Its February in Berlin and Michael Cera is dodging bullets. Whats it like, one reporter asks, to be a new dad? Its like a new obsession, the actor explains, its all you care about. Filming Juno? My memories are very nebulous, but it was fun! Keeping in touch with Elliot Paige? We dont speak very often, but its always nice when we get together. Can he talk about Barbie? Ive been told I would be punished. Working with Greta Gerwig? A really confident and very fun and collaborative director. Being mistaken for Jesse Eisenberg? He told me he gets that, too! His dream role? Zuckerberg? Dustin Guy Defa chimes in, getting a big laugh, That would be the best.
The director and star are seated at a roundtable for their new film The Adults. Its Defas first as director in six years, the last being Person to Person, a sprawling Brooklyn portmanteau in which Cera appeared as a goofy reporter. In The Adults, Defa puts Cera center stage as a young man who returns home from Oregon to the leafy North Easta place called Newburgh, Defa explains, Its across from Beacon. Beautifulto see his sisters for the first time in three years. His youngest, played by Asteroid Citys sprightly Sophia Lillis, is ecstatic. His elder, played by Hannah Gross, perhaps less so. The film, a nicely sweet and sour family drama, is as much about the complex dynamic of their relationshipfleshed out in the film through some infectious, theatre-kid play-acting (characters, impersonations, musical numbers and such)as it is about the pains of returning home and feeling all that carefully constructed adulthood melt away. Of course, its also about poker.
Amongst the hubbub, we got some questions in about the sting of regression, card movies, and shifting from Persons interweaving narratives to a more focused approach.
The Film Stage: To go from Person to Person, a film with five separate arcs and an ensemble of actors, to this more intimate project is an interesting switch. Was it part of your thinking when you wrote it, a desire to focus in?
Dustin Guy Defa: Definitely. I mean, that movie was very hard to do. We were in New York City, so there were many locations, many characters. I did the best I could, but it was really like my mind was in a lot of different places. What I learned from that was that I wanted to be more relaxed and focused, and be very present with the actors. Person to Person was sort of like a rushjust like, GO. So yeah: it was a very intentional thing.
We had an amazing production. It was so special and it was built to be calm and focused. I went from ensemble thinking with all these characters to, like, okay, Im gonna hone in and get very intimate with these charactersbasically these three people. I needed to go deeper and it was the way to go deeper.
When you were filming Person to Person together, did you start to have a future collaboration in mind?
Defa: I sort of hoped that wed do something but we didnt know what it would be.
Michael Cera: Yeah, me too. But also, like: since then you worked on so many scripts. I didnt know what you were gonna do.
Defa: [Laughs] I know, I didnt know what I was going to do.
The film kind of presents regressing to childhood roles as being not always necessarily a negative thing. I was wondering what kind of experiences you were drawing from.
Cera: For me, going home is similar in a lot of ways. You know, going back to people that knew you when you were little and trying not to become your little baby self again. Its very relatable. But everything thats in the movie was fully developed in Dustins writing, and theres nothing really particular to my relationship with my own sisters which is reflected that I can think ofother than the general feeling of reconnecting with your siblings that youve known your whole life and checking in with them at a new moment in your life when youre a different person.
Im also a middle sibling and were just a few years apart. I kind of feel like, in a family dynamicat least in my familyyou kind of fill in whatever role is needed in a certain situation. Like: if people are arguing, maybe you try and lighten it up, or if people are too happy, maybe you bring a bad mood just to mix things up. You know? You kind of find your lane.
Defa: I was definitely inspired by my own childhood, my own relationship with my sister. My sister and I loved each other so much when we were kids; we really were each others world. When we were children I think we just knew each other. And now shes had so many different experiences and Ive had so many things that we dont know about at all. And shes her own person and we still havent figured each other out as people. So that is sort of the place I was coming from, a desire to try to understand that a little bit more.
The dynamic thats represented in the movie is similar. We really had our own world in our own bubble. There was nobody else there. And she looked up to me in a way that is very similar to how these sisters look up to Eric and how much love there was before and how that love is either no longer possible or being retained by Eric.
Photos by Jen Koch at Berlinale 2023
We learn about their shared history, in a way, through the songs and characters that Eric and his sisters perform together. Michael, you have a background in Second City in Toronto. Did that experience help in developing these sequences?
Cera: To be honest, I didnt really go very deep in Second City. I did weekend classes where you play improv-based games with other kids. I had so much fun doing it but they were just fun classes. It wasnt with any kind of purpose of going onto the stage or anything. But it teaches you to listen, so its a good class for people who want to become actors in any wayjust because youre making everything up on the spot. You have to listen to what other people are saying or else you get lost.
The characters and songs in the film was stuff that was very scripted, but we all worked together to flesh it out and make it very distinct so that we didnt have two characters that occupied the same kind of energy or anything. We just needed to lay everything out very technically.
Defa: Writing them was actually sort of easy for me, just because I did it so much as a kid. With my sister, we didnt have a whole locker of characters that we would break out, but Sesame Street was a fundamental thing for me. I was really attached to it, so I think the influence of that really seeped into me. The truth is, still as an adult I constantly make up little songs about things at home. So actually its sort of natural for me, and I dont take it too seriously so theres no pressure of like making something good. If its a child it just needs to be. Its just stuff.
Poker plays a big part in the movie. Do you play?
Defa: [To Cera] Are you a good poker player? You are.
Cera: Its very subjective. I dont know. Weve played poker together for a long time and it just became part of the language of this character and this movie in a very organic way. It was a big part of our life during lockdown, playing online together with other people. You know, very small stakes, just a way to spend time together. So that kind of seeped into this, it made a lot of sense.
If you have a very overactive brain or if you like puzzles or that kind of thinking, its just so rich because its constantly changing. One hand will end and a new one comes inits a completely different set of circumstances. So if you have a brain that just needs food like that, its like a beaver chewing on wood, its just a way to just get your brain relaxed.
Defa: I mean, its weird. Theres a part of poker where you learn how to deal with the pressure. I mean, you learn that if you get emotional when you play poker you will run into trouble. Thats a very interesting part of yourself to develop. Its not that I dont want to be emotional, but theres something very interesting about honing that.
For the film, it really became very helpful to have this other part of Erics life, like transferring the play and games to an adult place where he can use that same energy. Like hes using that energy over here with these adults and at the same time, in another way, over here with his sisters.
Did you watch any poker films for inspiration?
Defa: There arent many poker films. I mean, I dont want to say Rounders is, you know, not a good movie. [Laughs]
California Split?
Defa: I mean California Split is amazing.
Cera: Yeah!
Defa: I love California Split but I didnt watch it for the movie. We wanted to get something about poker that wasnt in a movie before. What was helpful was watching Daniel Negreanu. I dont know if you know who he is but hes a very good person to watch. He talks a lot at the tables, about what hes thinking, what other people are thinking. And that helped, because if you have a character speaking about what theyre thinking or what other people are thinking, it often wont work. But it works because youre at the poker table and Eric is able to say things that you normally wouldnt say in a movie.
Cera: I think thats probably the other aspect of it that really felt like it would be good in the movie: how people interact at the poker table and what we experience playing with these people. It was fascinating, kind of seeing certain personalities cornered in a certain situation and seeing how people react.
The Adults opens in theaters on August 18.
Here is the original post:
Michael Cera and Dustin Guy Defa on The Adults, Poker Cinema ... - The Film Stage
- Most Poker Rooms Remain Closed As Gambling Markets And Casinos Reopen In The United States - CardPlayer.com [Last Updated On: June 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 17th, 2020]
- New poker rules in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic - Tampa Bay Times [Last Updated On: June 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 17th, 2020]
- Genting Ceases All Live Poker Activity in the United Kingdom - PokerNews.com [Last Updated On: June 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 17th, 2020]
- Ike Haxton Raises Concerns About the Health of Live Poker Players - HighstakesDB [Last Updated On: June 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 17th, 2020]
- King's Casino reopening poker room soon with plenty on the schedule - World Casino Directory [Last Updated On: June 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: June 17th, 2020]
- Advt: 5 reasons why everyone is hooked to online poker! Have you joined the party yet? - Times of India [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Orange City OKs more poker players, and Greyhound racing in Daytona is over - The West Volusia Beacon [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- How Coronavirus changed the perception of Poker - CalvinAyre.com [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Natural8 2020 WSOP Online Hand of the Week: A Wholesome Hand for Ryan Depaulo - PokerNews.com [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- How Has Poker Changed Over Many Years? - Loop21 [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Trump's approach to politics bears the hallmarks of a bad poker player, author says - CBC.ca [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Today's lottery news: the Poker Lotto numbers and results for Monday July 20, 2020 are here... - Born2Invest [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- The Deck Is Not Rigged: Poker and the Limits of AI - Undark Magazine [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Key Points To Consider When Choosing Online Poker Tables - Top10PokerWebsites [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- NJ Special Legislation and the Impact on Online Casino Players in NY - Blog - The Island Now [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- The Phil Ivey Of Poker - HBCU Buzz [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Venetian poker room going to 8-handed tables - Las Vegas Review-Journal [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Chasing Poker Greatness: #68 Andrew Brokos: Co-Host ThinkingPoker Podcast & Author of Play Optimal Poker - Pokerfuse [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- FULL-HOUSE VS QUADS in the WSOP Main Event! Could Selbst have gotten away? - PokerNews.com [Last Updated On: August 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 3rd, 2020]
- Error in partypoker US Online Network PKO Series Finale Results in Nearly $50K Overlay - PokerNews.com [Last Updated On: August 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 3rd, 2020]
- Facebook develops AI algorithm that learns to play poker on the fly - VentureBeat [Last Updated On: August 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 3rd, 2020]
- Why Negreanu thinks Ivey is the best poker player in the world - Comcast SportsNet Chicago [Last Updated On: August 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 3rd, 2020]
- An Open Letter To The WSOP: Why Mixed Games Are Good For Poker Player Development - Poker News - CardPlayer.com [Last Updated On: August 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 3rd, 2020]
- What Site Offers the Best Online Poker Bonus in 2020? - PokerNews.com [Last Updated On: August 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 3rd, 2020]
- Man, 60, in custody in connection to death of professional poker player Susie Zhao - Detroit Free Press [Last Updated On: August 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 3rd, 2020]
- 60-year-old man arrested in connection with Oakland Co. professional poker player's death - WXYZ [Last Updated On: August 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 3rd, 2020]
- VIEW: Poker has a lot to offer to the Robinhood generation - CNBCTV18 [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Key Elements to Consider When Searching for the Best Poker Game Software Development Company - Communal News [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS To A BIG HAND FOR THE LITTLE LADY : Best Poker Movies To Perfect Your Game Plan - The Fan Carpet [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Casino Games: Online Poker | What Happened To Full Tilt Poker? - GamingTodaySlotsToday [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Who Are the All-Time Leaders in Poker in North America? - Poker News Daily [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- UPDATE: One Arrested After Poker Game Argument Leads to Machete Attack in Lexington Park | Southern Maryland News Net - Southern Maryland News Net [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Caribbean Sports - Best Caribbean Poker Tips & Tricks To Win - Caribbean and Latin America Daily News - News Americas [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Author and former professional poker player Annie Duke on how conspiracy theories gain ground - TechCrunch [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Poker Market Size and Growth By Leading Vendors, By Types and Application, By End Users and Forecast to 2020-2027 - Scientect [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- When Will Live Poker Rooms Reopen in Pennsylvania? - Play Pennsylvania [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- 5 of the best gambling apps to play real money poker games - European Gaming Industry News [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Poker - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2020]
- Andre Akkari Brings eSports and Poker Together as Industry Revels in Good News - HighstakesDB [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Five True-Life Poker Stories Primed To Be Hollywood Blockbusters - PocketFives [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Christopher Nunnally Wins Pearl River Poker Open $600 Main Event ($57835) - PokerNews.com [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- What Losing 40 Tournaments In A Row Should Tell You About Your Poker Game - Poker News - CardPlayer.com [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Phil Ivey's Most Memorable Hand that Changed the Course of Poker History - HighstakesDB [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Legendary poker player goes all in on Bitcoin, liquidates Ether and Monero - Crypto News Flash [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Poker Club: All Bluff And Bluster | Screen Rant - Screen Rant [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- What Does Another WSOP Main Event Mean for Poker? - PokerNews.com [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- 2020 PokerNews Holiday Gift #4: SimplePoker.com GTO Poker Solvers and Tools - PokerNews.com [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Why Casino Royale Director Sweated the Poker Scenes Over Any James Bond Action - MovieWeb [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- What Kinds Of Basics Beginners Should Know In Live Poker Gambling? - - VENTS Magazine [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- Poker Legend Maria Ho Details Her Experience on 'The Amazing Race' and 'American Idol' (Exclusive) - PopCulture.com [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- Great minds: 10 players who excel at both chess and poker - chess24 [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- Head of Marketing- Poker Powher - PEAK6 - Built In Chicago [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- 'Twas The Night Before Christmas - Poker Edition - PocketFives [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- Maria Ho Reflects on Hall of Fame Poker Career, Teases Her Future Plans (Exclusive) - PopCulture.com [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- Bitcoin And Crypto Trading Tips From Poker World Champion Annie Duke - Forbes [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- Chemistry Lessons: Building the Perfect High Stakes Poker Cast - PocketFives [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- Poker Stories of the year: Negreanu and Polk's high stakes feud - CalvinAyre.com [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- 2021 Poker Predictions: Will COVID-19 Force a WSOP Cancellation? - CardsChat.com [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- Huck Seed inducted to Poker Hall of Fame - CalvinAyre.com [Last Updated On: January 7th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 7th, 2021]
- Conor Beresford Wins 2020 Online Poker Player of the Year - PocketFives [Last Updated On: January 7th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 7th, 2021]
- WPT Readies for Live Poker in Las Vegas and Florida - LegalUSPokerSites.com [Last Updated On: January 7th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 7th, 2021]
- Run It Once Poker in 2020: Innovation, Promotions and Growth - Pokerfuse [Last Updated On: January 7th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 7th, 2021]
- Jail for woman who attacked neighbour with poker in Cork town - EchoLive.ie [Last Updated On: January 17th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 17th, 2021]
- Poker Coming Back to Detroit This Week - USGamblingSites.com [Last Updated On: January 17th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 17th, 2021]
- This woman used her Psychology Ph.D. to become a poker star - Yahoo News [Last Updated On: January 17th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 17th, 2021]
- Looking Ahead To The World Series Of Poker Finale - LA Canyon News [Last Updated On: January 17th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 17th, 2021]
- Sheldon Adelson Died and the Poker Community has Mixed Feelings - CardsChat.com [Last Updated On: January 17th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 17th, 2021]
- Poker Is on the Cards for Detroit This Friday - GamblingNews.com [Last Updated On: January 17th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 17th, 2021]
- FIVE THINGS: The Poker Hall of Fame Deserves a Next Level Upgrade - PocketFives [Last Updated On: January 17th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 17th, 2021]
- Tony G Resigns from Parliament; Will He Head Back to Poker? - PokerNews.com [Last Updated On: January 17th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 17th, 2021]
- High Stakes Poker S8, E5: You Won't Believe the Pot Tom Dwan Won - PokerNews.com [Last Updated On: January 17th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 17th, 2021]
- 5 key concepts in poker and chess | chess24.com - chess24 [Last Updated On: January 17th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 17th, 2021]
- Several States Begin To Lift Casino Closures And Ease Restrictions - CardPlayer.com [Last Updated On: January 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 29th, 2021]
- Jack Hardcastle Wins the WPT Montreal Main Event at partypoker ($447859) - PokerNews.com [Last Updated On: January 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 29th, 2021]
- Los Angeles Poker Rooms Given Green Light to Reopen this Week - CardsChat.com [Last Updated On: January 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 29th, 2021]
- Partypoker US Network Posts Big Online Poker Revenue Gains in New Jersey During the Final Quarter of 2020 - Pokerfuse [Last Updated On: January 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 29th, 2021]
- 888 Executive: US Online Poker to Benefit from Latest Wire Act Ruling - Casino.Org News [Last Updated On: January 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 29th, 2021]
- The FIVES Poker Podcast: WPT in the Headlines, Polk Tilts Negreanu - PocketFives [Last Updated On: January 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 29th, 2021]
- Justice Kagan: Poker Shark - Above the Law [Last Updated On: January 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 29th, 2021]
- Is online poker in the cards for North Dakota? - The Dickinson Press [Last Updated On: January 29th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 29th, 2021]