David Henrie exclusively opened up to Us about making his directorial debut with ‘Monster Summer,’ from casting Mel Gibson to creating a safe space for kid actors
David Henrie admits he was terrified to direct Mel Gibson in his upcoming film, Monster Summer — but that “fear” was “instantly dispelled” the moment the pair arrived on set.
Although casting Gibson in the role of Gene initially put Henrie on edge, his nerves were quickly calmed by the Braveheart star, 68, who was the “exact opposite” of who he feared. In addition to becoming a welcome collaborator on set, Henrie said Gibson elevated the story by leaning into being the only adult actor in a film that centers around young teens.
“It needed a really good actor who could go from this pessimistic third act in his own life, lacking hope, meeting a boy, renewing hope and going on this huge arc,” he continued. “He has the biggest arc in the whole film. And I knew I needed a really good actor to be able to pull that off. And Mel one of the best. I couldn't think of anyone better, and he was great. He was such a partner.”
“To me, getting Patrick Renna in this film was a huge win and a huge hug to anyone who came up in the ’90s,” he said. “I remember I was sitting in a rental car when all we had was a script and I was with my producing partners going, ‘Man, how do we cast this thing? I don't know how we're gonna make this movie, but let's try.’ And I just remember saying to them, ‘I would love for Patrick Renna to be in this film somehow. We gotta figure that out.’ And lo and behold, we made it happen.
“We created a safe, free environment. I try to really recreate a sports environment for the kids,” he explained. “Because in a sport, a kid can still be a kid and it's not like their life is on the line and they feel like they're the breadwinners or any of that. I try to remove all of that stuff and just make them feel like they're playing a sport that they want to play and that they enjoy.
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