The people involved in Project X do everything differently. From casting unknown actors, who were able to apply for roles online, to filming some footage with hand held cameras, Project X keeps it fresh. Because of the documentary style shooting, viewers feel like they’re at this unforgettable rager themselves. Project X is a teen high school party movie that takes things to a whole other level and then some! Oliver and Jonathan both play Thomas Mann‘s party loving best friends in the movie. Find out what they loved about making this film. Hint: Everything!
Oliver holds onto his pimp cup, Jonathan is on the left.
How did you come to the part and what attracted you to your character?
Oliver: I had a ton of offers [laughs], so I really had to pick!
JB: I did an open call on the Internet, so that was fun. I just saw it on some blog randomly and I was like, ‘Why not?’ It kind of snowballed from there. I still live with my parents though.
How do you relate to your characters?
JB: I’m a much louder person in real life. I’m more chatty and gregarious and boisterous and Oliver’s actually quieter and mellow, like ‘Let’s go to bed, it’s 9 p.m.’ We kind of switched off versions of each other in a weird way.
Oliver: I’m not as much of a loser as you are.
JB: Listening to Beach Boys at 8 p.m. and calling it a night?
Oliver: Yeah, okay! I can be very loud. When I was growing up I was always getting beat up by older siblings and friends. I was always this angry ball of energy, that I can relate to. I was probably more of a bitch to my friends instead of being like ‘Come on guys, we’re having a party tonight! Don’t be a pussy!’
What was the craziest thing you’ve ever done in your life?
JB: Shooting this movie overshadows any crazy thing you’ve ever done. The craziest party we’ve ever had was over 5 weeks on the Warner Brothers lot. It was a hell of a shoot. It was five weeks of 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. every night. Constant DJ on set. Constant writing and nuttiness. Even if it was controlled chaos. Nima [the director] managed to make it feel real enough that after a while you didn’t feel like you were acting.
Oliver: Damn. Party again tonight?
JB: Yeah, world’s smallest violin.
What particular scenes were memorable for you?
Oliver: I loved the taser one. It had a vibe that it was gonna be a good scene when we were shooting it. It looked so real and the kid being punched looked awesome. And I liked the cop scene. It really played nice.
JB: One of my favorite moments, not necessarily to shoot, but when you see the montage after the ecstasy is dropped, that’s when the movie starts moving towards its climax. That’s when the movie goes to crazy town, so that’s very memorable for me when I see it because that’s an indicator that sh!t’s about to hit the fan.
Were there any particularly difficult scenes to shoot?
JB: The scene where I’m shotgunning the beer was tough for me because I couldn’t get the aim right. Every time I’d do it, I’d spray everybody BUT Nicole. Plus I’m about as coordinated as a 90 year-old man. I had to shake the beer, aim it a certain way and hit it at a certain angle to spray Nicole in the face with a beer, it didn’t work.
Oliver: Luckily we got that because that makes or breaks the movie [laughs]! I think the tough stuff is probably more not on our end, but for [the crew] to make the movie look like a documentary.
