- What do I see Richie Merritt doin'?
(Richie laughs)
What do I see you doin'?
You know what, I don't think too much about you
and what you're going to be doing career-wise.
I don't really think about that that much.
- I feel like I'm going to do everything,
like a little bit of everything.
- I mean, I love
(laughs)
- A little bit of everything, right?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Braap!
Braap!
A little bit of everything.
(upbeat music)
- Come on, Dad, I can do this.
We can do this.
We can fix our lives and be a family again.
What do you say?
- You know, you're a big-hearted young man.
You know, and family means a lot to this young man.
Means a lot to him.
And no matter what the situation he was always
very mature on where his heart
and constitution felt about his own family.
Which is also what helped in our
work relationship and for telling the story.
So, the relationship with your mom,
I understand you're happy in other ways
with another person in your life?
- I got two moms and a father.
I love my stepmom, I love my mom.
That's what helped me play this character so well
because I can relate to him,
my mom left me when I was a young age
and, you know, caring, loving family
that helped me support and like really
supported my though this, through the whole way.
You know, my mom lost her job and all,
so it was like, really supportive.
- I have to say, look, this has been
a special process because of this kid.
We found him, we, it touched all of our hearts.
We all leaned in, he made it fun 'cause every day,
'cause he had a fresh pair of eyes.
We'd be like, everyday we'd see it afresh
through his point of view.
Someone that just didn't understand it
and was not taking any of it for granted,
and was just full of humility and it's that thing,
that sensitivity that he has connecting to
the themes of the family,
and the things that he's been through for his age,
and the way he handles himself,
and the way he's conducting himself right now,
endlessly makes me proud.
You're smashing it, Richie.
- And I got to ask a fun question
while we've got him on camera.
Another thing that made him so wonderful
for this role and that he brought to it was,
while he was real happy to be there,
he didn't have an overzealous reverence for,
oh my God, I'm in a movie, you all want me to be here.
There was, I said every night to Yann, I said,
There's a 20% chance Richie might catch a bus
back to Baltimore tonight and not show up.
(laughs)
- Every time I pushed him too hard, we'd look at each other
- We'd get a late night and he's like
- Think he's coming back tomorrow?
- He'd be like, I didn't ask to be here!
And we were like, here we go,
is he going to come back tomorrow?
- The best line I've ever had from an actor,
I pushed the kid too hard one night and he was like,
I ain't ask to be an actor, man!
I didn't want to be here!
I was like, all right, Richie,
hey, let's go have a Coca-Cola.
- Or them energy drinks, I remember the energy drinks.
When I couldn't get my energy up,
boy where them Rip Its, gimme them Rip Its.
- I was weaning you off those.
Anyway, enough of that.
- [Interviewer] Enough of that,
you need to take this video and have it
as a full, unedited clip so you can
just have it in your home so whenever you think about
quitting or doing something you have all these people.
That was such a beautiful moment.
You guys are great, I wish you could stay here all day.
You can't, we got to wrap up,
but, I heard it's someone's birthday today.
- Who, what?
- Whose?
Is it your birthday?
(everyone screams)
Happy Birthday!
- Happy birthday, mate.
(clapping)
- [Interviewer] You got to get out of here
and tell everybody.
You guys, should we sing him Happy Birthday?
Or what do you want to do?
♪ Happy Birthday to you. ♪
♪ Happy Birthday, Johnny Majors. ♪
♪ Happy Birthday to you! ♪
- Yes
I'm going to need a copy of that now.
(clapping)
- How many, how many is it?
- 29.
- 29, wow.
- You're a youngster.
- 'Nuff said.
- Thank you guys.
Thank you so much.
- Thank you guys.