Actor Ethan Embry talks ‘Cheap Thrills’

Actor Ethan Embry recently spoke with “Breakthrough Entertainment” about his role in the new dark comedy “Cheap Thrills.”

In “Cheap Thrills,” which opens Friday, March 28, Pat Healy plays a struggling family man who, along with his friend (Embry), is roped into a series of increasingly dangerous dares by an obscenely wealthy stranger (David Koechner) and his mysterious wife (Sara Paxton).

Listen to “Breakthrough Entertainment’s” full interview with Embry by clicking HERE. The following is an excerpt from the interview in which the actor discusses what he hopes that moviegoers will take away from watching “Cheap Thrills.”

“The first thing that drew me to [‘Cheap Thrills’] was the script. I think that [David Chirchirillo and Trent Haaga] really did a great job with the script because it touches on what so much of the world – the United States in particular – is going through right now, which is economic struggles and the disparity between the 1 and the 99 percent.

It touches on things that we can all identify with and then puts them in a completely outlandish situation. And it just gets nuttier and nuttier and crazier and crazier. When I read the script, I knew that it was going to be something that triggers a lot of different emotions in its audience – from laughter to fear and there is even a little bit of sadness. For me, that is all I want to do – trigger an emotional response in people.

That is the main goal of [‘Cheap Thrills’]. The film itself is a thrill. It does touch on the corporate world that we live in and how a lot of the things that drive our daily lives are run and controlled by psychopaths. In a way, David Koechner plays the puppet master – that ultimate psychopath that is controlling Pat [Healy] and I. In a whole, it sort of touches on modern civilization but the bottom line of it is a crazy ride. It is a popcorn thriller. It is a thriller that leaves you thinking after.

Throughout the screenings that we have had for the movie, what we have sometimes done is have the audience do certain things as dares. The fact of the matter is that people will volunteer for anything. You can get people to do anything. And it is crazy. Most of the time there haven’t even been rewards given.

In fact, there was one guy who got the name of the movie tattooed on his butt before he had even seen the movie – and he didn’t have any tattoos before that. The other night we got three people in the audience to volunteer before they even knew what they were going to do … to squeeze entire limes worth of juice into their eyes. People will do anything. I don’t know what it is about human nature but you will always be shocked at what they will volunteer to do.” – Ethan Embry

Joseph J. Airdo

Joseph J. Airdo is a film critic, producer and on-air personality for Breakthrough Entertainment, a talk radio show airing 10-11 a.m. Saturdays on KPHX 1480 AM and BreakRadioShow.com that shines a spotlight on the practical perspectives of the topics and themes explored in movies. He has a pet duck named Frozen who is as opinionated about movies as he is. E-mail him at joseph.airdo@gmail.com.

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