Pop-Culturalist.com

Writer-director Eric McEver and stars Quinn Lord, Ronak Gandhi, and Christina Higa are creating magic on the screen with Iké Boys. When a magical anime transforms two Japan-obsessed teenage friends and a shy foreign exchange student into its superpowered characters, the three underdogs must discover their inner heroes in time to save the world.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Eric, Quinn, Ronak, and Christina ahead of its world premiere at Fantastic Fest.

PC: Eric, could you share the inspiration behind the film?
Eric: The inspiration was my own life. I grew up a little boy in Oklahoma who loved dinosaurs and Godzilla. That led to a desire to one day make a Godzilla film. This all started around the age of twelve, and it never stopped. I grew up and learned Japanese and moved to Japan. The inspiration came out of that experience of being in a place and being passionate about something that very few people around me even knew existed.

This is my first feature film. I wanted to do something that only I could make—something that I was uniquely qualified to make and that would enable me to make a better film. My goal with this film was to charm people. If they’re having a bad day, I hope it’s a pick-me-up for them. I want them to be like, “I’ve had a sh-tty day. I’m going to watch Iké Boys. The only way I can earn the trust of having their vulnerable time is if I make myself vulnerable to them.

I tried to take my lived reality and express it as honestly as I could. There are a lot of people outside Japan who have been bitten by the Japanese bug. They’ve gotten into anime, manga, giant monster films, but no one has made a film for all those people. I thought, “Well, I’m in a pretty good position to do it and do it well.” So, it was all those things funneled together.

PC: For the cast, what was it about the characters and the script that attracted you to this project?
Quinn: The whole thing. It had a bit of action, a bit of this and that, and some good banter back and forth between friends. The fact that it took place in the ’90s was a big attraction to me. I’ve been crossing different decades off. I still have the ’80s and the early ’00s left. [laughs] I also wanted to tackle speaking another language on screen, which I’ve never done before. This is my first time speaking a language other than English on screen. I’m hoping that it will open some more doors and I can try it again in the future. It’s a fun challenge and I’d like to tackle it again.

Ronak: For me, I could be my goofy self. Eric is as goofy as I am. It was a fun time for me. I loved my character Vik. I could be myself. It wasn’t a far stretch for me. Secondly, I loved that I could relive some of my high school years, understanding what it was like to be in high school at the time and all the different feelings that come with doing that. It was an incredibly enjoyable experience. I had the time of my life.

Christina: I was born and raised in Tokyo. Growing up, I didn’t really see a lot of American productions that represented my culture authentically. To play an authentic Japanese character was a huge part of why I wanted to play this role. I also related to Miki and her whole spiritual journey. I moved from Japan to the US to go on my vision quest in life. On top of all of that, I wanted to be able to transform.

PC: There’s great chemistry that comes off the screen between the entire cast. How were you all able to build that bond? What was that collaboration like?
Quinn: It was pure fun. We didn’t start filming until a couple of weeks after we had all arrived. There was nothing but pure bonding that whole time. We were like, “Let’s go eat at this restaurant. Let’s go attend this basketball or baseball game.”

Ronak: I would say it’s a testament to Eric and how he created a comfortable atmosphere for everyone. He deliberately had Quinn and I come first so that we could have a couple of days to ourselves and then Christina came later.

There’s a funny story where Christina was in character when she first came, and by character I mean she didn’t speak English. She was in her Japanese Miki zone, and Quinn and I didn’t know. We had this very endearing way of approaching her and that was the basis of how everything started. I would say it was more Eric who was able to facilitate and orchestrate our chemistry. We’re all pretty easygoing, so I didn’t think it was too hard for us to get along.

Christina: What Ronak said. We had a week of just hanging out, eating good food, and getting to know each other. We were all in the same hotel. Our relationship evolved more and more each day. We got more and more comfortable with each other and I think it shows on screen. We would watch movies after shooting and hang out.

Eric: There was an interview with Francis Ford Coppola in Heart of Darkness. His advice to filmmakers is to put yourself in circumstances that resemble what the film is about. I certainly did that in some ways directorially, though it was also important for me and the cast that the script was there. The script was very finely polished. Everything was set.

But I wanted to be sure that everyone was in circumstances where their day-to-day lived reality was close to the day-to-day lived reality of the characters. That’s where the magic happens. You do all of that planning with the script and with the schedule, and then happy accidents occur. You have to create room for that fun inventiveness.

PC: Eric and Christina, this is both of your first feature films. Did anything surprise you about the experience? What was the biggest takeaway?
Christina: This was my first anything. I’ll never forget it. It was such a memorable experience. It was wild and I loved every minute of it. For me, the biggest takeaway was seeing all the moving parts, all the people involved, all the relationships that you form while shooting. It’s really special to be a part of telling this story. And then to meet Eric who wrote it. He’s such a genuine, authentic person and this really came from his heart. It was amazing to be part of making that come to life. Since shooting this, I’ve seriously fallen in love with the art of storytelling and film. I’m obsessed with it. This was a huge opening door for me.

Eric: Thank you, Christina. The answer is a bit different for me. I’ve been telling stories for as long as I can remember. I actually did stop motion animated films when I was twelve. My first feature was when I was in high school with my allowance and some friends. I did three of those. I guess you’d call them mumblecore. This is my first one that’s meant for a wide commercial audience. [laughs]

What I love about directing is the people. You know when you’re talking with someone who is passionate about something, even if it’s something that you know nothing about, the enthusiasm is contagious. The thing that’s so wonderful about directing is being in a position to be surrounded by passionate people and being in a position to empower power to use their passion and to push that passion towards a bigger goal.

My big takeaway is that I want to do more of this. It’s a rush of energy working day in and out with passionate, hardworking people who are excited about the things that they’re walking on. That certainly includes this cast.

PC: The film is making its world premiere at Fantastic Fest. If you had to choose one scene that you’re most excited for audiences to see, which would it be and why?
Eric: Watch all the way to the end. It’s the climax of the film, but you have to watch the entire film to get to that one scene. That’s my sneaky answer. [laughs]

Quinn: I’m with Eric on that. It gets better the longer you watch it, so the closer to the end the better it gets.

Ronak: For me, it’s the Christmas dinner scene. It’s really wholesome and funny. It’s like your stereotypical, young adult scene in a movie where you feel wholesome and feel good.

Christina: The whole movie. I’m so curious to see how the special effects look. I’ve been wondering about that. There’s one scene where I have my psychedelic trip. I’m really excited to see how that turns out.

PC: There are so many relevant themes within the film about embracing your passion and believing in yourself. For each of you, was there one in particular that hit home for you?
Quinn: The belief in yourself. Getting the Japanese lines down was a challenge. I had to remember the syllables in distinct order. Trying to memorize a language that way is hard to do. The whole “believe in yourself” angle definitely rang true. I eventually was able to say those words on set at least.

Ronak: To piggyback off of Quinn, I would say accepting who you are, especially in high school. For Vik, he was so worried about being liked by everyone that he always sacrificed things that were important to him. I would say be true to who you are, believe in yourself, accept who you are, and be happy with that. I would tell my high school self that and anyone watching the film.

Christina: For me, I would also say believing in yourself, especially with this being my first experience filming. I felt like I was definitely like Miki. We both had to believe in ourselves as we went on this quest.

PC: What’s next for all of you?
Eric: There are more festivals in the works and distribution. I’m sitting on things and a lot of things are in progress, but the film will get a wide release. It will certainly be available around the world. So stay tuned.

Quinn: I’m currently filming Season 2 of Firefly Lane in Canada.

Christina: You can see me next in a limited series called From Scratch. That’ll be out on Netflix soon. Also, I’m in a film called Am I Ok? with Dakota Johnson.

Make sure to follow Eric (Instagram), Quinn (Twitter/Instagram), Ronak (Instagram), and Christina (Instagram).