We interviewed Dave Franco in a roundtable discussion about his upcoming film “Nerve.” If you haven’t read Part 1 of our interview, you can do so here. Here are the highlights from Part 2 of our interview.
Catherine: After watching this film, do you want teens to think twice about what they post online and what they are willing to do to get those views and likes?
Dave: I think the movie is good in the sense of being a cautionary tale, but it doesn’t feel preachy or hammer home this message. It presents everything as is and allows the audience to walk away. It’s one of those films that stays with you after you leave the theater and makes you analyze how you use social media and look back at times that you were mean to people and hopefully that will change your ways in the future.
Nerdlocker: Did you get to ride that fancy motorcycle?
Dave: I did learn how to ride a motorcycle and they gave me about two weeks to learn how to do it. I got to a point, where in an empty parking lot, I felt like Evel Knievel and you throw me in the streets of New York and you throw Emma Roberts in the back of the bike. They obviously didn’t let me the do the sequence where I’m doing the sequence blindfolded. It seems to be the scene that everyone’s talking about. There are certain shots, where it is me riding the bike, but watching the film, you really wouldn’t know so maybe I shouldn’t have risked my life doing that, but hopefully it looks natural.
Film Geek Army: I hate when movies show technology that looks impossible, but watching this film, I felt like this technology could exist today and function that well. Especially with Pokemon Go with the crowds of people out with their phones, the exact same thing.
Dave: That’s what makes it that much scarier: you think about all the other young adult movies that have been made in the past 10 years, and they all take place in this dystopian world, where reality is elevated. Even though the game Nerve doesn’t exist, this thing could pop up tomorrow and no one would be surprised. To go further, the themes of the movie—kids in real life and the movie are willing to put themselves in serious danger just to get more views, and more likes, and it’s horrifying. I can’t imagine if I was in high school and had this at my disposable. High school is hard enough as is. I can’t imagine everyday reading about my peers saying horrible things about me.
Interviewer 2: How did the directors’ influence on the movie, impact you as an actor and made you be proud to be a part of it?
Dave: A lot of what they did was in post-production. In the beginning, they were telling me their vision and what they wanted the film to be, but I didn’t fully see that until I saw the final product, because of the graphics they put it in. It makes it jump off the screen and makes it feel fresh and different and the music is incredible. A list of songs that no one has ever heard before, but each song feels like a classic. For all those elements to work together, it’s a miracle when a movie turns out well. We’re going up against movies like “Jason Bourne” and I don’t want this movie to come and go because it’s actually good and it has something to say.
Catherine: If this game existed in real life, would you be a Watcher or a Player? And how far would you be willing to go?
Dave: If I had to be one, I’d be a Watcher and wouldn’t play at all. I’m pretty lame in my everyday life these days. I used to take a lot more risks, but it got to a point where I look back at my childhood and I question how anyone survives, because we all do such dumb shit and I think we can recollect a handful of instances where we were all that close to death. So at this point, I just want to stay in my safe zone and not put myself in harm’s way when I don’t need to.
“Nerve” hits theaters Wednesday, July 27.
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Catherine grew up watching action flicks at a very young age which led to her love of film. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelors in Radio-TV-Film in 2012. Always the adventurer, Catherine traveled and lived in Sydney, Australia for a year where she took a selfie with Brad Pitt. She runs Shuffle with passion, lots of caffeine and tacos. When she’s not editing or writing you can find her crafting and planning her next adventure.