you had choose an artist to produce your character soundtrack, who do you think you would choose
Molly Gordon: I guess I would say Lizzo, I’m just like on the Lizzo train right now. We’re all the biggest fans in the entire world. So I guess I would say her and then Beyonce is just everything to me. If I could lock her down, I don’t know if I could. She is a very busy woman.
The Knockturnal: So, your character’s, obviously, is really outgoing, really goes for it; is there anything you kind of took from him, after playing him? Β
Austin Crute: Well, I would say freedom of self in terms of letting go of some of the stigmas on femininity and queer femininity, because I feel like a lot of people… even in the queer community, Imma call them out, Imma call the gay people out, have this disdain, or this tilted head, at femme and femme guys, or whatever. I mean, I’m feminine and I don’t necessarily fall in line with, βOh, he’s femme.β But, at the same time, being able to channel that into a character, I was able to find that freedom of like… okay, you know what, honestly? If I was able to live like this all the time, I would feel way more free in femininity than I would in the shackles of whatever masculinity performance is. So, I would say that I took that away from Allen
The Knockturnal: Do you think it was important that he was in high school and feeling this way?
Austin Crute: Yes. I think it was important that he was in high school feeling this way; that he was in high school in a position of influence feeling this way. And that he was able to be self-confident in doing that because, you know, he’s a person of color and queer and in the drama department. You know what I mean? It’d be different if he was like… you know, my next role I’m playing a gay football star and turn samurai and like the apocalypse.
The Knockturnal: Sounds like a lot
Austin Crute: It’s a lot, it’s a lot. It’s going to be a crazy show. But that covers a different kind of queerness where you’re following this traditionally masculine, you know, male gender performing person. Whereas with Allen, you’re really looking at somebody who has said, βYou know what? I’m fem. I’m going to wear these clothes. I’m going to do this thing.β And he’s in a position of power. And you can see in the same story, Amy is in a queer place. She is figuring it out, and she’s not quite all that confident in it, again. She’s still figuring the mechanics of life, and what that even means, like sexually. So, you know, I think that Allen’s story is… or Allen’s presentation of his character is a good beacon for, I don’t know, queer kids, whoever’s confident in high school. Because they’re out here now. And they’ve been out here. But they’re really, really, out here now.
The Knockturnal: If you had to choose one song to kind of be the soundtrack to your own character, what would you choose?
Diana Silvers: Okay I’ve got to think about that, let me say for me personally, I had a song ready to go for Hope. I’m going to say, I don’t know, I just listened to this in the car so that’s what I am thinking about, The Wind Cries Mary, by Jimi Hendrix. I feel like that’s something she would totally vibe to.
The Knockturnal: That’s like really cool. I like that.
Diana Silvers: That’s definitely Hope. I feel like that is, that leather jacket.
The Knockturnal: Yeah, everything. She’s definitely someone I’d be intimidated by.
Diana Silvers: I was intimidated by her too. I was like you’re way too cool for me.
The Knockturnal: So for your character, she’s involved in kind of a real cringe-worthy, awkward moment. If you had one awkward moment from high school or otherwise that still makes you, it’s one of those moments you wake up in the middle of the night, it makes you cringe, what’s something that kind of sticks out?
Diana Silvers: Are you asking me to seek my trauma? Like, go through-
The Knockturnal: That’s exactly what we’re here for!
Diana Silvers: Let me think. Okay, when I was 14, no my 13th birthday, it’s not high school, because I didn’t do anything terrible in high school. My 13th birthday, my mom got me this shirt from Target and I was so offended that she didn’t get me something from Urban Outfitters. I was like you evil woman, how dare you. All the girls at school wore Urban Outfitters and Forever 21 and you got me Mossimo.
The Knockturnal: How dare she?
Diana Silvers: And a year later, it dawned on me. I was like we literally couldn’t afford Urban Outfitters. I’m one of six kids. My mom literally did the best that she could.
The Knockturnal: Daughter of the year
Diana Silvers: I, to this day, apologize to her about it! Because I still feel just so awful. You ungrateful witch, who are you, like who do you think you are?
The Knockturnal: We’ve all had bratty moments.
Diana Silvers: It just stuck with me. To this day, I’m like Mom I’m really sorry for that time, and I still have the shirt. Like to this day
The Knockturnal: And you still wear it?
Diana Silvers: My sister got it from me and it’s still in the family!
The Knockturnal: That makes up for it. But this movie, I love coming of age films, and I love what’s happening with coming of age films now. What are some of your favorite, classic movies that tell high school experiences?
Diana Silvers: Lady Bird. Man, I know that’s new, but I think it’s a classic already. I mean that movie really nailed it. Such a great film. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, it really, really resonated with me. Oh that TV show UnFabulous, from Nickelodeon, back in the day.
The Knockturnal: Emma Roberts!
Diana Silvers: Do you remember Emma Roberts in that? That was fun because everything never went right for her and I was like honestly mood.
The Knockturnal: Fair, fair.
Diana Silvers: But like classics, classics. I mean I loved Breakfast Club. I guess. I didn’t really relate to any of the characters, thought that that one guy in the long coat was a real asshole, to be honest.
The Knockturnal: I felt that too.
Diana Silvers: Like why does she think he’s cute? People he literally sucks. Whatever’s going on at home, don’t bring it to school please.
The Knockturnal: Very true
Diana Silvers: The film is now playing!
