Pop-Culturalist.com

Pico Alexander has stamped his place as one of the industry’s most versatile and exciting leading men. He’s shown off his range and talent in projects including Home Again, The Portuguese Kid, Dickinson, and The Sky Is Everywhere.

This December, he stars opposite Asim Chaudhry, Maria Bakalova, and Lucas Bravo in the must-see comedy, The Honeymoon. In this raunchy rom-com, Adam (Alexander) whisks his new bride Sarah (Bakalova) to Venice for a honeymoon. But when Adam brings best friend Bav (Chaudhry) along for the ride, Bav causes one gross-out disaster after another. When charming gangster Giorgio (Bravo) falls for Sarah, he gets rid of Adam and Bav by sending them across the border on a drug-dealing mission. Can they outrun the Slovenian cops, dodge bullets from the baddies, and get back before Sarah gets a rich new mobster boyfriend?

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Pico about The Honeymoon, building the chemistry among the cast, and his love for comedy and improvisation.

PC: Tell us about The Honeymoon and your character in the film.
Pico: The Honeymoon is a buddy comedy about what happens when a guy brings his unbearable, cringy childhood friend along with him on his honeymoon. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there’s a reason why he has to bring him. Then hilarity ensues as the cringy friend ruins everything.

PC: You’ve brought so many dynamic characters to life on the stage and screen. What was it about Adam and the script in particular that attracted you to it?
Pico: It was really, really funny. When I first read it, I only had the sides that they sent me for the audition. It was so easy to read. Even though they were long, they were easy to memorize, which I feel is always the mark of good writing. When I finally got the script, I was laughing the entire time. It sounds cliché, but I was quite literally laughing out loud. There was something that felt timeless about it. It was one of those old-school comedy movies—a little bit of slapstick and over the top. There were all these funny scenarios, and I was really looking forward to that.

PC: Like you were saying, there are so many hilarious moments between all the characters. How much of that was improvised versus scripted?
Pico: Dean [Craig] did a good job of writing it in a way that felt natural, so a lot of it was scripted. Though, we were given a lot of freedom to riff and try things. Asim [Chaudhry] is one of the funniest guys I know. He’s so seasoned when it comes to comedy and improvisation. Once we got a few takes in that were loyal to the script, Dean let us go off the rails. I just followed Asim’s lead and reacted to him.

PC: Have you found that your experience performing comedy in a live setting through theater has lent itself to your work on screen and improvising with your castmates?
Pico: I think so. Every job that I do presents me with valuable takeaways that I can bring to the next one. I feel like every time that I work, I feel a little more comfortable for the next project.

PC: There’s such fantastic chemistry that comes off the screen between you and Asim. How were you able to develop the bond and friendship needed for this dynamic?
Pico: I don’t know. It just happened. We got along really well. I can’t speak for Asim, but I definitely felt lucky to be able to spend time with him. I really enjoyed his company. I really like spending time together in between takes and coming up with some bits of our own. That bled into our work.

PC: Dean wrote and directed The Honeymoon. Is the filming experience different when the person who created this story and universe is also at the helm directing? What is that collaboration like?
Pico: It has to be different. Firstly, it makes it easier in terms of talking about changes to the material and if you want to offer an idea or you’re confused about something. You can get immediate clarity. He had a good vision in his head since he wrote it, and he knew how he wanted to communicate that to the actors. I really loved working with Dean.

PC: You’re no stranger to comedy. What is it about this genre that excites you as a creative?
Pico: It’s really fun to do. This was probably the first one where some of the stuff that was happening was so funny that I interrupted a take. I love watching blooper reels for shows. It’s almost more enjoyable than watching the show. [laughs] Those takes are too funny even for the actor to get through. I love watching them because I always think what a blast it must have been to work on that set/job. I always wished that I’d be on a job like that one day. The Honeymoon was definitely that.

PC: We definitely need a blooper reel for this film. The Honeymoon is providing audiences with a much-needed escape. When you’re looking to escape, where or what do you turn to?
Pico: I definitely like to watch things. I also love to travel. I live in New York, so I love getting in the car and driving upstate. It’s travel, movies, and video games for me. I like to hang out with friends too. That’s a pretty good escape.

PC: You’ve done so much already in your career. What’s left on your bucket list?
Pico: I don’t know if I have an answer to that. I’m open to whatever comes my way!

The Honeymoon is now available wherever you stream movies.