ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with You People stars Travis Bennett and Sam Jay about the Netflix movie, which is now streaming. The duo discussed getting to film with work with Eddie Murphy and Jonah Hill, as well as how valuable it was working on such a star-studded cast.
“A new couple and their families find themselves examining modern love and family dynamics amidst clashing cultures, societal expectations, and generational differences in this comedy from Kenya Barris,” reads the movie’s logline.
Tyler Treese: Travis, so Eddie Murphy is playing your dad, you even got your IG bio as “Eddie Murphy’s son.” I can’t imagine getting it better than that. How surreal was that casting and having Eddie Murphy refer to you as his son?
Travis Bennett: It was amazing. It’s like a childhood dream to work with these people. So I think for me it was taking it all in and trying to be as present as possible, which is completely impossible because you’re nervous and anxious the whole time and trying not to mess up. But it was an experience that I’ll never be able to get again. Also, it was like my first big movie, to me. I’ve done some movies, but this is like the first one that I felt like such a family was created here, and I feel like such a part of it.
Sam, you’re great throughout the movie and your camaraderie with Jonah Hill is just fantastic. How natural was that chemistry? Talk me through working with Jonah?
Sam Jay: It was very natural. I’m a big fan of Jonah and so it was like, the first day we were doing those first podcast scenes, in between, I was just asking him like, straight-up fan questions. I was like, “Dog, I need to ask you this stuff. I’m sorry.” I’m like, “What was your favorite role that you ever did?” And like, “What was this?” He was cool, just chill. Answering me like we were friends just having a conversation. So that really just translated coming cross-screen when we were getting into the role. So it was super natural.
Travis, like you mentioned, the cast in this movie is just stacked. As you’ve been transitioning into an actor, how valuable was it being with all these great stars and talents and getting to learn directly from them?
Travis Bennett: Oh, it’s insanely valuable. It’s like getting on a basketball team with a bunch of veterans and they’re just showing you the ropes. So for me, I feel like, especially early in my career to experience this so early on, has been amazing. So many things I learned just, I don’t know, you would expect some of these people to have egos, but they don’t have them, and they’re just there to do a good job and have fun. And I think that was what really brought me in, is the playfulness of everybody on the cast, especially the ones with so much experience compared to me.
Sam, the podcast scenes are just so hilarious. Was any of that just you two riffing and going off with one another?
Sam Jay: Yeah, a lot of it was just riffs and stuff. They gave us a lot of room to play, get your hands on it, like, ‘Hey, have fun with it, make your own.’ And so we riffed a bunch of stuff. We riffed, we riffed a lot
Travis, the wedding scene at the end looked like such a blast with everybody partying. How is filming that? Are you even acting or are just having fun? How does that go?
Travis Bennett: Somewhere in between. You’re having fun and you realize that you’re shooting a scene and then it was hot as hell in that room. I can’t lie, that was like the hottest physical room I had ever been in. But we had a great time and especially for me, it was the end of filming for me. So it was a great way to end it with the big moment with everybody.