5 minutes with Henry Golding and Paul Feig: Filming in Capri and fun moments behind ’Another Simple Favour’

Paul, what are some surprising joys of directing a sequel to such a successful film–anything in particular about the process of making Another Simple Favour that taught you something new about yourself?

Feig: Yes, I have been averse to sequels, but what I forgot about when you make a sequel is getting back together with the people you had so much fun making the first film with. So there was this very real joy of getting to work with Henry, Blake and Anna again, and then bringing in a bunch of new characters and other returning people.

I learned that as long as you get the story right and you can give the fans what they want—but give them something new at the same time—it’s not such a bad thing after all.

Henry, how did Paul’s directing style bring out all the different layers of your character Sean, as well as those genre-bending elements that the first film was known for? 

Golding: I think it’s the freedom that Paul allows on his sets and within his storytelling. He allows the actors to have their perspective of what their character might do or say.  For me, coming back as a very different Sean was so much fun to play with.

I had a couple of ideas that I wanted to run by Paul and he loved them and was like, ‘Yes, we’re doing that!’ It was it was like he was stepping into old, comfortable shoes, but with this new pep in his step…

Feig: With a new ‘sole’ (laughs).

Golding: Yes, with a new ‘sole’! I hope that the audience who remember the first film fondly will fall in love with the new Sean.

What do you love most about this new version of your character?

Golding: To be honest, he is so different. It’s the natural evolution of what he went through in the first movie. He went through the ringer and he’s coming out of this cesspit of life and sort of revelling in it, in a weird way.

He’s thrown caution to the wind. He really doesn’t care what anybody thinks about him now, and he's unleashed this verbal onslaught upon the many unsuspecting guests at this wedding. It was so awesome to be able to unsuspectingly come back to the character and be like, ‘Let's change him into somebody else.’

If you met Sean in the street and could give him some friendly advice, what would it be? 

Golding: Xanax and gin don’t go well together (laughs).

Paul, what’s your most memorable moment working with Henry, now on your third project together?

Feig: Henry’s the most lovely guy. We bonded so hardcore when we were doing the first film. I think it was also just the surprise, like Henry said, of talking about this character and how he was going to be played. But when he showed up on set, he brought so much more life to this character that we were all stunned. Anna and Blake were like, “What happened to Henry?”

The first movie was his second film and he came in as a newcomer and he was so great—but now we had this confident bull of a man who comes in and he is hilarious. He’s adding all these funny lines that were so mean and hilarious. We were laughing all the time.

How did filming in Capri inspire and enhance the storyline of this sequel? 

Feig: I really wanted to take Stephanie’s character and throw her into a completely different world than she’s known. We needed to up the stakes for her.

My wife and I have been going to Capri for 30 over years, and I've always wanted to set a movie there. It just felt like the perfect setting to put Stephanie, not just in a beautiful and aesthetically intimidating place, but also in the middle of all this power and wealth and danger. Capri was the perfect setting because it's disarming. And yet it could could hide a lot of dark secrets if it needed to.

Golding: During the journey to Capri by boat, I was like, ‘I’m going to work, this is awesome.’ Funnily enough, I was filming in Munich around that time, where it was freezing cold. Then I found myself in this boat and was just like ‘What is this luxury? It’s sun, boats, and beautiful people’. Yeah, it wasn’t the hardest place to film (laughs). 

What are your thoughts on a potential third instalment of the film set in Malaysia?

Golding: I could see Emily and Stephanie in the jungles of Borneo... but definitely not in latex dresses.

Feig: Malaysia is indeed a beautiful setting—Henry, you’ll have to be our sherpa, because you know it so well.

Golding: I'll take you there, no problem! 

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