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The Wrath Of Becky Team Talks Team Work And Bloody Good Fun [SXSW]
The Wrath of Becky had its successful premiere at the South By Southwest film festival this month, delighting audiences with the gore and sass of its tiny killing machine. Lulu Wilson reprised her role as the titular Becky, but the team that helped her bring the sequel to life was full of new faces. Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote were brought on board to direct, with Angel writing the screenplay after working the story out with Cootes.
Despite the change of hands, The Wrath of Becky maintains the spirit of the original and doesn't miss a beat. That is thanks to Wilson's captivating presence, but also courtesy of the strong teamwork present between actor and directors. Their rapport is evident offscreen, and it translates to a very enjoyable thrill ride onscreen. Alongside Wilson, the Becky sequel also stars Seann William Scott as the head of the next fascist group on Becky's hit list, as well as Courtney Gains, John D. Hickman, Michael Sirow – and of course Pac Williams as Becky's loveable dog Diego.
*********spoke to Wilson, Angel, and Coote at length about how they came up with the perfect sequel to the so-called "female John Wick," why they loved working together so much, and what plans they have to expand the story after The Wrath of Becky. The following interview is only part of the full conversation, with more to come dissecting specific scenes when the film is released on digital and On Demand.
Lulu Wilson, Matt Angel & Suzanne Coote on The Wrath of Becky at SXSW
Lulu, why do these things keep happening to Becky?
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Lulu Wilson: Honestly, I guess it just sucks to suck. She doesn't suck. I love her, but it sucks what's happening to her. Although I think maybe she's bringing it on a little bit. I think she did kind of mess with the wrong people – not to say that she shouldn't have, because it's worth it in the end.
She's an angry person, and she's bound to make a few enemies along the way because I don't think she agrees with people very much.
Suzanne Coote: I think anyone would do anything for their dog. Becky especially would do anything for her dog; that's her only family left.
Lulu Wilson: It is, and it's her true family. She's gained Elana along the way, but Diego is her true pal, and I so resonate with that. I have five cats.
Matt and Suzanne, how were you approached to do Becky? Was it a dream scenario, and are revenge thrillers your thing?
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Matt Angel: I know I'm not the first, but I'm obviously a huge Tarantino fan. He's the master of revenge films, and to us that was a big inspiration for this film. We were just studying Tarantino; we watched everything over and over again. I think I watched each Kill Bill three times while I was writing it, just for like tone and character and stuff like that.
But we were approached by the team at BoulderLight, J.D. and Rafi, and they said, "You wouldn't want to do a sequel to that little hit Becky, would you?" And we were like, "Yeah, that would be a blast!” We had to know exactly what it was right away because they said, "We don't know what it is, but we need a script in three weeks." The next day, we broke the general idea of what Becky was going to be facing, and then I went off and wrote it in three and half weeks. Actually, I failed. It took me three and half weeks.
Suzanne Coote: But it really spilled out of us. And it was a dream film. I don't feel like the kind of filmmaker that makes only certain kinds of movies. I hope to make all films, but I would say, female-led revenge is up there. I can do this a lot and be very satisfied with it.
Lulu, you were the elder statesman here, having come from the first Becky. How much wisdom did you offer them in the process?
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Lulu Wilson: I mean, all of it. [Laughs] It kind of did make me feel good to already have that under my belt. I'm in; I’m Becky. They can't do it without me. It was obviously a joy to be her again, and to carry this with me. But it's also a responsibility, and I was ready to take it on. I knew it was going to be long hours, even though it was not a lot of days. I knew I was going to be able to get it done, just because I was the OG. Matt and Sue were the new guys, but it just feels right to work with them. It feels really good, just like I really wanted.
Suzanne Coote: And we have a really good rapport too. It's a dream in this industry to be able to work with people that you really believe in, and that you really want to spend time with.
Matt Angel: We were neighbors. So, we were like, "We got called about Becky 2!" And the producers were so supportive of the creative process. The whole crew across the board was like a family. They were a small crew that was really fighting to turn very little into a lot. It was very ambitious, and we could only do it because of the team that we had.
Lulu Wilson: It’s been great for our whole little family to watch this movie and just see what we did, because it really took all the blood people; the special effects and the make-up people, the continuity editor, all of them. And the weapons! We've got weapon Brian and blood Brian.
I loved Elena so much. What was it like playing off Denise Burse in the beginning and building that dynamic?
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Lulu Wilson: That was the beginning of our shoot, too. It was the first day; the eggs scene. That's what we like to call it, because I ate a s--t ton of eggs.
But the Scrabble scene is a really important one, with special ominous note maybe, because it's written before everything happens. It just shows that not only does Becky care for other beings, which we know because she's got Diego, but also that she can have a family. Elena's her only family. She doesn't have much of anything, but she has Elena. Elena's given her this home, and she's got a job, so she's working things out until everything happens.
Matt Angel: I think there's a lot of under-appreciated wisdom in our older generations. Not all of them, but one of the first things I said to Suzanne was, "I want her to be living with an older woman and have them share this bond, where they see each other without needing to say that they see each other." And when we watched Denise’s tape, she had that quiet wisdom; that's just her.
Suzanne Coote: It's very easy in genre films to get right into the genre fare immediately and stay there, and there's a place for that, but it also needs to be earned. In order for this film to stand alone, we need to see Becky two years later. Her therapy is this obstacle course that she does, she's very violent, but she's figuring out and trying to live a normal life through the guidance of people like Elena. Those scenes of her are so important for the movie because the minute Diego is taken, it's like, "I can't handle it".
Lulu Wilson: It’s also great to have Becky have a connection with someone like Elena, because in earlier versions of the script it was a guy. She had a boyfriend.
Matt Angel: There was always Elena. There was just also Jason. We loved Jason; maybe she'll meet him in Becky 3.
Lulu Wilson: Yeah, but he kind of saved the day in the end, so we killed Jason.
Suzanne Coote: When you took Jason out, it strengthened the relationship between Becky and Elena.
Lulu Wilson: Yes, and that is really important. I loved Jason, and I thought the scenes for them were really fun. But also we don't want a guy to save her, and we don't want to take away from what already is so great. Also, we don't know how she would react in that kind of relationship. Becky's f--ked up, man. She's seen some s--t. I don't think she's going to have a very normal relationship with another person her own age.
Suzanne Coote: The thing with Elena was that this is, Becky could end up being Elena when she's 70 years old.
Lulu Wilson: And she very well might be, if she's not dead.
Matt Angel: That’ll be Becky 18. She's 70 and living in this house with this young girl she's taken in, and these bad guys break in. We flip reality and go meta.
When I think of Seann William Scott, I still think of American Pie. But he is fabulous at being the worst. How did you know that he was the best worst?
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Suzanne Coote: Director’s Spidey sense. Also, he had phenomenal character notes for Darryl Jr. He made him real. He was already f--ked up, but Seann would be like, “What about this? What about this?” He had great instincts, and we wanted to follow the model of the first one with the traditional family turned dark.
Matt, how has your acting experience influenced your work as a director?
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Lulu Wilson: Did Victorious inspire you at all?
Suzanne Coote: Did making out with Ariana Grande inspire when you make out with me? When you kiss me, do you think about Ariana Grande? [Laughs]
Lulu Wilson: That's so funny!
Matt Angel: No! [Laughs] It has influenced my directing in every way, and vice versa. Being a director has made me a better actor, and being an actor hopefully has made me a better director. You know how to talk to actors in a way that hopefully helps them understand what you're looking for and where you're coming from. You get to look at it as, "How would I want to be directed in this situation?" When to go in, when to not go in, how little you really need to give so that you can let the actor have room to do what they're hired to do.
Suzanne Coote: Exactly, you don't over-direct.
Matt Angel: Sidney Lumet once said that acting is a department, like any department in film. And it's true, you let your production designer come to you. If you're a good director, you hire the people that you look to do their job, and you get to be creative with them and collaborate. We love that in hiring departments, and it’s no different with actors. You are hiring an actor to bring their skill, and you get to collaborate with them.
Suzanne Coote: The same way the production designer might say, “I think yellow curtains would be great here.” We might actually want blue, but we don’t just say, "Thank you for your input, but we're going to stay with blue." You ask why.
While working with Lulu, was in prep, she was in competitive fencing, and she was taking stunt lessons. All this stuff that she does not have to do. She can show up and not do a single thing, but she’s all in. I've also learned a lot from her as well.
Lulu Wilson: I've learned so much from both of you. And you gave me the space to be an ass about some things.
Matt Angel: If she thinks she was ever an ass...
Suzanne Coote: That is a lie.
About The Wrath of Becky
After living off the grid for two years, Becky finds herself going toe to toe against Darryl, the leader of a fascist organization, on the eve of an organized attack.
The Wrath of Becky premiered at SXSW on March 11, and will soon be coming to digital and On Demand platforms.
