On The Red Carpet With Jason Sudeikis, Star Of KODACHROME

On April 7, 2018, at the U.S. premiere of Netflix’s latest original film, Kodachrome, I had the privilege of walking the red carpet with the film’s star, Jason Sudeikis. Kind of. Sort of. Not really. I did, however, have a chance to speak with Sudeikis on the red carpet for a few minutes about his new film. We spoke briefly about how he connected to the source material and his experience working on the film.

Kodachrome tells the story of a father, famed photographer Benjamin Ryder (played by Ed Harris in his finest performance since Pollock in 2000), and a son, and his estranged son, rock record label producer Matt Ryder (Sudeikis) who embark upon a journey to Kansas to develop the last roll of Kodachrome before the photo development system shuts down permanently. Elizabeth Olsen rounds out the all-star cast as Benjamin’s caretaker, Zoe.

Alex Arabian for Film Inquiry: Congratulations on your new film, Kodachrome.

Jason Sudeikis: Thank you.

Yeah, of course. What was it like working with such a great cast including Ed Harris and Elizabeth Olsen?

Jason Sudeikis: I mean, Ed had already been attached to it. Lizzy [Olsen] came on after the fact. And the fact that she came on and Ed stayed on when I was a part of it – it’s very flattering. Initially, surprising, and then, ultimately, flattering.

I could imagine.

Jason Sudeikis: Yeah. But no. They’re both great.

You’ve worked on some bigger budget films and some more indie films. Which do you prefer?

Jason Sudeikis: Oh, gosh. I have no preference.

No preference?

Jason Sudeikis: No. I mean, I think some of the things that come with the bigger films, you have the luxury of time. I mean, there’s some creature comforts that come with that, but at the end of the day, it’s more fun to work than it is to sit in a trailer and think. Yeah. I’d rather be out there just doing what we’re doing. So both in television and independent film, you really have an opportunity – you got to go, go, go, because time is money. And since there’s no money, there’s no time.

Right on. If you could say one thing about this film that you haven’t said already in your press junket, what would it be?

Jason Sudeikis: I’m just getting started, so I can say anything. I’ll start it here. Gosh. I don’t know. I don’t know. What can I tell you? I think it’s a good – I like its message of empathy, of stepping towards the pain you might feel towards someone and dealing with it head-on versus keeping your distance from it. And maybe the agitation of dealing with the pain can actually help heal some things.

Awesome. And what was it like working with Mark Raso as a director?

Jason Sudeikis: Oh, it was great. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He’s just a really good guy, and he knew the material really, really well. It was fun just to sort of – to give him as many options as possible, and let him see what he needed to see. But he was very good. He was very good, and very good at what he does. Yeah. And very easy. He’s a nice Canadian guy. It’s very similar to us Midwesterners.

For sure. Alright, well, thanks Jason.

Jason Sudeikis: Yeah man. Yeah. No problem. Nice meeting you.

You too.

For those wishing for some more one-on-one time with Sudeikis, don’t worry; the versatile actor and I will have a more formal interview closer to Kodachrome’s U.S. Netflix and theatrical release on April 20. Stay tuned for a review of Kodachrome in the coming week. More to come from the 2018 San Francisco International Film Festival.