Adam Budron tucks us in for the beautifully crafted horror drama Night Night.
In a phone conversation, we talked about everything from his diverse background, to the dangers of texting and driving (one of April’s many plot points in the film), and what it was like to work with this wonderful cast.
KATIE HARDEN: FOR THOSE LIVING UNDER A ROCK, WHO ARE YOU AND WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
ADAM BUDRON: I grew up in Chicago, living now in NYC. My background is Palestinian and Argentinian.
KH: Wow. So that’s a mix right there!
AB: Yeah. So I grew up in a household speaking Arabic and Spanish.
KH: Oh, yeah. So you’re definitely well-rounded. Your resume must be very multilingual.
AB: Makes for really delicious lunches!
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT?
AB: Really what drew me to it is Nikki. I’ve been a fan of hers. I didn’t really know her, but I
knew of her because of some close circles.
AB: So when I read for it, they asked me to read for different characters. I’m like, whatever you want! They called me and they wanted me for this character. They sent me the offer and they wanted to know by tomorrow.
“Let me know when you want me to show up!” – Budron psyched about Night Night.
KH: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST DAY ON SET LIKE?
AB: I showed up and everybody was so sweet. From the moment I got picked up at the airport, to the day they dropped me off. Every day was a class act.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE BEING DIRECTED BY NIKI KOSS? SHE IS LITERALLY HUMAN SUNSHINE.
AB: Right? And she sets an example of professionalism. She’s just so cool. And I’ve had the chance to get to know her. And I’m just happy to call her a friend. I always look forward to collaborating with her any chance that I get, as a great director with a great script. She’s great. she’s a superstar.
DID YOU GET TO WORK WITH TONY TODD AT ALL?
AB: I did not. But I grew up in Chicago. And so you know, Candy Man! We worked a different day!
DID YOU RELATE TO ANYTHING PERSONALLY IN YOUR SCENES? WAS IT EASY TO GO THERE?
AB: My character has to be a good friend, which is the easiest thing to do because Brenna is the sweetest girl in the world. She’s from Chicago, and I was born in Chicago!
AB: I graduated from DePaul in Chicago. UIC. Well, I got a chance to meet her parents too. And it was easy to relate because I value my friendships. You are only as good as the friends you have around you, so I was very grateful. Every single person on set I consider a friend.
DO YOU THINK WILL HAD FEELINGS FOR APRIL?
AB: Absolutely. How could he not? As the movie goes on…
“Friendships really blossom into something where you can really love a person without it being completely romantic, but that element of curiosity can come into play when you wonder what would life be like if we both kind of took that leap?” – on Will & April’s relationship.
AB: Is it worth it to jeopardize a friendship? If you’ve crossed a line, can you really go back?
RIGHT, BECAUSE HE HAD THE FLOWERS AND HE SAID HOW ROBERT WAS CREEPY.
AB: He definitely loved April unconditionally, or whatever she needs. I think it’s important to tell people that you love them because look at April ending up in the hospital.
AB: You can definitely take relationships for granted.
AB: You got (sic) to really tell the ones that you love, that you love them. Right? Because you never know.
DO YOU THINK THIS FILM HAD A MESSAGE ABOUT THE DANGERS OF TEXTING AND DRIVING AS WELL?
AB: Yeah. Hands-free, baby! We’re all guilty of it, I know–but I try to keep my phone away from me as much as possible. Even during the day. I don’t want to touch it. I haven’t used my actual computer, my laptop in maybe a year now.
DOES WILL HAVE SIMILAR DREAMS ABOUT APRIL AS SHE DOES HIM? THEY ALWAYS SAY IF YOU ARE THINKING OF SOMEONE, THEN THAT MEANS THEY ARE THINKING OF YOU.
AB: I’ve never heard that actually! But I have had moments where I’ve had dreams and woken up to calls from people, I’ve had dreams always associated with
AB: Something that was not superficial. But very deep in my subconscious. So I have
these dreams and they appear to me, very, very vividly.
AB: I woke up and either had a missed call from them or they contacted me within the same time for shared some really dramatic views, life-changing news in the world. Like a diagnosis or loss of a sibling or something really, really dramatic. We are interconnected in a weird way where we can’t really
explain the phenomenon, right? That is true. Somebody explained to me what that is and explained
to me you know deja vu. Thought phenomenon
WHERE DID YOU FILM? AND HOW LONG DID IT TAKE?
AB: Corsicana (Texas.). It was an amazing time because it was basically, anywhere USA! Corsicana and
AB: It could look like the Midwest, and then look like upstate New York. It looks like a little bit of everything and it happens to just be in Texas, which is great to be there and the people were so kind and welcoming.
WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK WITH THAT YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THE CHANCE WITH YET?
AB: Tom Waits. And I love Jim Jarmusch’s style of film-making.
KH: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GENRE TO WORK ON?
AB: I love dark comedy! It has very dramatic elements to hit the tone with a smile.