Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Donny’s Bar Mitzvah’s John DeLuca

Are you ready to party like it’s 1998? Well, writer-director Jonathan Kaufman and a star-studded cast are taking us on a time warp back to the ’90s, where sex, drugs, and a dysfunctional family surround a boy’s entrance to manhood in the must-see raunchy comedy, Donny’s Bar Mitzvah.

We had the chance to speak with lead actor John DeLuca about Donny’s Bar Mitzvah, his character’s journey, and the thrill of independent filmmaking.

PC: Tell us about Donny’s Bar Mitzvah, your character, and his storyline in the film.
John: Donny’s Bar Mitzvah is a wacky/raunchy indie R-rated comedy where pretty much anything goes. I play Bobby, the older brother of the Bar Mitzvah boy. Bobby couldn’t care less about the celebration. He’s a total bro who really just wants to work out and have sex. But as the story progresses, we see him mature (sort of) into a slightly less self-obsessed bro. He learns the importance of commitment, accountability, and responsibility.

PC: The film is absolutely hilarious. At what point when you were reading the script, did you know you had to be a part of it?
John: Yeah! I mean the script had me laughing pretty much immediately, which is usually a good sign. And I just kept thinking “this absolutely insane…and I’m into it”. I knew Bobby was a character I could have some fun with. I wasn’t raised Jewish, but I remember being thirteen was a blast because there was a Bar/Bat Mitzvah every weekend for one of my friends. I’ve been to like twenty of them—they’re awesome. It was fun to revisit that world.

PC: You’ve worked on projects of all sizes. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you?
John: Working on large projects is great, but there’s just something special working on an indie. There’s a different energy to it. It’s messier and it feels like everyone is kind of in the trenches together. It’s a more intimate process, and I like that about it.

PC: With this being a comedy, did the cast have the opportunity to improvise? If so, is there a scene that you’re excited for your fans to see that wasn’t originally how it was written in the script?
John: Jonathan [Kaufman] had a lot of funny stuff written, but he was also super gracious about letting us all play. He’d make sure we got one take as written, and then let us all cut loose on a few. That was a lot of fun. There was definitely a bunch of improvised stuff that made the final cut. For example, there’s a scene where Bobby is surveying the party with David, looking for girls to hook up with, and this really tall background actor crossed right in front of me and, like, he was so tall that I couldn’t not say something about it. So I just started talking about him, gave him a name and a little backstory, and it ended up making the cut.

PC: There are a ton of hilarious relationships/dynamics within the film. Which was your favorite to explore and why?
John: I mean all of them, really. But the Bobby/Susie/Gary’s love triangle was a lot of fun to play around with. Getting to dive into that “horny teen going after the hot mom” thing was fun, because we’ve all been there, right? Then you add Adam’s clueless/dopey ‘Gary’ into the mix and there was a lot of laughing/breaking going on.

PC: What do you hope audiences take away after seeing Donny’s Bar Mitzvah?
John: It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But I hope people can unplug from the world for eighty minutes and have some laughs at the expense of an absurdly wacky and irreverent comedy.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
John: Bachelor/Bachelorette (But I missed the last two).

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
John: Rocky.

PC: Favorite book?
John: Where The Wild Things Are.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
John: Grease.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
John: Beach Boys.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
John: Tough question. Tom Holland? Or maybe Shia Labeouf.

To keep up with John, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Donny’s Bar Mitzvah is now available wherever you stream movies.

Photo Credit: Bjoern Kommerell