- Hi, I'm Alexandra Daddario.
- And I'm Elise Duran.
- And we are In-Studio with The Hollywood Reporter.
- And this is Toots McGillicuddy.
(upbeat music)
- So, Can You Keep a Secret is now in theaters,
and you obviously star in the movie,
but you also are attached as an executive producer.
You directed, and Toots McGillicuddy here
is a big star in the movie, plays the dog in the movie.
But so what drew you both
to wanting to work on this project?
- I sat down, I loved the script,
and I was looking also to do something very fun.
I love romantic comedies.
It's just a nice, fun thing to work on,
and I sat down with Elise, and we immediately connected,
and I really believed in her and wanted to work with her.
So it just seemed like the perfect thing
for where I was in my life,
needing that sort of fun romantic comedy,
great script, great director, and I got really lucky.
- I love to laugh.
I wanted to do something that would make people laugh.
I saw great potential in the story,
to bring it modern day too,
and when we met, we just connected,
and we have the same sense of humor, which was great,
'cause we love to laugh, and it felt very organic.
- And we're both a little absurd,
and I think that life is absurd,
and if you embrace that and not try to ignore it,
you find some really cool moments,
and I think we did find that in the film.
- Definitely.
- Because we both have the same
sort of absurd approach to life.
- Yep.
- With also a great consideration of how hard life can be.
- Definitely.
- So I think that we brought all of that to the film.
- We shared the need to create
a really positive working environment for women.
That was really important to us, for everybody of course,
but particularly for women.
So that bonded us as well,
and our love of rescue dogs bonded us.
- Like Toots, right here.
- Like Toots McGillicuddy.
- That's right.
- Now, speaking of women working on the film,
did you go out of your way to really try
to hire a lot of women behind the scenes?
- Absolutely, yes, we have Autumn Eakin, who is our DP.
Anywhere I could, I hired women,
and it was the majority of the positions for sure.
- That's amazing, and also watching the movie,
it's really clear on screen.
There's a lot of diversity in the film.
- Absolutely.
- Did you also try and do that behind the scenes?
- Absolutely.
Both with the main cast, supporting cast,
and background as well.
It was crucial that the cast represent the world
that we live in.
- And you've talked about this movie
being obviously a comedy and a little absurd sometimes,
but how do you think this role is different
than ones you've played on screen in the past?
- One of the great things about doing this
was all of us were allowed the chance to improv a lot
and bring out a huge part of ourselves and our own goofiness
and our own unique perspectives,
and I think that created a lot of unique moments
and allowed me to bring out part of myself
that I sometimes don't bring out in roles.
You know, I've been able to do a lot of stunt work
and play the sort of badass woman,
which is incredibly cool in its own way,
and in this case, I was allowed to tap in
to more of the goofiness and vulnerability
and really just improv and go off.
- A huge amount of the film is improv,
and that was a lot coming from documentaries too,
but also I knew that was the key to it being authentic.
It was really fun to watch.
I mean, I had a hard time.
I'd have to put, like, towels in my mouth and stuff
so I wouldn't ruin takes because I was laughing so much.
- She was laughing.
- So, it was a joy.
- Yeah, I actually wanted to ask that
because watching it as a viewer,
I found myself laughing through so much of it.
Were there any scenes that you as an actor,
or even as the director,
you had a hard time getting through
because you just couldn't stop laughing?
- I had a tough time with David Charles Ebert,
who plays my boyfriend at the beginning of the film.
He is really very funny,
and a lot of what he did, didn't end up in the film
because he became so, I was dying laughing
and I usually can keep a straight face pretty well.
It was very hard at times.
But I liked when you laughed because it made me feel
like I was being funny, so it was like encouraging.
(laughing)
Even if it was ruining the take or I had to ADR it,
it was kinda nice 'cause you had that encouragement.
- Yeah, it was really fun.
I wanted it to be,
I wanted us all to laugh for a living.
I mean that was the goal.
And interesting thing about David Charles Ebert,
he read for Casey.
And literally, and I don't use that word a lot
'cause I think it's overused,
but I fell out of my chair 'cause he was so funny.
And I thought, he needs to have a bigger role,
and that's why I cast him as Connor.
- Was Connor originally going to be that kooky and crazy?
- No.
- So he really sort of stepped into that
and made that his own?
- Connor on the page was a very good looking,
not that David isn't good looking, he is,
but a vapid, kind of pretty boy.
And David is not that.
- And yeah, that character is so not that.
He is super dorky, awkward boyfriend
that's kind of cringe worthy.
- But loveable.
- Everything a woman could want.
I perform conalingus.
- This isn't working out.
- And I also wanted to ask about the vibe of the cast
because there's some obviously big name actors
in this movie like Laverne Cox,
but it sounds like the vibe on set was amazing
and that you all got along so well.
- Oh yeah.
- And Laverne was incredible
because she came into the project,
and she was there for what a week, a week and a half?
- Yeah, short period of time.
- And she could have just come in and done her job and left
and she cared so deeply and had such a clear perspective
on the role and on the entire project
and she helped the story in such a tremendous way.
She added in an extra scene that helped the movie so much
and I really respect and appreciate her
for coming in and caring so much.
- She was tremendous and really like Alex said
she came and she could have phoned it in,
come in and done her thing and left.
But she cared deeply.
We had long conversations about her character
and it was beautiful.
And at the end she said something to me
that brought me to tears.
She said you know I was coming in thinking
oh it's a fun romcom and that's cool
but it was much more than I had bargained for.
- And speaking of vulnerability,
being a young person out in the world of dating
I really related to the message of the movie
of when you first start dating someone,
how honest do you be?
Do you tell them all your secrets
or do you maintain that mystery
at the beginning of the relationship?
So what are your guys' thoughts on that?
- Well, the message of the movie
is essentially for every character is to be yourself
and that being yourself is cool.
So some people may feel more comfortable
sharing themselves or not,
but it's also that people make mistakes and that's okay.
So, I think it's a really positive message either way,
but with dating I'm the last person to ask
but I think that it's just about being yourself
and finding the thing that will click with that.
- Yeah, because you hope that when you're yourself
it's like the truth won't scare the right person away,
and as you see in the movie it doesn't scare him away
even though he knows all her secrets.
- Right, exactly.
- And again it's about being vulnerable.
That's, we're all vulerable
and a lot of times we do a lot to hide it.
And at the end of the day, what connects us?
Vulnerability.
- Even if it's hard.
- You have to be, even if it's hard.
And even if someone doesn't accept it,
then you know, right?
- And the sooner you tell them
it's the sooner then you move on
and you find the right person.
- Yes.
- There you go.
- Exactly.
- Advice for myself.
(laughing)
It's hard out here, I swear.
- It's hard.
- But now this movie is a romcom, of course,
so what's your favorite romcom of all time?
- I love Notting Hill.
I'm obsessed with Notting Hill.
It's such a good movie.
I mean Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant,
it doesn't get better than that.
It's so great.
And when the roommate walks in,
I don't know if people remember the movie,
but when the roommate walks in
and Julia Roberts is in the bathtub in the apartment,
it's a hilarious scene.
I also love Bringing Up Baby, Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant.
Old movie, but that's a great romcom too.
- The first thing that comes to mind
is Albert Brooks Modern Romance.
I'm a huge fan of Albert Brooks
and Modern Romance struck that perfect balance
between comedy and tragedy.
The tragedy of being human.
(laughing)
And insecure all those things and I just adore that movie.
- And so now the big question, can you keep a secret?
- No, don't tell me anything.
Yeah, I can keep a secret if it's,
the problem with me is I'll,
(laughing)
I'll deem whether there's maybe one person I should tell.
- [Tiffany] Yeah, I do that too.
- No, I think the risk,
this is why I don't tell anyone anything,
because I think everyone sort of does that.
It's like, well I can tell this one person.
But I feel like I keep secrets that are important to tell,
but if you don't want something to be told,
don't tell anyone.
People are bad at it I think.
- It's true.
I feel like my mom is always the one person I tell.
I'm like oh my mom's not gonna tell anyone,
I can tell her.
- Right, and then of course, I do the same thing.
And then my sister knows, and her boyfriend knows.
- [Tiffany] You're like wait, dad knows?
How does everybody know?
- Right, I'm like wait a second.
Like, well it's your sister.
- Now, speaking of love and relationships,
you also, and that's what this movie is all about,
you also now are starring in a show
that's about love and relationships,
Why Women Kill on CBS All Access.
So now for anybody who hasn't seen that show,
can you just give us a little run down
on what it's about and your character's role in it.
- Why Women Kill, it's from the same creator
who created Desperate Housewives
so it's very over the top,
but also grounded at the same time.
Really fun.
It's a dark comedy in a way.
And it's three different time periods,
sixties, eighties and modern day.
I'm in the modern day story
and it portrays three different women
who are dealing with betrayal
and how they deal with betrayal in different time periods
and how it's changed and how it hasn't changed.
- I would say you're in the most complicated
relationship in the show.
You're in a, not to spoil it at all, but a thruple.
(laughing)
- It's an open relationship,
which I have never personally been in.
So it was really funny to explore,
or fun to explore what that might be like.
And I have friends who are
in those kinds of relationships
and I think that either they're becoming more common
or people are discussing them more
being more open about them,
but yeah it's myself, Reid Scott
and Kirby Howell-Baptiste in a thruple.
- And thus far in the show what we've seen,
things are already getting really complicated.
- Yes.
- So what can we expect for the rest of the season?
What's gonna happen with these three characters?
- It gets really juicy.
I think that it's one of those things,
the whole show you don't know what way
it's gonna twist and turn
and it just gets really, really exciting.
So, it's one of those things every single episode
is a cliff hanger and you want to know what happens next
and you won't expect what's gonna happen next.
- And now with these two projects,
Emma is kind of awkward and quirky,
but then Jade is super confident
and seems like she just knows who she is.
Who would you say you relate to more in your own life?
- I definitely relate to Emma
from Can You Keep a Secret more.
(laughing)
Jade is very sexy and confident
and I would say that's more of a role that I play
that actually who I am in real life.
I'm more a bumbling goofball.
The sexy sort of seductress, I'm not good at that stuff.
I think men get baffled when they get me into bed.
They're like what is this?
(laughing)
- So that's why it was fun to play Emma
because you got to be more yourself.
I definitely relate more to Emma, so I get that.
The kind of quirky awkward thing.
And for both of you now,
just talking about the show Why Women Kill,
there's these three time periods,
the sixties, the eighties and today,
if you could live in any of those time periods,
which one would you want to live in?
- Oh God, they'd all be cool.
I mean, modern day has, I mean we've been doing it
and it has its own problems.
The eighties were a really interesting time
and I would like to try the eighties
if not just for the fashion.
I mean, and to go to aerobics classes
and I just think it was a really,
to wear leg warmers and go to an aerobics class.
(laughing)
Can't do that now.
- It's true, it's like only Halloween
you can dress up like that.
But they dressed like that all the time.
- And I love the idea of living before cell phones.
- Definitely.
- I would've loved to have done that.
These cell phones are driving me nuts.
- They're a nightmare, they're a nightmare.
- Yeah.
- I would pick sixties, but if seventies was a
it would be seventies all the way.
Yeah, which explains her wardrobe.
- Well, if you're in the sixties,
you would eventually get to the seventies.
- Right, that's true, depending on how old I am.
- [Tiffany] Depending on how old you are in the sixties.
- Can I add one little thing?
- Yes you can.
- Just about how important it was
for us to promote rescue in the film.
That was hugely important.
- The whole movie was vegan.
Everything we wore was vegan.
There was no leather, everything was green.
- No suede.
- And we promoted dog rescue, so adopt don't shop.
- Well thank you so much for talking to me.
- Thank you so much.
- Yes of course.
And you can check out Can You Keep a Secret in theaters now
and you can watch Why Women Kill on CBS All Access.