Tag Archives: Jonathan Daniel Brown

A lot has changed for Jonathan Daniel Brown and Oliver Cooper. Jonathan was cast as JB after applying for Project X after seeing an ad "on some blog randomly," and Oliver Cooper plays scene stealer, Costa. The guys play best friends in the movie and it doesn't sound like things are much different for them off screen. Project X is shot with found footage so that it feels like a documentary so that viewers can feel that they're at the house party, which the film revolves around, themselves. Apparently the movie was well done, because Oliver says that one fan actually asked him if the movie was real! That's almost just as scary as what takes place in the movie.

Friends now in real life, from left to right: Oliver, Jonathan & Thomas Mann

Do you think any audience members will think this is real?

Oliver: Some kid in Toronto asked me, "Is this real?" And I was thinking to myself, ‘NO! Obviously you are an idiot! It’s a movie!’

JB: This movie is fiction. It’s comedy. It’s a good time. It’s not like, ‘Go out and do this!’

How was the action choreographed on screen. A lot of the big things looked kind of dangerous. Did they just kind of say, 'You guys just go crazy over here!'

JB: No CG or anything like that. The crew were all wearing protective goggles and special outfits, except for us. They were just like "Just use your hands! You might get some scrap metal, it's cool. We got on-set medics." It's like, 'oh, thanks!'

Did it ever feel kind of dangerous, a little scary?

JB: Oh, it totally did! When things were on fire? I was sweating like a pig.

Oliver: First off, we shot the movie in order, so [by the end] we were literally exhausted and the makeup was all crazy. There was chaos and so many extras were running around, it felt real!

What did you have in your pimp cup?

Oliver: A little bit of cocaine [laughs]. O’Doul's, that kind of made me sick to my stomach and it felt like I was actually drinking. I just felt terrible in the movie. I drank so much of that O'Doul's and every time you do a scene you gotta refill it up, like nine times and you just feel like you're really sick and drunk. I actually threw up in the movie and I literally threw up! 

JB: I think we all threw up. I did when I did the apple juice beer pong. It's constantly pumping.

Oliver: It’s hitting you in the back of your throat!

How did you develop friendships?

Oliver: I think what helped our friendship is that we all were kind of in a similar situation. Me and Thomas hadn’t been in LA for long, so we didn't have a ton of friends. We could relate, like, this is a big thing for all of us, so we kind of had that to bond with.

JB: We hang out multiple times a week.

Project X opens today in theaters.

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.