Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Echo Boomers’ Seth Savoy and Gilles Geary

Director-writer Seth Savoy and actor Gilles Geary are two rising talents to keep your eye on. This year, they both made their feature-length debuts in the must-see new heist thriller Echo Boomers.

Based on a true story, the film follows five thieves who fight back at the system by stealing from Chicago’s richest for their own personal gain.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of chatting with Seth and Gilles about Echo Boomers, their collaboration, and how the film is creating a new mold in Hollywood.

PC: Seth, like Patrick Schwarzenegger’s character in the film, you found yourself in a similar position after you finished school. When you came across this article about kids breaking into houses in Chicago, what was it about that moment that inspired you to create Echo Boomers?
Seth: In 2013, I just graduated film school in Chicago. I was feeling the pressure of finding and creating my own work mainly because I had all this debt from school. I felt like I played by the rules. I got to the finish line and I realized that there’s no shortage of filmmakers. Then kind of serendipitously, I came across these headlines about kids breaking into houses and I understood it on a personal level. From there, I realized I wanted to make this movie that encapsulated how these guys were feeling.

PC: Gilles, each of the characters has their own motivations for why they’re doing what they’re doing. What has led Jack to this point in his life? How did you prepare to tackle that journey?
Gilles: The whole gang is making these statements about who they are and where they fit in society with these break-ins. Jack operates on more of a personal level. There’s a quiet, personal vengeance and anger that he holds within him. It’s driven by the fact that his family never took him seriously. He approaches it in a different way. He puts on this disguise and tells Lance [Patrick Schwarzenegger] that it’s all about fu-king the system and all the rules. But for Jack, it’s actually something more personal.

PC: This is your first feature film. What was it about this script that stood out to you?
Gilles: It was Jack, really. It had all to do with Jack. He’s such a fun, multilayered character. He operates on a lot of different levels. He presents this attitude of family first, looking after Lance, but there’s something deeply pained inside him too. He isn’t just one note. There are many different notes that you can play with this role. It was definitely the fact that you can paint a totally three-dimensional picture with this character.

PC: Seth, you’ve said in previous interviews that you wanted to make something that was fun and flashy but also had a message. How challenging was it to strike that balance while creating this grey area that these characters live in?
Seth: It was tough because when you’re making a movie that’s clearly political commentary, you have to be careful of it being a little too obvious and a little bit too on the nose. But I really wanted it to have this feel of social media where it was almost like consistent content being thrown at you. I think we did a pretty good job of it. It’s tough when we’re on such a tight shooting schedule. This isn’t a studio movie. This was completely independent. We didn’t have the luxury of shooting for six months, but I think we did a fantastic job of it.

PC: You’re both making your feature film debuts with Echo Boomers. What’s been the biggest takeaway from this project?
Gilles: I’m really grateful to Seth, man. I remember the first phone call we had. I self-taped and then we FaceTimed. I’m so grateful that what I have with Seth exists on two levels. We have a professional relationship, and we’re also friends. It’s great to bring that into a project. I respect Seth as a director and as a person. It was nice to work on those two levels. We’d work on set and then be at the bar continuing that momentum. That work ethic is probably my takeaway.

Seth: Building off that, there’s a quote that I heard before that I didn’t quite know the full meaning of which is that directing is eighty percent casting. I didn’t understand that until I was on set. I’m on set with guys like Michael Shannon, Gilles, and these players and begin to realize what that means. These guys were dissecting it so well and they were pulling it off on such a level that it makes my job a million times easier. You hope to work with these types of people for the rest of your career. You realize it’s not a short-term relationship; it’s actually a long-term one, which I love.

PC: Gilles, you’ve done a lot of television in your career. What’s the transition been going from that medium to film?
Gilles: It wasn’t a huge jump. One thing that’s massively different is the fact that usually with TV, you film one episode at a time. Even though it’s sometimes shot in a different order, this film was similar. We had a tough schedule. Sometimes I had to think, “Where am I in the journey? How much does Lance know?” That was definitely tough to keep track of.

PC: Seth, this film has been years in the making and it’s been incredibly well-received. What do you think is resonating most with audiences?
Seth: I’ve been trying to keep away from the reviews, but it’s a really deep, dark rabbit hole that you can jump down. It feels like a dirty habit. [laughs] Like you shouldn’t be doing it, but I’ve read a few reviews and I’m really happy that it’s getting a good reception. I’m excited for people to see it. I think that it’s going to be a breakout film for Patrick. He’s going to get swept up by the superhero world as soon as this comes out.

Gilles, I have a question for you. We were going back and forth for the longest time about who is going to play Lance. What did you think when you first met Pat?

Gilles: Honestly, he reminds me of my cousin in real life. That was super helpful. He’s such an open, friendly guy, and it was really easy to have that family relationship. I’m not going to spoil anything, but it was also really fun to do that stuff that I get to do at the end of the movie to Patrick. It was fun. I get to fire all different types of cylinders at Patrick. Personally, I didn’t expect Patrick to be so personable. He’s so likable and it took me off guard the first time I met him.

PC: With the film out now, what do you hope audiences take away?
Seth: I hope that people realize it’s young Hollywood voices creating original content. That’s all I can ask for.

Gilles: In terms of story, I think the film does a great job in the first half highlighting the successful lifestyle with the parties, drugs, and booze. But what I like about this movie is there’s a bite in the second half. I think it’s important to see that there’s this Robin Hood type of attitude, but also there’s a grim reality in terms of people and sometimes people’s motives. That’s what I hope people feel when they watch it. It’s a roller coaster. It’s not just one tone, not just one color. There’s a lot of really good people in this movie. I hope they get work because of it.

Seth: We also talked about breaking this traditional mold that there are good people and there are bad people. Like there’s this grey area in this movie that I think needs to become the new standard. There are characters who are protagonists who do sh-tty things. That’s just part of life. This movie does a good job highlighting that you don’t have to like our protagonist the entire time, and that’s okay. That should be like a step forward in cinema.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Seth: I have a really embarrassing one. I watch Marrying Millions, which is the definition of crap television. They get a poor person and they get a rich person and they marry them. They look at the differences and I feel so dirty. I need to take a shower and watch it. [laughs]

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Gilles: Anything with Mark Wahlberg. Oh, Shooter.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Seth: Sweeney Todd right off the bat.

Gilles: Anything by Sam Shepard. I did a play of his last year in New York and it was a great honor. I’ve been a fan of his for ages.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Gilles: Seth, do you want to go first because you have fans?

Seth: I don’t. I’m going to go with Greta Van Fleet. I don’t know if anyone would be surprised after watching the movie because they’re on the soundtrack. But I really do believe they’re the next Led Zeppelin.

Gilles: The three people who’ve been on my playlist are Sturgill Simpson, who’s an incredible country artist, Melody Gardot, and my all-time favorite is Mark Lanegan.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Gilles: David Lynch.

Seth: Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Make sure to follow Seth (Instagram) and Gilles (Instagram). Echo Boomers is available in theaters, On Demand, and Digital.