Cast Talks Aliens Abducted My Parents & Now I Feel Kinda Left Out [Sundance]

A sci-fi story can sometimes seem like a dozen cents, but very few stories quite like it. Aliens kidnapped my parents and now I feel abandoned. Directed by Jack Van Wagner (studio) from a script by Austin Everett (old thing) This lighthearted and funny film just premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last week and will repeat on January 28. Aliens kidnapped my parents Emma Tremblay impresses as Ruby Superwoman) as Itsy, an aspiring reporter who is transported to a remote town and meets the strangest guy in the world.

The boy named Calvin (by let the right people in star Jacob Buster), whose story is Aliens kidnapped my parents and now I feel abandoned. As the long but horribly accurate title suggests, Calvin is convinced that his parents were taken from him by aliens, and he has dedicated his life to proving himself right and bringing them back. Of course, at first Izzy doesn’t believe a word he says, but she soon discovers that his beliefs are contagious and his charms are hard to shake.

rant . screen Chat with Buster and Tremblay about their sweet chemistry on set and their gritty yet funny experience Aliens kidnapped my parents and now I feel abandonedwhile director Jack Van Wagner shares how his comedic skills have evolved from goofy to sentimental and why his aliens are cuter.

‘Alien Kidnapped My Parents’ Actor and Director I Feel A Little Left Now

Jack, you have a lot of experience with comedy skits and the like unrealistic joke. What’s the journey from there to this more emotionally scripted comedy, if you will?

Jack Van Wagner: Yeah, it’s definitely been a journey. I guess a part of me just loves comedy. It was my first love, but my story is also well-founded. I love telling stories that can happen in real life. I mean, maybe our parents won’t be abducted by aliens, but the heart and feelings behind it are real.

From the very beginning, I have always aspired to tell stories with emotion and heart. But then again, I love comedy and it was such a big leap from Unrealistic Clowns to this movie. But I participate in all kinds of entertainment.

I like you. Emma, ​​How long did Itsy take to see the weird Calvin turn cute? How did you develop this chemical reaction with Jacob?

Emma Tremblay: Instant chemistry. We had lunch when I got to Utah, and it was great to get to know him before we actually started filming. It was great to get to know him before the first date.

But it looks like Itsy is determined to get back to New York and you can see she’ll do whatever it takes to get there. And then along the way, she gets a little distracted by this sweet boy.

Jacob, Calvin is a complicated guy because he knows he can’t really trust people, but he never stops trying. People let him down again and again, but he still told his story to anyone who would listen. Can you talk about this conflict in his heart?

Jacob Buster: I think, on the surface, he knew he couldn’t really trust anyone. Everyone thinks he’s weird or outcast, but he still craves connection because he really doesn’t have one. I think, he’s so different, so different, and what a weird duck. He’s used to people saying, “Oh, he’s weird. We don’t want him around.” But he still only longs for someone, that’s why he goes on this long journey. When Izzy finally changed his mind, he trusted her a little and you can see the walls slowly falling down as they finally connect.

From his first monologue about space travel and grades, I knew I was going to get lost. Jack, I know you don’t write the screenplay, but have you been interested or aware of the science behind Calvin’s story? Do you have to research your comet Jesper before putting it on display?

Jack Van Wagner: I’m an idiot when it comes to this. I don’t know anything about this and I’m just as lost as you. In an edit, I would say, “I don’t know. Let’s cut from here to there.” [Laughs] Jacob did a great job. When we shot that scene, Jacob caught me every time. I thought, “What the hell are you talking about? How do you remember this?” He did a great job of persuasion.

Also, the original cut is longer. The scene was too long and his words were too long. We were like, “Calm down, Austin [the screenwriter]. We get it, he’s going to space. “I just believe it’s true and that’s it. In terms of space, I dig deep and make sure I understand aliens and extraterrestrial sightings. But what’s the score? How much?

You mentioned filming in Utah, where there’s a lot of open space that really lets you explore the wide open space between Calvin and his parents. How does this affect the photography experience?

Jacob Buster: I live in Utah, so I used to go skiing in the mountains and do all sorts of fun things. Being able to go up to the canyon and shoot there gave us a lot of space and it was like a small town. It’s a very warm place, and I think that’s reflected in the film. Even on set, it feels the same.

Emma Tremblay: For me, it’s cold. It’s cold there. I’m from Canada, so Jack said, “You’ll be fine.” But no, it’s not funny. [Laughs] We shot a lot at night in October and it was very cold. There are a lot of huggers living near the fireplace. This is my experience in Utah.

Jake Van Wagner: We were filming in the mountains one night, which was normal and the temperature was 7 degrees. The temperature dropped to 7 degrees for the final scene, so I brought a jacket. I was running around, trying to direct or something, and when I went, none of these guys were wearing jackets, “Okay, act! It’s going to be great.” Cold weather. We also had a giant fan to create wind and they were in tears. [Laughs] Yes, the situation is very bad.

Speaking of the last scene, Jack, what is your vision of the aliens? They’re so cute.

Jake Van Wagoner: I wanted something that wasn’t scary and cute. The premise is that these aliens are chasing comets because they love to eat their tails, which taste like cotton candy. They have to be cute and funny, able to act like kids. You don’t know, and never will, that these aliens are 1,000 years old and still eat marshmallows like normal children.

I wanted to make sure that I didn’t make this completely family-friendly movie and end up scaring the kids who watched the movie with the aliens. If you look closely, their hair is as thin as cotton candy. I want them to have some hair, cute and funny.

Evan is a rarely welcome trio who always stand in the way of your investigative duo. What energy did Kenneth Cummins bring to the set and the set?

Emma Tremblay: He’s amazing. It’s nice to always have brother’s energy. I’m away from family, so it’s nice to have a brother by my side when I miss myself. I’m really starting to see their similarities.

But as a co-worker, he’s hilarious and interesting. He was a bit shy and timid at the start of filming, but towards the end he was very lively and full of energy. I’m glad he feels so comfortable there because he was a kid on set and that’s me. In the movie, he’s hilarious. When I watched this movie with my family, my mother laughed to death and thought, “This kid is amazing.

Jacob Buster: He’s really cute. In the clip, you can see how bubbly he is, even though he’s a bit withdrawn at first. You can feel his enthusiasm for everyone on set, and suddenly, he’s full of energy both on and off camera. He gave me this little astronaut and now I have it on my keychain!

Jack Van Wagner: I think I hate Kenneth more than anyone. I just threw them in there because he was the comic relief of this movie. Each time, he takes the lines and makes them more interesting. A lot of the lines in it are contemporary. I was like, “Say this” and he’ll do it. His time has been wonderful.

Speaking of family members, Elizabeth Mitchell is an inspiring choice as Calvin’s mother. Was it inspired by his mother’s disappearance and Elizabeth’s presence? lost?

Jack Van Wagner: You did. That’s the way it is. [Laughs] Elizabeth is a pipe dream. She is amazing and we know how good she is. Interestingly, I was watching a movie in preparation for this when I saw Frequency. She was in that movie, and then one of our producers was a friend of Liz’s. They said, “Hey, maybe she’s an option. Is that fun?” I said, “Yes, certainly.” She immediately liked the script and said it was fun.

I hope this connection is as good as you make it. Let’s just say it did, but we were really lucky. The timing was right, like before she started working on Disney shows. We only need her for 48 hours, so this fits her schedule perfectly. She is amazing.

About the alien abduction of my parents, now I feel a bit lost

Ambitious teen reporter Izzy is heartbroken when her family moves to the small town of Pebble Falls. Amid new challenges—a house in need of repairs and unfriendly high school students, to name a few—Issie meets Calvin, her quirky, space-obsessed neighbor and best friend. her class.

Izzy befriends Calvin in hopes of writing an expose during her summer internship in New York, but she soon discovers that the amateur astronaut has a dark secret. Calvin believes his parents have been abducted by aliens and he is on a mission to find and reunite them in outer space. The outsiders form a surprising and warm friendship as they work to uncover the truth.

Aliens kidnapped my parents and now I feel abandoned It is currently showing at the Sundance Film Festival and its worldwide distribution rights have just been acquired by Visit Films.