Brigsby Bear is one of the most innovative films of the year.
Saturday Night Live star Kyle Mooney plays James Pope, a child kidnapping victim who grows up in an underground watching one only TV program, the titular Brigbsy Bear.
Brigsby Bear calls back to shows Mooney grew up loving.
“I’m a nostalgic person,” the 33-year-old writer/actor told FANDOM. “I like those live action children’s videos with animatronics. One of the most fun parts of creating the Brigsby world was throwing any reference we could think of, be it Teddy Ruxpin, Chuck E. Cheese, or the critters from Splash Mountain.”
Courting Mark Hamill
SPOILER ALERT: There are minor point spoilers from Brigsby Bear below. Proceed with caution.
In the film, James discovers it was his “father” Ted (who in reality was his abductor) that created the Brigsby Bear episodes. Ted is played by none other than Mark Hamill.
“He’s the best,” Mooney described his on-screen dad. “So nice, funny, just personable.”
“Most of the cast were really into the script. Without tooting my own horn, they thought it was unique and special than things they normally read,” he added. “We had The Lonely Island attached to produce. Mark’s a fan of Saturday Night Live. So there were things that helped make the package desirable to people.”
Hamill wasn’t the only A-list actor to join Brigsby. Greg Kinnear, Claire Danes, and Mooney’s SNL costar Beck Bennett and alum Andy Samberg appear.
But it was Hamill’s casting that was perhaps the most surprising.
“He’s well aware of the fact that he’s Luke Skywalker but he’s cool with that,” explained Mooney. “[Ted] was really difficult to cast because that requires voice work and we also just wanted somebody you wouldn’t think of immediately to take on a role like that. And he was perfect for that.”
“That movie is about fandom and he’s a symbol for it so it works on multiple levels,” he added.
Mooney admitted he got the courage to talk to his costar about Star Wars, and on the last day of shooting got some comic books signed for his nieces and nephews.
When asked if he’d want Hamill on SNL when The Last Jedi comes out next month, Mooney enthusiastically replied, “I’d be down. Talk to [executive producer] Lorne Michaels about it!”
Bearing the Pain
As exciting as it was for Mooney write the story for and act in his own movie, it didn’t come without some challenges. Especially around wearing the Brigsby Bear suit.
“It was pretty hot. It was a summer in Salt Lake City. The worst thing about it was you couldn’t see,” he explained.
“There’s that stunt in the movie where I’m in character running away from an explosion. That was me doing it and I was 10 feet away from the fireball and they were like, ‘Go!’ We did it twice. The second take was the one that ended up in the movie. The first take I just slammed into a truck because I was running because I couldn’t see.”
The sacrifices actors make for their art!
Brigsby Bear is now out on Blu-Ray, digital and DVD.