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Raul Castillo is, in short, a heartthrob.
Paps is at times playful and heartbreaking, at other times brutal and harsh.
(The film has received withmore than one comparisonto Barry JenkinssMoonlight.)
Paps is where a lot of the familys troubles start, but the boys love him fiercely.
So much of this movie is about boyhood, and family.
In my family Im known as the crybaby.
Are you the youngest?Im in the middle.
So, Im starving for attention it makes sense Im an actor.
Machismo is a huge part of the culture in both places.
So I knew a little bit about what it means to be a sensitive soul in a reallymachistaenvironment.
Sure, in a place that might not be as attuned to that.Thats right.
Luckily, I grew up with parents who didnt brutalize it out of me.
I wouldnt say it was encouraged, but it wasnt shamed the way it often is in people.
Whats your dad like?He passed in 2014.
Oh, Im sorry.Thank you.
But, I had a great relationship with him.
I think my dad was a lot like Jonah, in a lot of ways.
He was the youngest of three boys.
My parents were just trying to figure it out.
My dad passed away the year thatLookingcame out, and he got to see me do that.
We had the same name, Im a junior.
I think him seeing his name in the credits he was very proud of that.
Can you tell me about meeting the boys for the first time?
The production company wouldnt sign off on other parts until they found their Jonah.
Rightfully so; I mean, youve got to start with the main character and then build around there.
Why not?I dont know.
As an actor you play all kinds of mind games when you go into auditions.
I was like, Ah, dude.
I was telling him that and I meant it sincerely, This is your role.
When they cast me, I felt like an idiot for having said anything like that.
But I think he understood.
It was me, Sheila, and all three of the boys.
It was great because the three of them were non-actors; now theyre actors with agents.
The three of them did.
They really formed this bond and brotherhood.
Im so proud of them because it wasnt easy.
They would watch us Sheila and I and see how we work.
Neither Sheila nor I are parents, but it gave us an opportunity to be parents for a summer.
I was so curious about that.
It was really invaluable cause you dont normally get to experience that.
A lot of times youre meeting people on the set.
We improvised some scene around the campfire, just for ourselves.
The boys had their first real fight as brothers that night.
They never acted before, so I think they were trying to learn what the rules were.
But I think thats what being a family is, right?
I think everyones parents are just trying to figure it out and you dont realize that as a kid.
You think theres already rules.
They were in a creaky old house and scared.
Theyre city boys, theyve never been out in the country, so they were nervous.
My favorite scene in this is when Paps is fired for letting the boys come to work with him.
On the way home his truck breaks down.
Youre trying to stay focused and available, but reserve your energy as well.
Theres so much going on, its chaotic.
Finally were moving and were getting into the scene; the trucks broken down, hes having this crisis.
The boys are watching me, and the three of them really became actors.
They wanted to mimic me, so they were trying to manipulate themselves.
Josiah wanted to learn to cry and he did it.
He was able to make himself do it.
They cant really meet your energy in that scene, so theyre mirroring it.Yeah, thats it.
They knew that something was going on, and yeah, youre right.
Youre absolutely right, thats that moment in these peoples lives.
How isolating that is, outside of his family.Speaking of us both going to school in Boston, right?
We were up in Utica, its 2016, its right before the elections.
Trump signs were everywhere.
I grew up in Texas so I know what that is.
In a lot of ways its not scary for me, because I know how to navigate it.
Ive been through it my whole life.
Congratulations on the Indie Spirit nomination.
Its an incredible movie.
I mean, theres so many people in that room yesterday …
At the nominees luncheon?Yeah.
I ran into a friend,Yolonda Ross, who Ive known for many years.
Indie Spirit Award nominations luncheon … thats a trip, when youre coming up together.
My buddyBrian Tyree Henrywas hosting the luncheon on Saturday.
And that always excites me.
Thats really exciting when youre up there together.
Thats the part that makes me giddy.
