Exclusive Interview: Co-Writer and Director Stuart Stone Discusses ‘Vandits,’ How the Film Balances Outrageous Comedy with Heart, and More

Stuart Stone is a multifaceted storyteller who has excelled in various roles throughout his career. Whether bringing iconic characters to life in projects like Donnie Darko and The Magic School Bus, or eliciting laughter as a writer-director in films such as Faking A Murderer, Stu’s talent knows no bounds.

This holiday season, he teams up with co-writer Adam Rodness for the outrageous, laugh-out-loud holiday film, Vandits. A gang of small-time crooks, self-proclaimed as the Vandits, seeks to make a big score as they embark on a ridiculous heist to rob a bingo hall on Christmas Eve.

Pop Culturalist was fortunate enough to speak with Stu about Vandits, how the feature strikes the perfect balance of humor and heart, and more!

PC: I love the origin story behind this film. For audiences who may not be familiar, can you talk a bit about how a midnight game of bingo led to this outrageous comedy?
Stu: Absolutely. There was a local bingo hall near where we lived that started hosting 1 AM bingo games. You had to check in after midnight. For some reason, one night we ended up going, and then it became a thing. If we weren’t tired, we would go to this bingo game, and I went a lot of times. [laughs] I never won. But at some point, we started thinking about how easy it would be to rob this place. [laughs] There was a security guard who was always sleeping. There were a handful of seniors, possibly single seniors with their good luck charms, and then a bingo caller.

It was that, and the fact that Adam Rodness (my co-writer) had a premonition once, unrelated to bingo, where all of us were hanging out and a friend left early. We all had this premonition that he was going to die, so we called him to come back and hang out with us. We took him out for pancakes and tried to change the course of his future. He didn’t die, which is great. But we’ve always wanted to explore a film about premonitions and combine that with bingo. Put that in a blender, and there you go.

PC: This film is so self-aware. What you and Adam have done so brilliantly with the script is you’re able to toe that line between the absurd and warmth. How have the two of you continued to push each other creatively? How did that translate into the screenplay?
Stu: Push each other, we certainly do. Sometimes off cliffs, sometimes not. [laughs] But that’s part of having a great creative team. Some people find it easier to work alone, but it’s great to work in pairs or teams because you do end up pushing each other. There’s some stuff that you think is funny and some stuff that you don’t. It’s always good to have more than one perspective on things. A lot of the humor that I bring to the table is different than what Adam brings to the table. Sometimes I make him laugh, sometimes he makes me laugh. But at the end of the day, whatever we think is the best of the best is what’s going to end up on the page.

As far as blending absurd comedy with heart, it’s fun to laugh, but if there is no heart, then what are we really doing here? We didn’t want to make a movie where people are getting rakes to the face. We wanted to have heart in it. I appreciate that you recognized it, but I feel like there’s definitely some heart at the end of the day, even with these idiots trying to rob a bingo hall. [laughs]

PC: You’ve worked with Tony [Nappo] in the past, and he’s absolutely hysterical in this role. Did you write this part with him in mind? How did knowing what he was capable of help elevate the material?
Stu: Tony is a brilliant guy. We first worked together on Faking a Murderer where Adam and I were on camera searching for a killer. Tony was that killer, and he’s brilliant in that role. He only had two teeth in that movie in real life. He went and got his teeth fixed and had a whole new set of teeth.

That was the metamorphosis of getting him to play Sheldon in this movie with his new look and grill. But Tony is one of these hidden gems in Canada. We’ve known about him for a long time. It’s great that people south of the border and around the world are going to start to see his talent, especially with a role like this.

Some people have seen him play mob guys and other tough roles, but to have him play a lead along with the ensemble cast with him is amazing. It’s essentially his story, and he’s a spectacular performer.

PC: You’ve got such an all-star cast here, and the chemistry is incredible. Was there a moment on set when you realized you were all creating magic and they had the bond needed to bring the dynamic between those four to life?
Stu: That’s a great question. This is a true story. The day before we started filming this movie, our heist movie got heisted. Our gear truck with all of our equipment got stolen. It forced everybody to bond together if we were going to get this thing going. The final product that you see, people have no idea that we shot it with like five lights. We pieced together whatever we could from other local companies that weren’t using their equipment. Somehow we made this happen. I think that really brought everybody closer together, especially the cast and I. We couldn’t rely on anything else besides the performances, and the chemistry to make this movie. There were no egos involved here. Everyone was willing to share the laughs, and that helps.

Sometimes you get on set and there’s some alpha actor who’s like, “I’m number one on the call sheet.” We didn’t have that. People had no problems sharing the laughs and screen time. Everybody gets their time to shine. Even the smaller characters get their time to shine. Murray in the bingo hall has some beautiful stuff going on with the guy who gets tased. Even Jann Arden who plays the snack shack lady Blanche, everybody gets their time to shine, and they all shined really bright. I was very, very, very happy on set every day. I was always laughing. You can only imagine.

PC: The comedy genre is one that really encourages improvisation, and you’re working with a cast who is really versed in this space. As the co-writer and director, how did you create the space for them to play? How much was scripted versus improvised?
Stu: As someone who grew up on the other side of the camera as an actor, I definitely did lots of improv, even in movies like Donnie Darko. I’m very open to it. I speak that language. If someone brings something to the table that makes us laugh and that’s better than what’s on the page, by all means.

I don’t think that Adam or I believe that we’re Stephen King, Steven Spielberg, or Steven Bochco. We’re not any of the Stevens. Just because we wrote it down doesn’t mean it’s the great thing ever. If there’s something better, let’s do it. Even I was improvising. I was whispering different lines to different actors to try and make each other laugh during filming. It’s part of the process.

Some directors are very stringent on their scripts. They’re like, “Say what’s on the page or f- off.” That’s not us. We definitely encouraged it. Unless someone isn’t good at it, then you have to find a polite way to be like, “Let’s stick with what’s on the page.” But I didn’t have that issue with this cast. They’re all veterans. They’re all amazing, brilliant actors. If they made us laugh, then chances are it made it into our film.

PC: You actually answered my next question. But in addition to directing and writing, you’re also an actor. Have you found that your experiences in front of the camera influence the way that you approach your work as a writer-director and the way that you collaborate with your cast?
Stu: 100%. I feel like my strength is being an actor-director and working with actors, speaking their language, knowing what they want, and what their expectations are. It’s more than just hitting your mark and finding your light. It’s about getting the right confidence boost. It’s almost like you’re a football coach. You have the right plays in place to make the plays, then you got to keep them motivated to bring their A-game. I would say that’s a real benefit having spent years as an actor. That definitely gives me a leg up for sure.

PC: This film is so unexpected and it continues to build throughout. Is there a scene that you’re really excited for audiences to see?
Stu: That’s a great question. You’ve got all the good questions today. You make a movie for people to watch it. We’re not making these movies to get rich. We’re making it because we love it. It’s a very passionate project. If you don’t love what you’re doing, then you’re in the wrong business at this level that we’re making films. Having the opportunity for audiences to actually see the final project and enjoy it, as it sounds like you did, really warms the heart. That’s the motivation right there.

As far as scenes specifically that I want people to see, there’s that big twist at the end. When that hits, that’s when I’d like to be in the room and see how people react. But there’s a twist that people may not see coming.

PC: I didn’t. This film has made its way around the festival circuit and it’s been incredibly well received, and you’re getting so much praise for it. What do you think is resonating most with audiences? What do you hope they take away?
Stu: This sounds like such a cliché answer, but there’s a lot of bad stuff happening in the world. I know that I could have given you that answer last year, the year before, and ten years before that. But the world is in dire straits right now, if you can have 90 minutes to two hours to unplug, that’s necessary for your well-being to find a way to smile through all the depressing stuff that you see on TV. Having an opportunity to make people smile and laugh, especially with a holiday film, that’s a true honor for a filmmaker to do something like that.

There are so many Hallmark movies and other holiday movies that do the same thing over and over. There are also holiday movies that I love like Bad Santa and Home Alone, which aren’t your traditional Christmas movies, but it is and it’s fun. That was our goal. Adam and I wanted to make a movie that was different from the rest of the Christmas stuff out there and that stands on its own two feet and will make people laugh. Hopefully, we accomplished that. There’s no account for taste, but most people seem to like it.

PC: You’re such an exciting voice in this industry. Outside of this project, what’s next for you? What’s left on your bucket list to tell?
Stu: We’ve got a lot of stories that we’d love to tell. You’re very complimentary, and it makes me feel like we’re doing something right. We actually just shot a sequel for Faking a Murderer. We just wrapped that five days ago, so that’ll be coming out next Halloween.

Our company is growing to a point where we’re also looking outside of our brains and seeing what other people have created and what other stories are out there. We’ve gotten to a place where we’ve done six movies. Now we’re ready to take on other projects, too. So people who are watching and are filmmakers that want to team up, hit us up and send us your stuff. I’m inspired to tell stories more than ever now.

To keep up with Stu, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Vandits is available to stream on Hollywood Suite and Prime Video CA.