Interview with Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs
An Homage to the 70's
Co-directors Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs sat down with us on a windy Texas day at this year's South by Southwest Film Festival to chat about their film HUMBOLDT COUNTY which is now opening in theatres.
The directors chat about developing their creative sensibilities over the years, their love for 70s Hollywood cinema, and the long process of casting lead actor Jeremy Strong.
The Film: At the edge of the continent and on the margins of society is a region nicknamed 'The Lost Coast.' It is there, amongst California's breathtaking redwood forests, that the last remnants of the hippie generation live under the radar and off the grid. When Peter Hadley, a promising yet disillusioned medical student, stumbles upon this eccentric community of marijuana farmers in Humboldt County, his life will never be the same.
HUMBOLDT COUNTY opened at New York City's Sunshine Cinema on October 3rd.
Click here for showtimes
Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs have been close friends since they were six years old. Throughout their childhood in St. Louis, Missouri, their principal hobby (besides rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals) was entertaining their families and friends by performing their own plays and films. They separated for the first time to go to college (Danny attended Stanford and majored in International Relations while studying theater, Darren attended Northwestern and majored in U.S. History and film), but would subsequently reconvene in Los Angeles to begin their career as a filmmaking team.
Danny studied improvisation under the tutelage of former “Saturday Night Live” actors Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch at the Improv Olympic in Chicago. In Los Angeles, Danny has improvised regularly on stage at LA’s Second City Theater and at ComedySportz. In film and television, Danny has appeared as an actor in numerous television roles including “The West Wing”, as well as several films, including Sony Pictures’ THE CAVERN and Fox’s upcoming BACHELOR PARTY 2.
Darren studied theater in Chicago at Northwestern as well as at the city’s famed Goodman Theatre, performing in numerous productions. He also studied improvisation at the original Second City theatre in Chicago and at Los Angeles’ Upright Citizen’s Brigade under such notable teachers as the late Del Close and Matt Besser. Since ...
Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs have been close friends since they were six years old. Throughout their childhood in St. Louis, Missouri, their principal hobby (besides rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals) was entertaining their families and friends by performing their own plays and films. They separated for the first time to go to college (Danny attended Stanford and majored in International Relations while studying theater, Darren attended Northwestern and majored in U.S. History and film), but would subsequently reconvene in Los Angeles to begin their career as a filmmaking team.
Danny studied improvisation under the tutelage of former “Saturday Night Live” actors Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch at the Improv Olympic in Chicago. In Los Angeles, Danny has improvised regularly on stage at LA’s Second City Theater and at ComedySportz. In film and television, Danny has appeared as an actor in numerous television roles including “The West Wing”, as well as several films, including Sony Pictures’ THE CAVERN and Fox’s upcoming BACHELOR PARTY 2.
Darren studied theater in Chicago at Northwestern as well as at the city’s famed Goodman Theatre, performing in numerous productions. He also studied improvisation at the original Second City theatre in Chicago and at Los Angeles’ Upright Citizen’s Brigade under such notable teachers as the late Del Close and Matt Besser. Since moving to Los Angeles, Darren has worked closely on various productions with numerous filmmakers and producers, including Jordan Kerner, Jon Landau and James Cameron, and he has acted in over twenty short films and stage productions.
HUMBOLDT COUNTY marks Danny and Darren’s feature debut. It is a highly personal project in that several characters are inspired by members of Darren’s family who have lived in Humboldt for over two decades. It also pays extensive homage to motion pictures from Darren and Danny’s favorite era of American filmmaking: the 70s. Contained, character-driven, and truthfully comical and dramatic, HUMBOLDT COUNTY is inspired by a number of masterpieces, including HAROLD & MAUDE, FIVE EASY PIECES, and THE GRADUATE.
Darren and Danny are currently developing their next feature, a relationship comedy set in New York City.
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