It was kind of - we didn't think about it another way. I'm wondering, was it important to you to cast someone neurodivergent in that role? ![]() KURTZLEBEN: Vanessa Burghardt is herself autistic. ![]() Sometimes I just need to recover in solitude. How can I not be? How can I help that?īURGHARDT: (As Lola) You're probably not going to be able to. VANESSA BURGHARDT: (As Lola) Sometimes it drains me a bit mentally and physically when I spend a lot of time mingling. And Andrew also develops this - speaking of lovely - this really sweet friendship with Domino's daughter, Lola, who is an autistic teen, and she's played by Vanessa Burghardt. And I think there's this lovely helping each other get strong for the different phases they're about to enter that I really like about the dynamic of the relationship. RAIFF: She didn't have that opportunity to really explore her 20s, and she's in a relationship with this guy who has that. And how scary, but how amazing? You can just figure things out, and you don't have to worry about bringing another person into it. But when I thought of putting Andrew and Domino in a relationship, that's when it started to really say something.ĭAKOTA JOHNSON: (As Domino) You only have you. My sister is disabled, and one time my mom said to me something about her life forever being defined by my sister, and I didn't know what to do with that information other than write it down. RAIFF: I started writing this character when I was really, like, a sophomore in college. What inspired you to write her character? And she herself is in a sort of transitional period. ![]() KURTZLEBEN: And then also in this movie, Andrew feels a connection with a young mother, Domino, played by Dakota Johnson. And he's someone who's really good at starting other people's parties and coming outside of himself, but I don't think he knows where to begin when it comes to starting his own party. And it's a time when he can figure out who he is, but I think he's much more interested in diving into other people's worlds. And he's back home, and he's relating to his mom and brother in new ways. And then with "Cha Cha," I think Andrew is someone who's facing his 20s, a time when he can really figure out who he is. "S House" was about a kid who was away from home for the first time but really hadn't mentally left home yet. RAIFF: I really like making movies about transitional periods. KURTZLEBEN: What is it about the confusion of young adulthood that intrigues you? You know, this is your second coming-of-age movie after a movie that - this being a family show - we'll call "Bleep House" or "S House." Cooper Raiff plays Andrew, and he also wrote and directed the film. KURTZLEBEN: It turns out that getting preteen kids to dance is a remarkably effective life raft for Andrew during that stuck period. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) Well, I am happy to hear that, because what's happening right now is you're being swarmed by Jewish mothers who are recruiting you to be their motivational dancer. (SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH")ĬOOPER RAIFF: (As Andrew) I'm staying in New Jersey for a while, so I will definitely bring David to another bar mitzvah. ![]() And he gets another gig as a hype man on the New Jersey bar mitzvah circuit. For money, he's selling meat on a stick at the mall food court, like you do. He's sleeping on a mattress in his kid brother's room. But for Andrew, the ineffably likeable protagonist of Cooper Raiff's new film, "Cha Cha Real Smooth," real life feels stalled. Real life starts once you graduate college, At least that's what a lot of us are told.
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