Kyle Patrick Alvarez: EASIER WITH PRACTICE Interview

Brian Geraghty, Kel O'Neill in Easier with Practice

What about Davy Rothbart's autobiographical GQ article made you decide to adapt it into a movie?

I just really love the way he took this lurid story of having a phone sex relationship and told it through a voice that had honesty and sincerity and humility. It wasn't about being explicit or risque as it was about being a human story. I just thought that angle was new and fresh, and I could see it working as a film right away, even against the narrative troubles of having extended scenes of someone talking on the phone.

Did the film version stick closely to the original, or …?

The general story of it is the same in terms of where it starts and where it goes, but I always intended to make the story my own in terms of characters. So, while Davy does have a brother in real life, his brother is nothing like the one in the film. I tried to free myself from feeling obligated to be 'true' and instead just make the best movie I could. The first and third acts are from the article, but the middle chunk of the film is almost entirely fabricated.

The casting of Brian Geraghty and Kel O'Neill as the two brothers in Easier with Practice. What about those actors made them right for their roles?

Casting was really tough on the movie, we saw about 200 guys for the lead but as soon as I met Brian I knew he'd be right; it was just a gut instinct. I'd really liked his performance in Jarhead and he just has this great knack for playing sincere and likable characters. I could've never known how committed and amazing he would be to work with. I can't imagine this film without him!

Kel, I had seen in a really small performance in Stephanie Daley, but I was totally blown away. I think he has this great intensity and intelligence to him.

The phone sex moments are quite explicit in terms of both dialogue and body language. What was it like to get Brian Geraghty to bare all — figuratively speaking — to become his character in those scenes?

I think since it was always there in the script, any actor would've had to be prepared for it. Funny enough, it was the scene Brian and I talked the least about, probably just out of general uncomfortability. We never rehearsed it. He told me he was okay and set with it, so I trusted him. We shot it in our third week, so I think we were all pretty comfortable with each other, which helped, but there's no way around it: it can be really uncomfortable! The payoff of the scene working so well was worth it, though.

Some would say that phone sex — or computer sex or any form of "long-distance" sexual and/or emotional relationship — is both undesirable and antisocial. Would you say Easier with Practice validates that claim? What's your personal take on such relationships?

I hope it both validates that claim and criticizes it. I read this statistic once that most teenagers were saying things to each other online that they would've never said to each other in person. There's a push and pull. In one sense, people are being more honest, but we are pulling away from traditional relationships. I hope the movie complements that idea — that Davy does get something good out of his relationship with Nicole and is changed by it, regardless of where it ends.

Any new projects in the works?

YES. I'm working hard on a number of things right now, but I'm keeping them secret for the time being. One is a project that is a dream for me, another adaptation. I'm also attached to a great script a friend of mine wrote and I'm working on writing a female ensemble drama. Lots going on, I hope!

Photos: Forty Second Productions

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