We caught up with him in London, and heres what happened…
Im a bit perturbed.
Well, Ill still ask you them, I wouldnt get carried away.
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Of course.
But at least youre doing your homework though!
[Laughs] Ill warn you that thats only a 30% chance that Ill prank you.
Ill take those odds.
If youre a player, the watchers find information about you online, through your social media.
And they give you dares that you wouldnt want to do.
As the movie progresses, the dares become more life threatening, and badness ensues!
How did it come to you, then?
And it feels a little bit of a left turn for you personally.
The role was a little more serious, the movie was a little more serious.
I guess they maybe approached me because Id worked with Lionsgate before.
These are the guys who are behindCatfish!
And theyre really clever, smart guys.
I knew immediately that they were going to make the best version of this movie.
It never lets up, and it almost feels like a Danny Boyle movie in that way.
And Im just glad to have been part of the journey.
We definitely had a sense for the overall tone.
Just because, as an actor, theres only so much that I can bring to a project.
Films are a directors medium.
Were all stemming from the director.
Going back from when I first met these guys, you could just tell that they had good taste.
I wanted to take that risk with them, and follow what they were going to do.
I get the sense that directors are hugely important to you.
More than anything for me.
Many go for writers.
Why is it directors over writers for you?
Directors are just,justabove writers.
You cant make a good movie with a bad script, no matter whos involved.
But I just want to work with these guys who Ive admired for years.
The main reason Im doing any of this is that I love movies.
And I feel like theres not that many directors out there who have their own voice.
And thats saying something, you know?
Id push even further.
There are lots of directors who have a strong level of authorship, who go off radar.
But like, people dont even realise hes the guy behindThe Nightmare Before Christmas!
They think Tim Burton directed that movie, and obviously Tim Burton had a huge stamp on it.
Its soooo great, and so dark.
Why are films are losing authorship then, do you think?
I know what youre saying.
This one does feel extremely fresh.
We could feel that throughout the process.
Where, again, you never know how its all going to tie together.
But individual scenes felt so good, and so palpabale.
And it felt like we were trying to say something too.
Most movies now arent trying to say anything.
This one, on top of all the stylistic elements, it has a good message.
Id add something else toNervetoo.
That its not just it has a message, it has anaccessiblemessage.
This isnt an adults-only film is it?
Its a film that the people who use the technology in it can go and see.
Im glad you say that.
And they are the main demographic still.
But its such a universal message.
Were all obsessed with social media.
Were all obsessed with our phones.
It can reach out to a much wider audience.
I swear to God, that movie comes up more in my life than any other movie.
Someone saysBowfingeronce every month or two to me.
And how many years ago did that come out?
The same year asAmerican Pie.
Bowfingertold of a world where you were being filmed and didnt know you were being filmed.
Youve now got, withNerve, a film about that.
Im wondering if we can change the name of the film now, toBowfinger2!
Call it Chubby Rain!
Right, right, right!
[Laughs]
Im pretty sure youve not been asked about this before.
That would have put us aboveSuicide Squad!
At this rate, you might get there anyway.
But, in your life, you must be surrounded by people filming you on their cameraphones?
We were filming at night in New York City.
And what we ended up doing was turning the camera around on them.
As if they were watchers in the movie.
[laughs] And were trying to stay focused!
But filming in New York was incredible.
All of these elements add to the energy of the film, and we feed off of that too.
One thing I read about you is that your initial spark was in creative writing and storytelling.
Its an interesting question.
If I wasnt acting, I would probably be teaching creative writing.
I always thought I was going to be a teacher.
It served me well, even through the process of getting into the film business.
And thats not always the case.
And itll always be a part of my life.
Its kept me sane.
As an actor, theres so much thats out of your control.
It allows me to be creatively satisfied, and to wait for movies that I feel really passionate about.
Is that building to something?
Those silly short films are the reason Im sitting here with you right now.
But after a while, I just wasnt proud of anything I was doing.
Even though its on a much smaller scale, they at least feel true to who I am.
When I was auditioning for21 Jump Street, it was a really crazy audition process.
I must have gone in six or seven times to audition.
And then one of these short films came out.
And the directors told me afterwards that the film was a big reason that they gave me the part.
They saw that I understood comedy, to an extent.
And that silly short film got me my biggest movie at the time.
Here is the short film.
Its not safe for work!
Ive read a lot about the work youve done to honour your friend, Brian Rozelle.
Im involved with Cycle For Survival.
He said Im glad this happened to me, because I know how to use this as a positive.
The couple of years that he was fighting cancer he said were the greatest years of his life.
He had a different perspective on everything.
Ive got time for one last question.
Whats your favourite of Jason Stathams movies?
I mean, Snatch.
I had a moment with Snatch, where there was one summer, I watched it every other day.
I love that film!
Dave Franco, thank you very much!
