One party will make or break four highschoolers' freshman year inIncoming. The Netflix comedy primarily centers on Benj, Eddie, Connor and Koosh and one wild night for the group as Koosh’s older brother hosts a first-week-of-school party, though only Benj is able to get in, which he takes as an opportunity to try and make a move on his sister’s best friend, Bailey. Eddie and Connor, meanwhile, embark on their own journey as they steal the former’s mom’s boyfriend’s car and get caught up in increasingly chaotic situations.
Incomingfeatures a castof young up-and-coming actors, withThe Black Phonebreakout Mason Thames starring as Benj, withGrey’s Anatomyalum Bardia Seiri starring as Koosh and Disney Channel alums Ramon Reed (Just Roll With It) and Raphael Alejandro (Bunk’d) playing Eddie and Connor. The cast also features a number of well-established comedy stars, includingHuman Resources' Bobby Cannavale,It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Kaitlin Olson, andThe Mickalums Thomas Barbusca and Scott MacArthur.
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Incomingalso marks the feature directorial debutof creative duo Dave and John Chernin, who also penned the script for the R-rated high school comedy. The pair first broke out with their work onIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, having written 30 episodes between seasons 5 and 11, including “The Gang Beats Boggs”, “Mac and Dennis Buy a Timeshare” and “The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore”, among others. They also previously created the Fox sitcomThe Mick, which ran for two seasons.
Ahead of the movie’s release,Screen Rantinterviewed stars Mason Thames, Bardia Seiri, Ramon Reed and Raphael Alejandro to discussIncoming, getting to explore the R-rated genre after primarily working on younger audience fare, getting to improv with one another, and an update on theHow to Train Your Dragonlive-action remake.
IncomingAllowed Its Teen Stars To Let Loose
Screen Rant: Mason, you’re obviouslyfresh off ofThe Black Phone, but for the rest of you, it obviously must be fun to let loose, but from an acting standpoint, what is it like to still find that balance between staying true to the character and also going wild with the R-rating?
Raphael Alejandro: Yeah, one thing I always mention, I had already met Ramon through Disney Channel party events and stuff. We kind of came from Disney, so I think we shared a sentiment of that’s very PG. So, doing this movie kind of felt like a release of like we just went wild.
Ramon Reed: We wanted to curse! [Laughs]
Raphael Alejandro: Yeah, I got to say the freaking F word all the time. Dave and John Chernin did not hold back. They were amazing directors, and kind of guided us through being able to just let loose, improv and just do fantastic comedy.
Ramon Reed: I would add to what you said, as well, there were some moments when John and Dave actually dialed us back, just to keep it real. Like, “Listen, this is just a real moment here. We don’t have to do too much.” And I would be like, “Okay, you know me, you know just how much I want to do this cursing. I want to do it.” So they definitely helped, especially, I would say, me, stay true to my character, who he was.
Bardia Seiri: Yeah, coming from drama shows, I’d say it’s definitely a 180 flip. And, just like how you said, I could branch myself out, I could express a lot more in comedies. It was just a great time. Sometimes, I went a little too high, or sometimes I went too low, and David and John would just say, like, “Split the difference.” And it was great. It’s lovely.
Thames “Hit It Off So Easily” With Isabella Ferreira
Mason, I will turn to you next. Yours and Isabella’s dynamic was so great throughout this movie, it felt like there was a genuine fondness for each other, but I also loved seeing you guys rib one another throughout the film. What was it like developing that with her prior to filming, as well as during filming?
Mason Thames: I mean, just meeting Isabella, we hit it off so easily, and we had a lot of time together filming and stuff. So, in between takes, we would just play dumb little games and just get to know each other. It was just really easy getting to work with Bella. All those scenes were so much fun, and she’s such a wonderful person and an incredible actress.
Koosh Was A “Treasure Hunt” Of A Character To Play For Seiri
Bardia, I’ve gotta ask, Koosh is such an outrageous character. You just talked about having to find the middle ground between too high and too low. But he’s also a character who, as Mason’s character often mentions, can be a little creepy at times. What is it like finding that right balance in the performance of someone who is humorous and is easy to like, but also someone who is at times a little creepy?
Bardia Seiri: I’d say he’s definitely like a treasure hunt. You really have to scour through the haystack to define this character. Because he’s so complex that he’s trying to fit in, he’s trying to stand out, but he’s trying to fill in his brother’s shoes. It was really difficult to find the right, the right spot for him. But I’d say it took a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication, but it was great.
Finding Connor & Eddie’s Dynamic “Wasn’t Hard At All” For Alejandro & Reed
So, Connor and Eddie, I think you probably have the closest friendship of everybody in the group. You guys just mentioned coming from Disney and already knowing each other there. What was it like still finding the specific rapport for your characters in comparison to how you guys are with each other in real life?
Ramon Reed: Oh, it was the best. It wasn’t hard at all. I just think as we went through the filming of the movie, we found it, and once we found our groove, we just stayed there. Of course, you read the script, and you figure out the contrast between the characters and what we’re both trying to get at and get to, and sometimes our objectives worked against each other, but in that, that’s where the funny resided. We had a great time being in the Tesla, just doing all sorts of things. It was fantastic.
Raphael Alejandro: Yeah, mirroring what Ramon said, I felt like as soon as I saw him the first day, one of the first scenes we ever shot was the scene in the bedroom where, you know, you kind of see us both get angry. I think it’s a perfect representation of exactly who we are, like, I’m trying to get wild, he’s trying to stay true to himself. He knows what he wants to do, and so just figuring out that dynamic, by the end of that day, that’s why it’s one of my favorite scenes, we just clicked. And after that, it just felt like we were on a roll and that’s why he was an awesome scene partner. I couldn’t have asked for better when you’ve got to go through all that nasty stuff. So definitely, the chemistry was just always there, so I loved doing it with him, and obviously, these two, as well.
How To Train Your DragonRemake News Is Coming Soon
Mason, I wanted to ask you really quickly, because I see him running low on time. You guysjust wrapped onHow To Train Your Dragon. I’m really excited to see what you bring to that. When might we start seeing some looks at you and everybody else from the film?
Mason Thames: Oh, gosh, I’m gonna get killed here if I answer anything. All I can really say is it shouldn’t be too long of a wait. We had so much fun making that movie, and playing Hiccup was such an honor. Those movies are so close to my heart. So getting to portray Hiccup was truly an honor. He’s still a part of me, no matter how I try to escape him. We finished four months ago, and sometimes the way I say stuff, or when I walk around, like, he’s, he’s still a part of me. Sometimes, the way I would say Dragon, like, “[In Hiccup Voice] Dragon.” Just little things like that. But, yeah, inspirational, it was fun.
Thames' Musical Number Presented A Unique Challenge
I wanted to also ask you, Mason, you have a big musical number in this movie. I don’t want to say where it is in the film, because I don’t want to spoil it, but I would love to hear sort of about the process of preparing for that, and then actually getting to film it.
Mason Thames: I thought you were about to ask me to sing. [Laughs] The funny thing, I read the script, and it was just phenomenal that I just kind of glazed over that point. And then I got the job, and then it hit me, “I’ve got to do this in front of a lot of people.” It was a lot of vocal training and, in the studio, recording it. And of course, I had to sing a live performance in front of everyone, so we had a couple options. But that was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done in my life. I have bad stage fright, I’m not trying to do that again. Anytime I hear Stevie Wonder on the radio, I freeze up a little bit. [Chuckles]
AboutIncoming
Four freshmen are faced with the greatest challenge of their young lives: their first high school party.
Stay tuned for our otherIncominginterview with writers/directors Dave & John Chernin!
Incoming
Cast
Four freshmen navigate the chaos of adolescence at their first high school party. Facing social pressures and personal insecurities, they encounter hilarious and heartfelt moments that define their teenage years.
