Moviefone Editorial

Tag: riff-raff

  • ‘Riff Raff’ Exclusive Interview: Jennifer Coolidge

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    The new crime comedy ‘Riff Raff’, which was directed by Dito Montiel (‘The Son of No One’) and stars Jennifer Coolidge (‘The White Lotus’), Ed Harris (‘State of Grace’), Lewis Pullman (‘Top Gun: Maverick’), Gabrielle Union (‘Strange World’), Pete Davidson (‘The Suicide Squad’), and Bill Murray (‘Lost in Translation’), opens in theaters nationwide on February 28th.

    Related Article: Jennifer Coolidge and Cheech Marin Talk Prime Video’s ‘Shotgun Wedding’

    Jennifer Coolidge stars in 'Riff Raff'. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
    Jennifer Coolidge stars in ‘Riff Raff’. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jennifer Coolidge about her work on ‘Riff Raff’, her first reaction to the screenplay, working with the cast, and how Bill Murray made her laugh.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Coolidge and Gabrielle Union.

    Jennifer Coolidge in 'Riff Raff'. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
    Jennifer Coolidge in ‘Riff Raff’. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.

    Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and why did you want to be part of this project?

    Jennifer Coolidge: You know, you get a call and people are like, “I’m sending a script over. I want you in this and you I think you’d be great for this character.” Then you get it, open it up and you read it and you’re like, “I don’t see it.” Occasionally, I’ll have doubts about something and I’m able to overcome the doubts and I’ll go do it. The minute I read it; I knew that John Pollono wrote an incredible script. I have to say, it was such a good script that even if I wasn’t right for Ruth, I might have just taken the job. It was so satisfying when I went to the Toronto Film Festival and got to see it. There was a huge screening of it in this beautiful movie theater I couldn’t have been happier with the results of that. You know, just how they took John Pollono’s writing and then did Ditto’s direction, I felt like it was just an A plus. Everyone did such a good job and especially, Ditto did such a good job of telling that story. I have a feeling John Pollono is going to be employed for the next 50 years straight. He must just be booked solid. I thought that was just a brilliant script.

    (L to R) Jennifer Coolidge and Lewis Pullman in 'Riff Raff'. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
    (L to R) Jennifer Coolidge and Lewis Pullman in ‘Riff Raff’. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.

    MF: Finally, there is one scene in the movie that features the entire cast together including yourself, Ed Harris, Lewis Pullman, Gabrielle Union, Pete Davidson, and Bill Murray. What was it like shooting that sequence and having the whole cast together in one scene?

    JC: Well, it took a long time to shoot that that night and it was freezing out. We were all there and I think there was maybe some technical things they had to overcome so it was an extra-long night. But a weird thing happened. I get some really bad news in that scene and there is something about Bill Murray. I don’t know if he was trying to mess me up, but I could not keep it together. I mean, I’m getting some very serious news and Bill would just do something and I would lose it and it was very unprofessional of me, but I couldn’t help it. I mean, he has that thing that makes you laugh. I could tell that people were losing respect for me. Like why couldn’t I keep it together? But that’s the hardest I’ve ever laughed on a job. It was a serious scene and Bill would just look at me like you know like, “You loser,” and it was even funnier to me. He’s a great bad guy.

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    What is the plot of ‘Riff Raff’?

    The life of a former criminal (Ed Harris) is thrown into turmoil when his old family (Jennifer Coolidge and Lewis Pullman) appear for a long-awaited reckoning.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Riff Raff’?

    Jennifer Coolidge stars in 'Riff Raff'.
    Jennifer Coolidge stars in ‘Riff Raff’.

    Jennifer Coolidge Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Riff Raff’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Jennifer Coolidge Movies on Amazon

     

  • ‘Riff Raff’ Exclusive Interview: Gabrielle Union

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    Opening in theaters nationwide on February 28th is the new crime comedy ‘Riff Raff’, which was directed by Dito Montiel (‘The Son of No One’), and stars Ed Harris (‘State of Grace’), Lewis Pullman (‘Top Gun: Maverick’), Gabrielle Union (‘Strange World’), Jennifer Coolidge (‘The White Lotus’), Pete Davidson (‘The Suicide Squad’), and Bill Murray (‘Lost in Translation’).

    Related Article: Jake Gyllenhaal and Gabrielle Union Talk Disney’s ‘Strange World’

    Gabrielle Union stars in 'Riff Raff'.
    Gabrielle Union stars in ‘Riff Raff’.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Gabrielle Union about her work in ‘Riff Raff’, her first reaction to the script and the character, how the project changed her life, and working with the all-star cast.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Union, and Jennifer Coolidge.

    Gabrielle Union in 'Riff Raff'. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
    Gabrielle Union in ‘Riff Raff’. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.

    Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to this screenplay and how did you approach playing your character?

    Gabrielle Union: Well, thankfully I was offered the role of Sandy. They sent the script, and I was like, “Are you kidding me? This is a dream.” They were like, “Jennifer Coolidge is starring in this, she’s executive producing. Ed Harris would be your husband.” I’m like, “Sign me up. I will pay to be in this.” The script was so fantastic, and I knew that this could be a role that change my life and change my career. So, I was excited and very honored to even be considered much less a straight offer. So that was exciting.

    MF: To follow up on something you just said, how do you think that this project has changed your life and career?

    GU: Not everything made it, but what we shot was some of the toughest material I’d ever worked with, and some of the most meaningful material I’d ever worked with. It forced me to touch places in my life and in my psyche that I’d never really drawn from before. It forced me to be a different kind of vulnerable than I’ve ever played. I loved that challenge, so I was a little disappointed when some of that didn’t make it. But yeah, that’s why I took the role, because I knew that I would be challenged. It scared me a little bit, so if it scares me, I know I should absolutely take it.

    (L to R) Miles J. Harvey and Ed Harris in 'Riff Raff'. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
    (L to R) Miles J. Harvey and Ed Harris in ‘Riff Raff’. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.

    MF: Finally, there is a long scene in the film that features the entire cast. How many days did it take to shoot that sequence, and what was it like being on set with legendary performers like Ed Harris, Bill Murray and Jennifer Coolidge?

    GU: I mean, because pretty much everything took place in that house, so the set is in that house. There are two tiny holding rooms for the whole cast. So, there’s a group of us that are piled into some small child’s room, and then some are in the bigger bedroom. We had the director and video village also, and there’s not a lot of space. There’s zero privacy, there’s one bathroom. It was tight and everyone prepares in a different way, so we had to be very focused and respectful of everybody’s processes. It was very serious and professional. Everyone was kind of ready to go when it was time. So, everyone had to really be on point, and I think it might’ve been two days. It felt more like one, but yeah, about two days or a day and a half. The whole movie was like three weeks. We didn’t have a ton of time, so you had to be on point. You better be ready for your close-up, because we just didn’t have the time to probably give everyone all the coverage that we would’ve normally had if we had a longer shooting schedule.

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    What is the plot of ‘Riff Raff’?

    The life of a former criminal (Ed Harris) is thrown into turmoil when his old family (Jennifer Coolidge and Lewis Pullman) appear for a long-awaited reckoning.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Riff Raff’?

    (L to R) Jennifer Coolidge and Lewis Pullman in 'Riff Raff'. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
    (L to R) Jennifer Coolidge and Lewis Pullman in ‘Riff Raff’. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.

    Gabrielle Union Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Riff Raff’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Gabrielle Union Movies on Amazon

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