Brad Garrett On Starring In The New Coming-Of-Age Film Cha Cha Real Smooth – Exclusive Interview
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” is a heartfelt coming-of-age movie about 22-year-old Andrew, played by the film’s writer and director Cooper Raiff. After graduating college, he has no plan for his future and ends up living back at home with his mom (played by Leslie Mann), younger brother, and stepdad. Andrew eventually discovers what he wants by forming a friendship with another local mom, Domino (played by Dakota Johnson), and her daughter, Lola. But, one of the most interesting relationships throughout the film is that between Andrew and his stepdad Greg, played by Brad Garrett.
Garrett is known for his role as Robert Barone in “Everybody Loves Raymond” as well as many voice acting roles, including in “Tangled,” “Ratatouille,” and “Christopher Robin.” During an exclusive interview with The List, the actor shared his experience on “Cha Cha Real Smooth” and how he connected to the story, as well as discussing what it was like working with such a young director and acting alongside Leslie Mann.
Why he wanted to work with Cooper Raiff
What made you want to be part of this project?
What project? I’m just kidding.
Oh, you scared me.
I’m trying to break the ice … It came down to Cooper [Raiff’s] passion and also reading the script. It was so wonderfully written and a testament to the human condition on many levels.
Your character Greg and Cooper’s character Andrew have a very interesting kind of contentious dynamic throughout the movie. What was that like for you to play?
Well, that’s what really attracted me to it. I always say, when you hear about a coming-of-age movie, we think of like 17- or 18-years-old or … we come of age many times in our life. I’m going through it right now at 62. We’re hopefully always evolving.
The dynamic that [Andrew] and Greg had, it seemed like they were both looking to find their footing, not only in life but in the relationship as a stepson and stepfather, which is something I’m very familiar with because I had a great stepdad growing up, but also a stepdad that had trouble navigating his emotions, whether it was with my mom or with me or my brothers. So expressing himself emotionally was always a task, which I feel it is for Cooper’s character as well in the film.
This movie also has a great balance of drama with comedy throughout it. Do you like doing projects like that, where it brings in both elements seamlessly?
I do. Just as in life, there’s a lot of comedy and drama. I’ve used humor my whole life as a defense, as a relief, as a tool. And if it’s really accurate to the human condition, it’s going to have comedy, often dark comedy, and it’s going to have drama. It felt very balanced here.
Cooper’s an amazing director and writer. And it felt like the humor came out of character as opposed to just being jokes or jokey. It seemed to come out of what each character was going through, which always makes it more authentic.
You mentioned that this is a coming-of-age story that takes place after college. Do you want to see more coming-of-age stories at different points in life as opposed to the classic, graduating high school type of thing?
I do. Because, like I said, we’re always going through things at different phases in our life. I have two children, 22 and 23, and they think they need to have all the answers now. We’re in a society that’s always pressuring them. We’re in a fast serve or a fast food type of society. We have to know everything now, thanks to social media. And that raises children in an unrealistic environment, to where they don’t always have to know. You can graduate college and still wonder what you’re doing.
The key, I hope that they discover, is to know where you are emotionally. That’s more important than career or relationships; if you know where you are, and you’re comfortable in your own skin (which took me 40-some years to get, [I’m] still battling that), then that’s helpful in knowing where you are in your life.
