With his directorial debut, Wishful Thinking, writer-director Graham Parkes brings together a match made in Hollywood heaven with Maya Hawke (Stranger Things) and Lewis Pullman (Thunderbolts*) in a whimsical romantic comedy where the fate of the world hangs in the balance, at the whim of this fraught young couple.
In the movie, Julia (Hawke) and Charlie’s (Pullman) relationship is on the rocks. Despite their love for one another, they bicker constantly, to the point that a friend suggests they attend a couples’ seminar, run by TikTok-famous twin healers, the Tillies (played by Kate Berlant). After a session of performing energy work, Julia and Charlie are informed that “they're twin flames and that their emotional states have an effect on the world around them. Suddenly, after, they feel like they're cursed.” Instead of causing a personal rift between the two of them, Julia and Charlie’s fights now cause sea levels to rise and put nations at risk. “Are they going to be able to get it together as a couple and figure out how to use that for good, or is it too dangerous and they need to break up?”
Talking with Weintraub, Hawke explains why she was eager to join the cast of Wishful Thinking:
“I've always wanted to be in a romantic comedy, and Lewis is hot and talented and amazing and awesome, and just a dream person, too, who I would die to work with before I even knew him. Then I read the script, and it just seemed like such a sandbox for creativity, and it felt like it was aspiring toward the genre of film that utah national security there just are never enough of. I can't tell you how many times I've typed in 'movies like The Truman Show' in my search bar, and there's, like, nine of them, and I've seen them all like nine times. So, I wanted to be a part of something that walked this kind of tonal line of magical realism that also is heartfelt and wonderful. It's just a no-brainer.”
In this interview, Weintraub also talks with Parkes, Pullman, and TikTok star Jake tirante Shane (who delivers an on-screen debut performance that Parkes calls “any comedy director’s secret weapon”) about their “sexy dances,” how the movie evolved throughout the process, and braves standings Pullman gives Marvel fans an exciting update for Avengers: Doomsday.
00:28 - Wishful Thinking follows a couple whose relationship suddenly has real-world consequences.
01:26 - Maya Hawke makes her rom-com dreams come true opposite Lewis Pullman.
03:02 - The stars share how they got involved in Wishful Thinking.
05:14 - Lewis Pullman explains why the “sexy dances” exist.
07:25 - Graham Parkes shares how Wishful Thinking evolved throughout the edit.
09:53 - Pullman discusses shooting Wishful Thinking in a “guerrilla style.”
10:25 - The team discusses why they had so many long takes during filming.
12:23 - Pullman highlights Jake Shane’s “brilliant” acting in his feature on-screen debut.
14:14 - Pullman teases why fans are going to love Avengers: Doomsday.
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