Billy Eichner and Luke McFarlane win real comedy gold for ‘Brothers’

“I wanted it to be really honest and authentic to the gay experience, but I kept saying to Nick[Stoler]and Judd[Apatow]’Straight people are going to get this. They kept saying, ‘We’re two of the straightest men alive, and we get it. Brothers“They basically define 20 years of straight male comedy filmmaking.”

It was released by Universal Studios, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and received rave reviews from both straight and LGBTQ+ audiences.

“It’s fascinating[for straight viewers]because it gives us a behind-the-scenes glimpse into a culture that you might think you know from looking at the quirky gay sitcom characters over the years, but you really don’t.” I will,” thought Eichner.

I caught up with him and co-star Luke McFarlane. Luke MacFarlane, who plays Aaron, a love interest in Eichner’s Bobby, discussed the hilarious, heartwarming comedy that proves the skeptics wrong.

Simon Thompson: It’s been a roller coaster ride over the last few weeks at the Toronto Film Festival and in reviews. Was the positive response a validation of what you already knew?

Billy Eichner: That’s a big relief. It’s really exciting and thrilling. It sounds clichéd, but being in Toronto and being in a romantic comedy among all these stalwarts with Spielberg shocked us. I couldn’t have asked for a better reception when I heard 1700 people at once in the theater laughing loudly from start to finish. did. In the week that followed, there were a ton of advanced screenings across North America, and the response was very positive. I remember people laughing out loud. You don’t come out of the movie and say, “Wow, that was historic.” You say, ‘Wow, that was funny’ or ‘It moved me to tears’ and that’s what we see. I love it because it gives them everything they love about movies, all those good laughs, all the physical comedy, and all the shocking moments. It’s something I’ve never seen before. It’s fascinating to them and gives us a behind-the-scenes glimpse into a culture that, after years of being quirky gay, he might look at his character on the sitcom and think he knows, but actually doesn’t. .

Luke McFarlane: I think the verification will be gradual. Yes, there is validation in the sense of critical reviews and good response from audiences, but validation also comes from people going to see the film. I’m here. That’s the next big validation we hope to get.

Thompson: How much promotional support is Universal backing Brothers Amazing. I don’t know what it’s like elsewhere, but here in LA it’s on the most prominent sign in the most prominent location. Bros are advertised in spaces usually reserved for the biggest blockbusters.

Eichner: It is thrilling and I am very happy. Also, I have to say that it took a long time and is a bit late. It took over 100 years for a major studio to make a movie like this. We’ve had this film under the radar for months in multiplexes across North America. People are saying, “Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve been to a movie theater and sat there laughing with hundreds of people.” A rare experience now. I’m not gay and grew up watching these types of movies, but rom-coms came out much more often when I was a kid. Like you said, I applaud Universal for putting their money in like their mouths are here.

McFarlane: They’re doing it because they’ve market-tested it, not because they’re correcting a mistake. they know what they are doing. they are very good at it.

Thompson: You said the straight crowd is getting BrothersI saw it about a month ago. I was laughing the loudest in the room. Some jokes and situations have absolutely nothing to do with my lifestyle, but funny is funny, so I got them.

Eichner: As someone who spent five years refining every joke with Nick and staying up late asking if the cadence of the lines worked with one word change, I remember my shock and relief. . We’re sitting in the audience right now and they’re laughing out loud whoever they are. was worried, but kept telling Nick and Judd. they kept saying They’ve basically defined heterosexual comedy filmmaking for 20 years, saying, “I think this is hysterical and I can say it’s honest. It’s fascinating and surprising for people who don’t know how things really play out when they’re in. They kept encouraging me to be as honest as possible. We’re seeing it work.

Thompson: Luke, how was the audition process? Billy, how did you know Luke was this guy?

McFarlane: The movie’s big challenge is falling in love, and what makes Aaron interesting is that he’s having a hard time letting go of these ideas of masculinity. There was a scene in the meadow where he was wearing very masculine aggressive sunglasses. I wanted to wear it because I thought it was very funny, but my sense of comedy stems from his inability to let go of his masculine thoughts for so long. We’ve been really lucky with each other as far as our chemistry is concerned.

Eichner: Luke and I didn’t know each other very well before we started shooting the movie. We were discovering each other, just like our characters were discovering each other, so I think that helped. We like hanging out and there is a mutual respect there. Maybe when we first met, I didn’t know who the other person was, and I think there was a little intimidation on both sides. I suspect that may have helped create that spark in the first place. Chemistry is a difficult thing to define. Movie magic also plays a role.

McFarlane: Also, I’m not competing for his space. He has this incredible rapid-fire intelligence and wit that both me as an actor and Aaron as a character aren’t fighting for that space. We can do anything.”

Eichner: Thanks for featuring Annie Get Your Gun.

Thompson: Talking about people spaces, let’s talk about the character Steve in the foursome scene. He vows to become one of the scenes considered classics. You both know what it’s like to be in the limelight, but is the man who played Steve ready for what’s to come?

Eichner: His name is Brock Ciarlelli and he is very cheerful. I already told them we wanted a Steve spinoff called Steve. So people have some context. There are four directions in the movie and Steve is kind of an odd dude. No one wants to deal with Steve. In different ways, I think we’ve all been Steve at some point. So that scene provokes a lot of laughter. doing.

McFarlane: We didn’t know what was going to happen. I laughed.

Eichner: There was a lot of improvisation going on there.

Brothers It hits theaters on Friday, September 30, 2022.