Pop-Culturalist.com

Jacob Artist and Johanna Braddy are two of the stars of the feel-good comedy The Get Together.

The hilarious coming-of-age film follows the lives of four mid-twenty year-olds that intertwine over the course of one raging Friday night house party in Austin, Texas.

Damien (Jacob Artist) is in town from NYC with his girlfriend, Betsy (Johanna Braddy), and plans to propose.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Jacob and Johanna to chat about The Get Together, working with each other again, and the thrill of independent filmmaking.

PC: Could you tell us about The Get Together and your characters in the film?
Jacob: The Get Together is a movie that takes place over one night. It’s a get-together in Austin, Texas. It follows four characters in different moments in their lives where they’re trying to figure out what’s next. I play Damien who is in a relationship with Betsy and some chaos ensues.

Johanna: Well said. I play Betsy. She’s from Austin, moved to New York, and got with Damien. She’s bringing him back home to meet the friends. Then she starts questioning her life choices a bit throughout the night.

PC: What attracted each of you to this film?
Jacob: I love this story. It’s kind of deceptive in the beginning because it’s really fun and entertaining. But then you start to see into who all of these people were. I thought it was really warm and it had a lot of heart. Each character is trying to figure themselves out. That really resonated with me.

Johanna: I love the reliability of all the characters and how it’s a movie that sparks conversations after you watch it. It makes you ask a lot of questions to yourself as well.

PC: The film is a love letter to your twenties. If you could describe your twenties in a sentence, what would it be?
Jacob: Probably pretty similar to this. Where you’re like, “What’s next?” I feel like your twenties are the puberty of adulthood. It’s that moment where you’re like, “Okay, I’ve been doing this for a little bit. Where do I want to go?” Also, just reflecting on the past and what brought you to that point. I feel like it’s pretty similar to the characters. That’s not one sentence. [laughs]

Johanna: How do you put it in a sentence? I don’t know. It’s like an unsettled adventure.

PC: The two of you have worked together in the past. How beneficial was having that prior relationship when jumping on board for this project?
Johanna: I think it’s great.

Jacob: I love that. That was a big reason why I wanted to do it because we had worked together a bit on Quantico, like five or six years ago. These two characters are in a relationship, so to bring that history and knowing each other and that chemistry, I was so excited to work with Jo again.

Johanna: Sometimes it’s hard to build that chemistry quickly, but Jacob and I were already comfortable around each other. We already knew each other’s space and vibe. It was super helpful to already have that layer built in.

PC: The two of you have worked on projects of all sizes. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you as actors?
Johanna: For me, it’s the passion of everyone involved. No one’s there for a big paycheck. Everyone’s there because they love the movie just as much as you do and want to make this beautiful thing together.

Jacob: I completely agree. I feel like everyone’s there to do something special and great. It’s about the work and making something that hopefully resonates with someone, and I think that attention to detail on smaller films is incredible.

PC: The film does a really great job balancing comedy and drama. For you both as actors, is one more challenging than the other?
Jacob: I feel like it’s the same thread. If the stars align on what you’re doing, the comedy and drama come from the same thread. Does that make sense?

PC: Definitely.

Jacob: It’s situational. I feel like comedy is a bit harder, but if you can get it right, it’s on the same wavelength.

Johanna: That totally makes sense. I feel like comedy is circumstantial and depending on the situation is totally okay.

PC: Like you were both saying earlier, there are so many universal themes that audiences can take away from watching this film. Was there one in particular that hit home for you?
Jacob: It’s okay not to know what’s next. All of these characters are experiencing that. You think you’re supposed to have it all figured out all the time and everything’s supposed to be easy. I like that message that it’s okay not to know what’s next and it’s okay to figure it out.

Johanna: Another one is that it’s okay to change. It’s okay to accept that things pull apart, and relationships change. Change is positive.

PC: There are so many great moments within the film. Is there one in particular that you’re excited for your fans to see?
Johanna: Oh my gosh…all of it.

Jacob: Yeah, I mean the whole thing. There’s one scene I really like where…actually, that’ll spoil it. I won’t say, but there’s a scene at the end. I have a lot of scenes with Lucas, who’s played by Chad Werner. They’re funny, cute moments between the two of them, because they’re butting heads the whole story. Then at the end, you see a different aspect of that relationship, which I thought was really funny.

PC: The film premiered at the Austin Film Festival last year and it’s been incredibly well received. What do you think is resonating most with audiences?
Jacob: I think because there are four different perspectives going on, there’s really something for everyone. They’re all in their twenties, but they’re in different brackets of their twenties. Their circumstances are all a little bit different. I think people just relate to what each of the four of them is going through—or all of them, you know?

Johanna: I hope the characters are what people are resonating with. I know when I watch it, that’s totally what draws me in. You care about all these people so much. You relate to them so much.

PC: With the film coming out now, what do you hope audiences take away after they see it? Has that changed given the year we’ve had?
Jacob: Yeah, that’s a great point actually. I’m going to echo what I said earlier about how it’s okay to be in that moment of “What’s next for me?” especially after this year, where everything has been flipped upside down and dealing with COVID. It probably will feel good for people to see these types of moments on screen.

Johanna: I feel like it’s quite liberating, especially since we’ve all been so to ourselves. To see these characters go through change and accept them, I hope it feels quite liberating.

PC: Final question for both of you! What’s next for you each?
Johanna: I have a movie coming out called Saving Paradise. I don’t know when it’s coming out, but that’s the next thing coming up for me.

Jacob: Oh my God. Fun. I’m working on something. I hate to be one of those people, but I can’t talk about it. But I’m very excited, and it’s behind the scenes.

Make sure to follow Jacob (Twitter/Instagram) and Johanna (Twitter/Instagram), and check out The Get Together today.