The latest film from prolific writer-director Joe Swanberg, Digging for Fire, is currently in limited release and available on VOD and stars familiar faces Jake Johnson and Rosemarie DeWitt as a couple struggling to find a place of solace while housesitting for a friend. While Dewitt is looking to simply have a girl’s night, Johnson finds a bone hidden by the tennis court that gives him a sense of freedom and objective that he hasn’t experienced lately. While they split off to explore the locale separately, they both find similar arcs. In our review we mentioned, “Digging for Fire is one of those movies where there isn’t any ‘acting.’ Every performance is authentic, helping to create another tangible and honest film from Swanberg.”
I recently had a chance to sit down with stars Jake Johnson and co-star Steve Berg to talk about the film. Together we discussed Johnson’s love for New Girl and why he was recently misquoted about it, what they do when they aren’t filming, and what it was like for Steve to step into a set for a few days while the train was moving. Additionally, we dive into what it takes to outline and fill in the spaces on a film like this with so much improvisation and naturalistic acting, and even get into a mild spoiler that we both love. It’s a fun conversation and you can catch all of it below.
The Film Stage: You’ve ridden this wave of popularity lately. Whether it is New Girl, Jurassic World, or a film like this. You’ve been in a film twice a year for the last few years it seems. How do you balance that prolific pace where you are also a main star of a TV show?
Jake Johnson: That’s right. Well, I do the show for eight months out of the year.
That’s such a long time.
Johnson: It’s a lot. It is.
That’s like baseball.
Johnson: It is like baseball. Yeah. It’s like high school.
[Laughs]
Johnson: But a movie like this was only a 15-day shoot. And I only shot eight days on it. And for Jurassic, I only shot eight days as well. So part of what I’m doing is that I’m not an actor that needs to be acting all the time. I don’t need six movies coming out at the same time. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with taking time off. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having less than a moment. I only want to work with people I know are uber talented and really nice. I’ve been fortunate that those people and those projects have led to people getting out there and seeing it. But for me it’s a quality of life decision.
Some actors I’ve spoked to, on their downtime quite a few of them continue to pursue the craft of acting. Some take classes. Some do workshops. Some do plays. Where do you all fall on that?
Johnson: I do the opposite. When I’m not working I try to get as far from the industry and the world as possible. I delete my Twitter and Instagram. I don’t talk about it with my buddies or my wife. When I’m not on a press tour or on a set, nothing is less interesting than talking about movies and/or acting. So I respect the guys that do that and go deeper and deeper into their craft. But if I’m only on this planet for 80 odd years, I’m not spending all my time thinking about movies. The second I’m done I like to find some weird project and go deep into that.
Steve Berg: And you do!
Johnson: I do. Steve has taken some acting classes.
Berg: Yep, I do. I haven’t had the TV network grind that Jake’s been through. A couple of years ago I took a scene studies class to just challenge myself and mix it up and do some things I didn’t want to do. I found it very helpful.
Do you think that if New Girl wasn’t a show you were involved in you might go that route?
Johnson: Oh, absolutely.
It’s such a grind.
Johnson: First of all, I adore New Girl. I love what it has done for me. I don’t want it to go away. I did a quote the other day that got published but it was misquoted. They said, “What do you to have happen in season five?” And I said, “I don’t care because I trust what they’re writing.” But they obviously stopped after I said I don’t care. But the reality of it is that if I didn’t have that show, then I have no idea. But because I do and I have, that has forever altered everything I’m going to do. I got to play a character like Nick Miller who I really like.
I’ve been able to take a lot of myself and put it in him that people can see and go, “Oh, that’s him.” I love when people do that. I love when people’s realities get blurred. It’s entertainment. If people think you’re that character it is just more fun to watch. And like Max [Greenfield], who is really definitely not Schmidt, I like thinking about him as Schmidt. I like when people think of me as Nick, especially when we’re doing press and being out there because it’s more fun. But the day that show ends there will be most likely be a new thought about this business but I’m not there for another year.
Just riding that wave.
Johnson: Just riding that wave, man. That’s right.
So one thing that is curious about this is that you and director and co-writer Joe Swanberg came up with an outline. And that seems like the mentality of most of these style of films. Whatever you want to call them, be it mumblecore or just the slew of Swanberg’s films. You come up with an outline and you just fill in the spaces.
Johnson: That’s right.
It seems like it would make it a lot easier if you filmed in order.
Johnson: 100 percent.
Is that the case here?
Johnson: No.
[Laughs]
Johnson: If you could do his movies chronologically, they would be the easiest. The problem is that it’s a movie and it’s a production and you just have to go off of locations and schedules.
Orlando Bloom is here for two days…
Johnson: And so you shoot that. And everybody is available for a couple of days. Everything is always out of order. So that’s the acting thing. Right before we shoot Joe and I have to go over what has happened and where we are. I think we did the end stuff early and everything is just flipped around. You just create all the pieces of the puzzle so you can put it together later. But the dream is chronological.
So, for you, Steve, coming in for a few days, is it super chaotic and you just fit in?
Berg: It’s really the opposite of chaotic. It’s very relaxed. Everyone seemed to really know what the hell they were doing. Which is rare because a lot of times you come in to do two days and it is so chaotic. But with Joe’s movies he’s got this crew that he always uses. And obviously I’m old friends with Jake so I’m working with a buddy which is comforting. But they’re all very serious and take their job incredibly serious. But with that also comes this ease. They all trust each other and they’re all very talented and know what they’re doing. It was a really wonderful, welcoming set. There were delicious pizzas at the end of the night.
And this was filmed at your house? Or was it just based loosely on a story at your house?
Johnson: The only thing that was based on my house were the bones and the gun and all that. The house, I would love to say that was my house. But it’s not.
[All laugh]
Johnson: It’s a gorgeous house. That is actually a famous screenwriter’s house who fans and friends with Joe. So they offered to let us use the house. And once we got that house, then that changes the location and that changes the schedule. And that determines when we could use it. That house is such a character in this movie it was very important. Once we got that we started locking in our dates.
[Note: Mild spoilers to follow.]
As a final question, I found it wonderful that Anna Kendrick is in both your story and Rosemarie Dewitt’s side as well. They don’t even acknowledge this fact because how would either of you know.
Johnson: She’s just a med student who happens to be partying.
Berg: I love that.
And I think that’s such a clever and interesting way to make this entire area feel like one cohesive landscape. Was that a reflection of having Anna for a couple of extra days?
Johnson: No, that was Joe Swanberg’s idea. He wanted to have one character connect the worlds. And he wanted one character, just like you said, without telling everybody, “See, it’s all connected and it means something.” He wanted that character. And for him, he’s got friends that are med students and he said he’s never seen people party harder.
[All laugh]
Johnson: Partying one night and being able to do stitches the next. He’s showing a side character that has a skillset that’s incredible.
And that never reflects on it when they’re partying.
Johnson: Yeah, it’s just a different thing.
Unless someone gets hurt.
[All laugh]
“Ah, crap. OK, I can take care of this!”
Digging For Fire is now in limited release and available on VOD.