Astin took the time out to talk to me about his newest film Moms' Night Out, out May 9, where he discussed how he got the part of Sean, how the film mirrors his life, and whether he prefers drama over comedy.
You can read the entire interview below! Moms' Night Out opens in theaters May 9 and also stars Sarah Drew, Trace Adkins, and Patricia Heaton.
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So how did you initially get involved with "Moms' Night Out"?
Well, my friend Kevin Downs, who produced this movie and directed me in another movie
and said, "Today, we're doing something we're really excited about, do you want to be in it?" and I said "sure," so I didn't really have to do anything about it [laughs]. Then, as it got closer and closer, he sent me the script and I read it, and it felt like I was reading a depiction of what happened in my living room the night before [laughs]. Less of a depiction and more like reality, so the fact that the character was named Sean and the father of children, and a husband and found himself in a situation where the mom was feeling a little underappreciated or at least a sense of her own identity, I kind of felt like "ooh, wow, I get it!" So you really connected with the script on a personal level.
Yeah. Connected makes it sound like there was something to connect to. It almost felt like a part of me. It's a weird sensation to try and describe, but my inclination was to work with my friend., but it was like being given a suit that fit and you didn't even have to try on.
In the movie, you're very much the doting husband and at the same time your character doesn't really have any idea of what he's doing, because he's there and he's the dad, but not as involved as the mom is and so as you were reading the script, was there something else in particular that stood out for you?
Yeah. I think that the Erwin brothers, who wrote and directed it, were clearly writing it from their own personal experience. And I think the idea that people can be in love, they can have a family, and things can be, on paper, just great, but in some way, things aren't necessarily perfect. Them writing from the point of view of a father who loves his wife, loves his children, but doesn't always know where he is or what he's doing, or doesn't know how to offer support or to be engaged with the kids that's as good as you want. And feeling unsure of themselves is something that I think a lot of people will identify with and certainly I identified with.
The film's message is about not trying to be the perfect mom, to just let things be. Do you feel like dads in the audience watching the film will relate to that message as well?
Well, I think that both moms and dads will be able to look at each other while watching this movie and go, "See? That's what I've been trying to explain!" [laughs]. One of the more powerful moments in the movie is when Sarah's [Drew] character says, "You know, I have everything I want and I'm still not happy," and the dad just looks exasperated. A dad can look at this and think that the thing to take away from this moment is how exasperated we are that we can't help more.
And a mom can say, "I'm not alone. That's how I feel sometimes." So I feel like it's a very immediate, contemporary piece that reflects the genuine feelings that people have, and I think that fathers will be able to pick up some good tips [laughs], and everybody will be able to feel like our lives are being depicted. We're able to laugh at ourselves and at the same time, give ourselves a break. This movie basically says this is funny, silly, it's wacky. This is the kind of stuff that's going on. So hopefully this movie will give people that experience.
Were there any challenges that you faced as an actor with this film? Any scenes you found more difficult to shoot than others?
I was so comfortable inside the skin of this character because it was me that I was playing, basically. There was nothing in particular that stuck out. In fact, the whole shoot was fun. Everything that we did was fun and funny and alive. Everyone was happy to be there. This was an ideal experience.
You've excelled doing drama and emotionally-heavy roles as well as lighter roles in the past. Is there a preference that you have? One that's easier for you to do?
It changes over time. You develop techniques for being able to deliver any of the parts that you do. But, if you're doing a drama, and I've been drama lately, you develop a comfort level with doing them. Comedy has its own challenges, but I love it. It changes over time. It depends on how old you are, depends on what's going on in your life, but at this particular moment in my life, my preference is to be doing comedy stuff right now. And I never usually say that, but in my heart of hearts, I'd love to be doing a family comedy television show or something. I love the rhythms of it, I love laughing. I'm at this point in my life where laughter's really useful.
Yeah! I'm always developing, always trying to find the next thing. Been developing a movie in particular that we've been trying to make for a long time called Number the Stars, based on the Lois Lowry book. I've got my political show, and I'm pretty excited at this moment that this movie [Moms' Night Out] is coming out and I've got an FX show [The Strain] coming out in the summer time, which is based on Guillermo Del Toro's vampire books. So this is a good, exciting time for Seany boy [laughs]. A lot going on!
Is there anything you want audiences to know before going to see this movie?
That Moms' Night Out is a great night out! See what I did there? [laughs] It's just fun. If you're married with kids, they'll absolutely see their lives in some measure depicted onscreen in a way they might find amusing. We made it from our hearts, we made it for families. It's like a love letter to families, to husbands and wives, and hopefully that'll be clear.
