The premiere of Blockers was held this past weekend during the annual SXSW Film Festival. Writer and Producer Evan Goldberg made a brief appearance on the carpet alongside Producer James Weaver. Leslie Mann was accompanied by Judd Apatow and their daughters Iris Apatow and Maude Apatow. Nikki Bella was in attendance accompanying John Cena at the red carpet. Director Kay Cannon, Gideon Adlon, Geraldine Viswanathan Miles Robbins were also in attendance. Check out our full gallery below.
(photos taken by Danny Benavides)
We stepped foot on the Red Carpet premiere of Blockers chat with Gideon Adlon and Geraldine Viswanathan about the film.
Can you tell us a little about your character?
Gideon Adlon: Sam is just this awkward, hipster, cool teenage girl trying to figure herself out. She is trying to figure out whats going to happen after high school. She is kind of reserved. She is really special. I think the world will love her.
What was your favorite scene to film?
Gideon Adlon: I don’t want to give it away but I will say it’s in the limo. Things get really messy and it was really fun to shoot.
What drew you to the film?
Geraldine Viswanathan: I was drawn to this film because it was a funny script and i absolutely loved the characters and how the story was told through a female perspective with females at the forefront. It’s a story about friendship and coming-of-age and I think that’s really significant, especially now. That, and the people attached. I love Kate Cannon, John Cena is amazing actually.
Gideon Adlon: The friendship that Sam has with her two best friends and the relationship she has with her father, it really connected. And the fact that it’s directed by a female director, which is awesome!
How was it like having Cena as a dad?
Geraldine Viswanathan: John Cena is a terrific dad. In the movie he is quite intense, maybe a little overbearing but in person he is so wonderful and aspiring and kind. I love him.
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At the premiere, Director Kay Cannon took to the stage prior to the film,
“I am a woman. And I directed something. And it’s rated R. And a comedy. And studio-released. I feel pretty good about that.”
The audience were also treated to a Q&A after the film, which Leslie Mann, John Cena, Geraldine Viswanathan, Gideon Adlon and Miles Robbins were all on stage for.
Leslie was asked how she connected to her character in the film, “My daughter was going away to college right around the time that we met and talked about this movie. She’s here now, she wants to drop out. But she’s not going to.”
Kay Cannon was asked about her approach on the storytelling,
“Part of what attracted me to the script was that it was from the female perspective,” she said. “There’s plenty of movies that take it from the male perspective of losing your virginity.”
“What was really important in the work of making this is that we made them as real as possible, as current as possible, as modern as possible, what they’re really saying, what they’re really doing, what they’re really feeling and approaching it not so much like, ‘This time it’s ladies,’ but like this is their experience and this is an underserved story. And it was exciting to serve that underserved story.” She went on to say, “no matter how progressive I am as a parent, I still am worried about the day that she decides to have sex. We’re in a movement right now, Time’s Up and Me Too, and there’s a reason for this fear, there’s kind of a reason for the double standard in some ways. So my hope for her is that she loves herself and I want her to be able to tell me everything. Which, I don’t know, is that a good thing?”
Leslie also added, “My kids are good, because they’ve agreed to never have sex. Right?”
In this moment, their daughters sank in their seats as audiences drew their attention towards them.
They have to be the coolest parents, right?
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Don’t forget to check out Blockers when it hits theaters April 6th. In the meantime, be sure to check out our review for the film dropping this week.
SXSW Film Festival goes until March 17th. So far films such as John Krasinski’s A Quite Place and Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One have graced the famous Paramount Theater in downtown Austin. The closing film for the festival, Isle of Dogs is set to premiere March 17th.