Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Peanut Butter Falcon’s Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson

Inspiration can come from anywhere and at anytime. For filmmakers Tyler Nilson and Mike Schwartz, it happened while volunteering at Zeno Mountain Farm, a camp for people with and without disabilities. It was there that they met Zack Gottsagen, an actor with Down Syndrome, hungry for his big break. Together, they came to the decision that Tyler and Mike would write and direct a feature and Zack would star in it.

The result? A heartwarming adventure story, reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn, that follows Zak, a young man with Down Syndrome who runs away from his nursing home to chase his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. Starring Zack Gotttsagen, Shia LaBeouf, and Dakota Johnson, The Peanut Butter Falcon is one of the year’s best films and one that will stay with you long after the credits have finished rolling.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Tyler Nilson and Mike Schwartz about their five-year journey to make The Peanut Butter Falcon.

PC: The Peanut Butter Falcon is a heartwarming story that you wrote for Zack, the lead actor in the film. For readers who may not be familiar, can you share the back story on how you met him and the initial conversation that led to this film?
Mike: Of course! Tyler and I were living in Los Angeles pursuing the Hollywood dream. Tyler was an actor and I was an editor. We were volunteering at this camp for people with and without disabilities called Zeno Mountain Farm where a bunch of people get together and make short films, play sports, or make music. Zack was an actor in one of those short films and was giving a really great performance. One night over dinner, he said, “I’m ready for the next step. I want to be a movie star.” We had a pretty frank conversation with him. It’s difficult for any actor, but especially for an actor with a disability because they don’t typically get roles written for them. He created his own opportunity and said, “Why don’t you guys write/direct it and I’ll star in it? We’ll do it together.”

PC: You both created this opportunity for Zack. For each of you, was there a person who did the same for you?
Mike: For me, I would say Tyler. It’s really nice to have a partner. I grew up playing team sports, so taking on what seemed impossible with a partner felt really inspiring.

Tyler: I’m not going to say Mike because he already said Tyler and I don’t want to sound like I’m mimicking him. [laughs] I’d say for me, Zack. Like how one hand washes the other, Zack gave me an opportunity. I don’t want to say we saw it, but it was nice to see something in somebody else that we thought the world would really appreciate. When we built this dance floor for him to do his craft, it opened up a lot of opportunities for us. People are excited for us as writers and directors. They’re like, “Wow, it’s really cool that you did that! What do you want to do next?” It’s cool and I’m really grateful that he believed in us to roll with us like that.

PC: Love that! How did the partnership between the two of you form?
Tyler: I met Mike in Santa Monica fourteen years ago. I had been traveling the South Pacific via boat and was a surf guide, but I got a really bad staph infection and headed back to America. I decided then to chase dream number two, which was going to be filmmaking. Mike had, on a whim, ridden his bike across the country and found himself in Canada. He made a short film about dancing in the snow all winter. When I met him, I recognized this beautiful craziness to chase dreams and we became fast friends.

PC: It’s been a five-year journey for this film to get made. Were there ever moments of self-doubt, and how did you push through?
Tyler: For me, there was self-doubt. There were times when I would tell Mike that I didn’t think I had any more in the tank. Mike would quickly step in and be like, “Dude, we’ve got this. Relax, it’s going to be fine.”

Mike: I’ll say for me it was a mix of faith and self-doubt. I may have had moments of self-doubt, but I had a ton of faith in the project, in Zack, in Tyler, and as the team got bigger, I had faith in Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson’s talent.

PC: This is the first feature film for both of you. What was the biggest takeaway from the experience? What’s one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
Mike: We learned so much. This was a masterclass in filmmaking.

Tyler: I learned a ton. I learned diplomacy when working with a lot of people. There’s nothing that I wish I knew now that I didn’t know then. I think the truth is if I had known more, I would have probably not ended up in this place. I would say I think that was an asset when we started. It’s easier to think about one hurdle instead of 500. How do we get this person attached to the project? How do we get a producer to say yes? How do we get someone to read the script? If we knew there were going to be 500 hurdles, it would have been more difficult.

PC: The Peanut Butter Falcon is a film that transcends art and has the ability to have a major impact for disabled representation in the industry. How aware were you of that while making this film?
Mike: With this project, we really just thought Zack had a talent and he was our friend. We wanted to make a film with Zack. Initially, it was going to be very small. Tyler was going to star as Tyler and I was going to run the camera with my friend Dave. We were going to do it small and then it kept growing. We got these great producers that had worked with Bruce Dern, John Hawkes, and Shia LaBeouf, and were able to call in all their favors.

We were planning on keeping it small and then we came to learn and see the impact that it’s having on the community of differently-abled humans. Two weeks ago, we were doing a screening at a Best Buddies Conference, an organization for people with Down Syndrome. There was a mother there with a son with Down Syndrome who had just graduated college. She came up to us crying after our screening and said, “You have no idea what this means for my son. He can’t get a job because no one really knows about people with Down Syndrome. If people watch this film, I think they’ll be more comfortable and he might get a job. You may have changed his life and you don’t even know it.” We’ve heard countless stories like that.

Our goal was to tell an adventure story with our friend Zack because we thought he was really watchable and a talented actor. The ripple effect is bigger than the story, the film, and us, and that’s been cool.

PC: Great answer. The film is out now and it’s been widely received by audiences and critics, and you’ve attended a couple of different screenings. What’s that experience been like for you and has anything surprised you?
Tyler: It’s really cool. We’ve been in this vacuum; it took us five years to make this film. While you’re making it, you’re like wow, Zack is great. Shia LaBeouf is giving the performance of his life. My god, that’s Bruce Dern in a scene with Zack. You have all these thoughts, but to have people that have no connection to the story or no vested interest saying, “I liked that part,” or, “That really affected me,”—that’s special. We’re not out of the woods yet…not very many people have seen it yet. We were only in seventeen theaters last week. We just screened it for 100 critics and it’s cool that the early response has been really good.

PC: You guys primarily built a career doing shorts and commercials. What has that transition been like going to a full-length feature? What’s next for the two of you?
Tyler: Commercials and shorts refined our style and tone. We both worked on tabletop stuff, which is essentially product stuff. In commercials, Mike was an editor and I was the hand-model. There are little things like that if you look at the movie, especially with the beautiful overheads and those sort of shots that found their way into the film.

As far as what’s next for us, I’ve worked five years to be able to speak with you, and I’m so grateful to be here. I haven’t even thought about anything past this. In this moment, it’s just about getting people out there to see the film and being present. I’m really grateful for this interview and that’s where I want to be.

The Peanut Butter Falcon is currently playing in select theaters!