Hey friends! Barbarella here. The Wrath of Becky blew away audiences at SXSW when it premiered Saturday night. A sequel to Becky, this movie packs equal measures of energy and sass into its fast-paced story of the girl who, two years after escaping a violent attack on her family, finds her new life threatened by an extremist group, and must revert to her old ways. Also starring Seann William Scott (American Pie, Dude, Where’s My Car?), it’s the kind of fun, crowd-pleasing gore-fest that you’ll want to enjoy with an audience.
I had the opportunity to meet up with the cowriter/codirector duo (Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote) and Becky herself, Lulu Wilson. Sitting on low furniture, we spent as much time laughing as we did discussing the movie. Below is an excerpt from our conversation.
Barbara: Is this your first time in Austin?
Suzanne: Yes
Matt: Yes
Lulu: This is my second time in Austin, but I don’t remember my first time. I was nine. I was in an Acura commercial. I was in two Acura commercials, and there was this sequel to the first Acura commercial.
Suzanne: Lots of sequels. Acura, Part 2.
Lulu: No, Acura, Part 2: It Gets Better.
Barbara: So, first time in Austin. Have you been enjoying it so far, have you just been doing this stuff or anything else?
Lulu: I got in last night.
Matt: We went to lunch yesterday and had Franklin’s BBQ. I get the hype.
Lulu: What did you get?
Matt: We had tri tip that when you pick it up, it falls apart. It tasted so good.
Barbara: It’s funny. There are a lot of barbecue places here that don’t have the same hype but are pretty close to that.
Lulu: Yeah, I had a few people tell me the really famous ones that I should go to.
Barbara: What does that mean to you to have your film premiere at SXSW?
Suzanne: It’s a dream. It really is, especially for this movie.
Matt: Yeah, getting it into SXSW means we did something right.
Suzanne: I think we did.
Matt: We set out to make a crowd-pleaser that would satisfy an audience like SXSW audiences.
Suzanne: It’s just really crazy to me that there are just so many other talented filmmakers. It’s the highest honor. We are very grateful.
Barbara: That’s a great segue, what three things are you grateful for?
Suzanne: My son who’s seven months old.
Matt: We’re married. I’m going to say that one, too. That’s always at the top.
Suzanne: I’m grateful for the entire crew and cast, honestly.
Lulu: I want to say that one too because it’s so true.
Matt: Do we have to pick our own?
Barbara: Yeah.
Suzanne: And the third one is I’m grateful for my partner. We somehow make it work.
Matt: You know, I can’t take that one now. I can’t say I’m grateful for you because you already took that one. I’m going to look like an asshole. I’m grateful for my son.
Suzanne: He’s the cutest. It’s insane.
Matt: It’s his first trip, so it’s exciting. He’s very much in my mind right now. I’m grateful for Quiver, BoulderLight, and Post Films who have been such creatively supportive and trusting partners. I’m very grateful to them for having the faith they’ve had in us and giving us the creative freedom they give us. And I’m grateful to SXSW for giving us this opportunity, because we know that there are a lot of movies that get submitted to this festival. To be one of eight midnighters to get chosen is unreal.
Lulu: It’s only eight? I feel way more special. Okay, guys, this is so unfair. When I’m in a situation like this at school, I go first. No, I’m good. I’m grateful for my mom because she put up with so much shit. I can’t imagine just watching me covered in blood every single day. She also cooked me a lot of good food, and handed me my bacon, egg, and cheeses. That was great. Love my mom. I’m very grateful for wardrobe and hair and makeup. Trey, Meagan, Elena, and Gabe. Gabe was the wardrobe assistant. They are doing my styling for now on and forever. They really got who I am, too. I sat in that garage all day and just laughed my ass off with them. That’s two down. One to go. I’m thankful for my directors because they gave me so much freedom, and they gave me a lot to work with, and I really appreciate it. It wouldn’t have been as good if it was someone else because the other scripts that came before you guys were not so great, very interesting. I appreciate not being in something that’s interesting, but being in something that’s actually good and entertaining. This is good. It’s actually good. I love that.
The Wrath of Becky proving so fun, it could be marketed as a mood enhancer, continues its onslaught at SXSW tonight (March 14) at Stateside and tomorrow night (March 15) at Alamo.
