Keir Gilchrist and Emma Roberts are indie film's hottest, quirkiest couple at the moment, thanks to their roles as young lovers getting to know each other in a psychiatric ward in 'It's Kind of a Funny Story.' Their characters are in treatment for depression, but their stay on the floor is anything but a comedown. They join forces with a diverse group of fellow patients (including Zach Galifianakis); they put on musicals and live it up in what becomes the time of their lives. The film's upbeat, feel-good and wickedly funny, and Roberts and Gilchrist are a winning pair. Moviefone sat down with Gilchrist at the Toronto Film Festival, where he talked about trying to make Roberts laugh and gushed about Galifianakis.
Emma says the two of you worked on improv scenes to create intimacy between you.
We spent two weeks rehearsing, and at one point, my whole mission was to make Emma laugh, and her mission was to be the biggest bitch to me as possible. We would spend 10 minutes in a scene, I'm trying to get her to laugh and she's trying to get me to go away. I don't even know how that helped me, but I know that it did.
And you have this other part to your character, which is the imaginary rock star, who just lets it loose performing Queen's 'Under Pressure.'
Oh we totally, the entire cast, it was just getting our rocks off entirely, the entire cast; we were just enjoying it so much. The first rehearsal was really awkward, we were in this cold warehouse and we had to sing to the music and I don't know how to sing at all! That whole day, we just got to take a break from doing this movie, which is lots of scene work in a hospital, day and night, and got to leave that location, get dressed up as rock stars and have fun all day!
Zach Galifianakis is mainly a stand-up comedian, so what was it like for him to switch gears, to do dramatic scenes as well as funny ones?
I don't know of his background in acting, but he's an amazing actor, and people need to know that he shines through this movie, and he makes this movie what it is. I would definitely say he is a better actor than I am. I learned a lot from Zach about acting. I think the first time I ever cried on camera was with Zach in this movie. I think he's just fantastic.
Were you able to cry because of your scene with him?
Just him! He would bring emotions out of me that are just so real, and he's really just an impressive individual.
Do you find it's really kind of magic thing, acting? You just pull stuff out you didn't even know you had.
Yeah, you go home feeling exhausted. I think it can be really hard to explain acting. People who do it understand it, and whenever I try to explain it I always just go on some long tangent, and then not even really understand what I am saying.
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