An Interview with Pico Alexander from ‘The Honeymoon’

(Left to Right) Pico Alexander and Asim Chaudhry as Adam and Bav, in ‘The Honeymoon’. (Photo Courtesy of Lionsgate.)

Pico Alexander is an accomplished actor that has appeared in numerous projects on the silver and small screen. Currently, Pico stars as Adam in the new comedy feature, The Honeymoon, and we here at NTG were fortunate enough to sit down with Pico to discuss his new project.
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John Betancourt: Let’s talk a little bit about what got you into acting.

Pico Alexander: I guess probably my dad, you know, he was… when I was a kid, he was working as a camera operator. So, he has a great love for movies. He showed me a lot of movies growing up. And, you know, took me on set. I have an early memory of being on the set of Analyze This. And seeing like a big shootout. And I thought that was just awesome. And you know, I think it's like… it's that thing… you want to make your dad proud. You want to like, be your dad when you grow up and everything. So. Um, yeah, I think yeah, probably my dad.

John Betancourt: What can you tell us about your new feature, The Honeymoon?

Pico Alexander: So, The Honeymoon is what happens when a guy brings his best man on his honeymoon to Venice with him. And the best man is a mess. You know, he's one of those friends, you know since childhood and when you're an adult, you kind of think to yourself, “Man, there is no world in which I would be friends with this guy, if it wasn't for the fact that we were friends when we were five.” But it's the funny version of that. And Bav, played by Asim (Chaudhry) is like a really cringy kind of over-the-top guy. And so, Adam brings him on the honeymoon. And then hilarity ensues. As Bav proceeds to ruin every part of it but makes for a memorable honeymoon in that way. And definitely, hopefully for a memorable movie.

John Betancourt: What was it that attracted you to this project as an actor?

Pico Alexander: Well, it was funny. It was really, really funny. You know, also I… I needed a job. (Laughter.) I'm just a working stiff out here, trying to make a living. But really, it was just really funny. It really was funny. The sides were the first things that I read for the audition. And I was like, “Man, these are these are written really well.” And then I'd be reading the script cracking up and you know, I’d be sitting on the couch and my girlfriend would be like, “What are you laughing at?” And I’d be like, “Go check this out. Look at this scene. So funny.” Although now I'm saying that and I'm thinking… I probably shouldn't have shown her the script when I was reading it. (Laughter.)

John Betancourt: Ah, I’ll cut that out, then.

Pico Alexander: Yes, don’t print it! (Laughter from Pico and John.)

John Betancourt: Now what can you tell us about your character, Adam?

Pico Alexander: Adam is very much in love with his wife. Played by the lovely Maria Bakalova. He’s just your, you know… Adam’s a little bit uptight. He likes things to go according to plan. Easily embarrassed but, you know, hopefully over the course of the film, someone who's able to rise to the occasion and, and deal with some pretty extreme circumstances. You know, he's a loving guy. He's a pretty clear communicator. Maybe he has a bit of a hard time setting boundaries.

John Betancourt: Now from an actor’s standpoint, what was it about Adam that jumped off the page for you?

Pico Alexander: It had to do with the kind of road trip element and all the bits, and you know, just the situations and, and because Bav is written so well, you know, Adam is just reacting to this crazy guy. Who's like going off the rails and just driving them deeper and deeper into the, into the shit, you know? Yeah. So, for me it was like, “Oh, I just get to react. I just get to like play with this guy.” And then it ended up being awesome, which was just awesome. Oh yeah, did you get that? I didn't even mean to do that. Working with awesome was awesome.

John Betancourt: Oh man, you’re giving me Quotables. Making my job easy. (Laughter from Pico.) Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve always seen comedy as the hardest form of acting, since it’s tough to make someone laugh. So how did you as an actor, approach the role to make sure the jokes land?

Pico Alexander: Oh, God, man, I don't know. I stress out about it. And hope it's funny. I think in this case, like, I just had to react to something that's outlandish, you know, like, I'm playing the straight man in this one. So, I think it has to do with like, trying to respond truthfully, under these circumstances. Like, whatever the situation is. In this case, Bav is ruining it, and just making it unbearably awkward and uncomfortable. And for me, it was just about sitting in that seat, trying to sit in that discomfort and pretend it's not happening, you know? But whether it lands or not, you know, I don't know, man, we'll see.

John Betancourt: So how then do you overcome some of that stress?

Pico Alexander: Um, it's good just if I… can put all my attention on my acting partner, then I can forget about myself. That’s a good one. And then just to be prepared. So, just to really go over the material. And just be as ready as possible. So that when things you know, like, unpredictable things happen, which they inevitably do, if you're prepared enough, hopefully, you can adapt and improvise, you know? And then yeah, I mean, if we know all the lines and stuff, we know the situation, then it frees us up to do, more accurate improv.

John Betancourt: I was just going to ask if you all had a chance to just let loose and free wheel.

Pico Alexander: Yeah, yeah, we did a little bit, which was friggin’ great, man. You know, I feel like… I always wanted that kind of freedom, you know, and it's not often that you feel comfortable enough to do it, you know? Making a movie is such a big production, so much money involved. So many people. When you get to rollin’, when you get to actually doing a take, you kind of want to do it as it's written, you know? To honor the writer and whatnot. So, you know, I always feel like, and some actors are maybe a little more brave than I am, but I always feel like I really need explicit permission to do any kind of improv. Which I think Dean (Craig) gave, you know?

John Betancourt: How much of that improv made the final cut?

Pico Alexander: I think a little bit, yeah. And like, you know, even tiny, tiny things. Like, you know, if you look at a scene… every time Bav says something, and Adam is like, “Okay, what?” Or “Yeah.” Or even those tiny little words are technically improv, right? Like some of that stuff isn't on the page. But just the little micro exchanges between the two of them are improv. The thing is, the script is written so well, and the comedy is so tight, that there is no need to rewrite anything. But as far as giving it a little bit of color, that's where Dean gave us the freedom to make it a little messier, you know?

John Betancourt: Now obviously, a veteran actor, you’ve done a multitude of different roles in different genres, out of curiosity, what’s different when it comes to working on a comedy as opposed to say a drama?

Pico Alexander: I’ve got some friends who do stand-up comedy, I've been going to recently here in New York. And you know, it's pretty, it's pretty ruthless. You go to a stand-up comedy show. And there's just one… there's just like, one thing that matters. And that's whether it's funny or not. Whether you're getting laughs or not. And that is a… that's a lot of pressure. And in another movie, you don't need to have that immediate feedback. If you're doing a drama there, it's playing on a bunch of different levels. But with comedy, it's like you just want… it's just needs to be funny. I don't know, man. It's one of those things. I don't know how to… I don't know how to describe it. But you know, when you see it, you know?

John Betancourt: What you hope people take away from your movie?

Pico Alexander: What do I hope people take away? You know, maybe they can… like, revisit a relationship that they've had for a long time. And maybe, maybe redefine it in some way, you know? You got an old friend, or you got a parent, or you got a partner or somebody that you've fallen into some kind of rhythm with, that you don't like anymore? You know, that's okay. You can revisit those things and try to renegotiate the relationship, it doesn't mean you have to throw it all away, you know, things can be reworked, and made better than they are.
John Betancourt: Some depth to this, I like that.

Pico Alexander: I don't know, I don't know. I'm stretching. (Laughter from Pico and John.)

John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today, what are you most proud of when it comes to this project?

Pico Alexander: Oh, you know, it was really one of the most enjoyable things I've ever done. And being there in Italy. And I'm, I'm proud of the relationships that I made with some of the folks, some of the cast and some of the crew. You know, when you work on a movie, there's the experience of working on that movie. And then there's what happens a year later when it comes out and how it's received. And the more I work, the more I realized that those things are… they're kind of separate things, you know? And no matter how the movie is received, I'll always remember my time working on The Honeymoon, really, really, fondly and with a big heart.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. 'The Honeymoon' is in theaters and is on-demand today, December 16th, 2022. 

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