Summary
Jason Beghe reunites with his longtime friend David Duchovny forReverse the Curse. Having first broken out with the George A. Romero-helmed horror movieMonkey Shines, Beghe has most recently found success for his role intheOne Chicagofranchise, leading the cast ofChicago P.D.,in particular, as Sergeant Hank Voight for the past eleven seasons after making his debut inChicago Fire. Duchovny and Beghe have remained friends for the better part of 50 years, with the latter having also served as the former’s best man at his wedding to Téa Leoni.
Reverse the Curseserves as an adaptation of Duchovny’s 2016 novelBucky F*cking Dent, which centers on aspiring writer Ted Fullilove, who learns his Red Sox-obsessed father is dying of cancer and moves in with him to care for him. When he realizes that the negative streak the baseball team is on is negatively affecting his dad’s chances at fighting back, Ted collaborates with some of his dad’s friends to keep the losing streak from him to help him stay alive long enough for the World Series. Beghe stars in the movie as one such friend who helps Ted out, including faking rainouts and switching out newspapers.
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Alongside Beghe and Duchovny, the ensembleReverse the Cursecast includesUpgrade’s Logan Marshall-Green as Ted,Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Stephanie Beatriz, Evan Handler, Santo Fazio, with Daphne Rubin-Vega and Pamela Adlon. Following its 2023 Tribeca Film Festival premiere, the dramedy has scored rave reviews from audiences, with particular praise directed at Duchovny’s script and story, and the performances of its cast.
In honor of the movie’s wide release,Screen Rantinterviewed Jason Beghe forReverse the Curse, reflecting on his lifelong friendship with Duchovny and how he had to negotiate with the producers of theOne Chicagofranchise to get time off to work on the dramedy, as well as teasing plans forChicago P.D.season 12.
Beghe Is A “Yes” For Anything Duchovny Is involved With
In reflecting on his friendship with Duchovny, Beghe explains that he’s followed the filmmaker’s journey from first writingBucky F*cking Dentto “all of the machinations” of his efforts to turn it into a movie. When Duchovny finally found a producing home for the movie and took to building his cast, Beghe was immediately game to join, though had one hurdle to overcome:
Jason Beghe: Well, probably a little different than most is that David and I are very close friends of 50 years, since we were young teenagers. So, I was aware when he was writing this novel, I was aware when he turned it into a screenplay, I was aware of all the machinations and almost theres trying to get it made. I was in the middle of shooting my TV show when he called me up and said, “I got it, we’re gonna start tomorrow, basically.” I had to ask the producers to give me a couple of days off, and I ran in, so it wasn’t like a lot of prep. But the other side of that is if David’s doing it, I’m a “Yes.” I’m a “Yes,” sight unseen. Not only because he’s my friend, but it’s just always a lot of fun, like really a lot of fun.
Beghe & The Barbershop Friends Bonded Quickly And Improvved A Lot
Beghe’s character isn’t the only of Marty’s old friends to help Ted in his efforts to fool him into thinking the Red Sox are on a winning streak, which also includesCalifornication’s Evan Handlerand Santo Fazio. Though the quick turnaround time for production didn’t lead to a lot of preparation time, Beghe still found a quick rapport with Marty’s barbershop friends, particularly since he was already friends with Handler:
Jason Beghe: I know Evan, he’s a very funny guy, and he’s kind of like the characters he plays, in some ways, so he’s easy to know. And, you don’t want to plan anything, because it could become a little stale that way. I never met Santo, but fell in love with him, as everybody does, and he had such a good time. Everybody kind of made space for the other guys, it was somewhat improvisational.
We didn’t have to worry about sound, because they kept the mics open, so there’s a lot of overlapping, if you notice. We all kind of jumped in and painted the picture to find out what it looks like, and we had to shoot a lot of stuff in a little bit of time, so there wasn’t any time for getting precious. We just kept the cameras moving, and it was kind of commando style, a lot of fun.
It’s funny, because I’m just doing the stuff, and I’m like, “I hope it was good.” I don’t know. But then, he was editing it with his girlfriend. They were looking at it, and he called me and said, “Oh, my God.” He loved that line, “Penthouse.” And I was just like, “I don’t know what the hell that was.” [Chuckles] So, I don’t have a favorite or anything like that. The whole thing is just one experience, and hopefully, we could shoot it again tomorrow, and it’d be different and hopefully just as good.
WalkingReverse The Curse’s Tonal Balance Required 1 Trick From Beghe & The Cast
In looking specifically at his character and his connection to Marty and Ted’s arcs, Beghe explains that there’s a “simplicity” to him in how he is both “lighthearted”, but still understands “the stakes” of his friend’s health and that “in a very real way”, he cares about both his friend and his son:
Jason Beghe: I mean, the simplicity of it was a guy who was kind of lighthearted, a little bit unserious, but understood the stakes and underneath, in a very real way, he cares and loves those two men. That’s the simplicity of it, and the rest is kind of following the script, and kind of painting the picture to find out what it looks like, rather than painting by the numbers. And it worked. I mean, of course, it could have sucked, but then he probably would have said, “Ah, let’s try something else,” and that would have been fine.
But I think a lot of it is David creates an atmosphere, at least for me, where I feel extremely relaxed. There’s a case to be made that I know him and he knows me better than anybody else on the planet, because we’ve been through so much, or certainly in a different way than anybody else. There’s an intimacy there, and being able to feel safe is intimacy.
When it came to walkingReverse the Curse’s fine tonal balance of comedy and drama, Beghe explains that the key for him and his cast to capture this is to “tell the truth”, playing every scene as straight as possible and letting the undertones of them come out naturally:
Jason Beghe: You don’t — at least I don’t — play things that differently that’s a comedy or a tragedy. You have to just try and tell the truth. If you understand what’s happening, it’ll either be funny or heartbreaking, and you got to tell the truth. There’s a certain kind of thing in your mind, I don’t know what it is, where you know, “Okay, this is a funny moment, and this is a sad moment.” But, generally, that’s up to the script and the director and the music.
Chicago P.D.Season 12 Could Bring A Lot Of Change For Voight
In looking to the future of theOne Chicagofranchise, Beghe is unable to share too manydetails aboutChicago P.D.season 12, namely as the writing is still underway for the next season of the hit procedural. One of the biggest questions on both fans and Beghe’s minds is the future of the Intelligence Unit, particularly as it’s the smallest it’s been:
Jason Beghe: Yeah, I’m hoping, I’ve been talking to the writers, and I think that would be nice. But, I can’t guarantee anything at this point. But yes, we do need some people.
When asked about the recentChicago P.D.reunion with star Jon Seda and the potential return of Dawson, Beghe explained that the context was he invited his former co-star to a cast party, assuring that it wasn’t meant to indicate any casting news and recalling the picture going viral with fans of the show. Beghe did, however, go on to express his interest in seeing Seda come back, particularly now that the Intelligence Unit is light on bodies:
Jason Beghe: The context was we had a cast party, and I had been talking to Jon, and we’d been meaning to get together. And I said, “Hey, why don’t you just come to the cast party, be my date?” That was the significance of him, and apparently it was all over. I don’t read the papers, but people said it was all over, like this big thing. Obviously, it’d be wonderful to have him back. He’s a fantastic actor, and just a classy gentleman, professional, just fantastic human. So, I’m in, but I’m not the one who makes that call. But, if he’s interested, I’m sure we could make at least some space for an arc if he doesn’t want to be a series regular. But yeah, we could use some new people, who knows, maybe it’ll be Antonio coming back.
AboutReverse The Curse
Reverse the Curse follows Ted (Marshall-Green), a failed writer-turned-Yankees Stadium peanut slinger who moves back home after learning of the failing health of his Red Sox-obsessed father, Marty (David Duchovny). While Marty strives to make amends for his past, his health drops abruptly whenever his beloved Sox lose a game. To keep his dad’s spirits up, Ted takes matters into his own hands and manufactures a winning streak with the help of a crew of dad’s neighborhood pals. In the process, Ted strikes up a bond with Marty’s charming “Death Specialist,” Marianna (Beatriz), and the prospect of a new love reignites his ambitions. An ode to the bond between father and son, this warm and witty film demonstrates how life truly belongs to the losers, and that the longshots are the ones worth betting on.
Stay tuned for our otherReverse the Curseinterview with David Duchovny, Logan Marshall-Green and Stephanie Beatriz!
Reverse the Curseis now in select theaters and on VOD.
