When it came out in 2020, the revenge thriller Becky gained a bit of a cult following thanks to its unique blend of action and tongue-in-cheek humor. Its sequel, The Wrath of Becky, debuted at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival to even more acclaim than its predecessor, one-upping the first film in almost every way.
We got to talk with The Wrath of Becky’s directors Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote, as well as its stars Lulu Wilson and Seann William Scott. Be sure to check out the interview below!
The Wrath of Becky Interview
Fans of the first film will see that this sequel features an evolution in Becky’s arc. The character we see here is very different from the one we saw in the first film. We asked the actress who plays Becky, Lulu Wilson, about how she approached the character differently this time around.
“It was a really exciting opportunity for me because I got to take a character that I already know and love and hone in on specific parts of her personality,” she says. “I think the whole beginning of the movie, before shit kind of hits the fan, you can see how that’s developed. And I was really lucky to work with Matt and Suze on that because we had multiple meetings, and I talked to them about how important that was to me to have that change, and for that growth into her and her personality and her maturity be very apparent, because she’s dropped that teenage angst. So I really wanted to explore that.”
With Kevin James in the first film and Seann William Scott in this sequel, the Becky series has featured actors primarily known for their comedic roles and turned them into villains. We asked the team if there were any comedic actors they’d like to see become the next Becky villain:
“Oh my god, that’s a good question,” Wilson exclaims.
“Oh man, that’s hard,” adds Angel.
“Who could it be? I don’t know,” Coote asks.
“Margo Martindale. I think she would legitimately be amazing. Okay, she’s not really a comedian,” says Wilson.
“But she’s a comedic actress,” concludes Angel. “I’ll say this, we just saw Jim Jeffries at the Comedy Store, and that was so fun. And it doesn’t even have to be Becky — I just want to see Jim Jeffries play a psychopath. That would be fun.”
Indeed, for Scott, this role represented something out of the ordinary for him. The usually likable actor was playing a character that — for all intents and purposes — is the embodiment of evil. We asked him what some of the challenges were in acting in such a complex role:
“I was trying to be in the moment,” he explains. “I feel like — and it’s been a while, and I haven’t seen the movie yet — I spent a lot more time thinking about this guy’s military experience and how that informed his thought process. And essentially, this insurrection is gonna be another mission for him, and looking at the guys around him like who’s a liability and stuff like that. So from the time I got the script sent to me and we were talking about the character, I think it was just a couple of weeks later that I was on set. With Suzanne and Matt, we were always talking about the role, and I was just trying to keep him as grounded as possible. I do think, as an actor, there is a chance you could take something that’s really wonderful on the page and it could just become a joke if you play it the wrong way. So I think my intention was, ‘Okay, let’s bring this character to life, but don’t embarrass yourself.’ Sometimes I watch movies and you can see an actor… acting. So I think I just wanted to try to make him a real person.”
Although The Wrath of Becky is fun and tongue-in-cheek in nature, it also deals with the very real threat of white supremacy. We asked the team why they thought it was important for films to deal with these topics in a satirical way like this.
“I think it’s really fun to see these fascists, these incels, neo-nazis be ripped to shreds by a teenage girl,” says Wilson. “It’s a cathartic experience. It was filming it, and also is watching it. And I think audiences are looking for that right now because it’s so ripped from the headlines and it’s relevant. And it’s a good opportunity for us to be like, ‘F*ck these guys!’”
“Some of the best films too deal with satire because of, yes, catharsis, but also because it’s just necessary in the art form that we have the gift of working,” Angel explains. “We were just talking with someone yesterday about Blazing Saddles. It’s an anti-racist movie. You look at that movie and it is very clearly an anti-racist movie. You look at Django and the revenge in that movie is very anti-racist.”
“And they’re so uncomfortable, right?” Coote asks. “Because it’s an uncomfortable reality of our world. And these men — the fascists, the Noble Men — are uncomfortable, that’s too light of a word, are evil. What’s uncomfortable about it is that it’s our reality. You don’t know when you go to the grocery store if the guy next to you looks normal, but there’s a reality that he could be hiding behind his computer screen and could be an incel. That’s the uncomfortable side of it. We have a job, we have a duty to talk about these guys and bring them to the forefront and keep talking about them. They’re here. They’re our reality. And maybe one day Becky will be real to stop them.”
“I love that. Maybe we will have a vigilante,” exclaims Wilson.
“In our tool kit, we have a camera and the ability to write a script and phenomenal actors,” Coote explains.
“We can provide some entertainment on a serious subject matter for an audience that can use the escapism while also making a bit of a statement,” Angel concludes.
Also Read: The Wrath of Becky Review – Bring On The Blood
One of the reasons why people loved Becky — and will love its sequel — are its phenomenal set pieces. We asked the team to share some of their stories of filming their favorite action sequences:
“I think the last sequence, right when the movie ends, all of that day,” says Wilson. “I hid in the bushes as close as I could”
“Which is a giant no no,” Angel interjects. “And she was like “I was in the bushes, check out this video.’”
“I have a really good video on my phone because I was hiding in the bush,” says Wilson. “A couple people saw me, and they were like ‘Haha, that’s funny.’ So it wasn’t super safe. But that whole sequence was added, it wasn’t always in the script. It was just a fun moment.”
“We were two weeks into shooting in our 18-day shoot and we found out that we owned the truck,” explains Angel “They had to buy it for production. And we were at lunch, and I looked up at our producer, Raphel, and I went, ‘Can we blow that up?’ And he was like, ‘I don’t know? Can we?’”
“And he called someone else over, and that person called someone else, and they were like ‘Yeah.’” Coote adds.
“And within five minutes, he was like ‘Write it.’ And within 48 hours, they approved,” says Angel.
“I remember you went into the little bathroom area and you were writing it,” Wilson adds.
“I walked in there and asked ‘What are you doing?’ and you were like ‘Oh, you’re blowing up a truck.’ and I was like ‘F*ck yes, I’m blowing up a truck!’”
“Can I go back? Why did you go into the bathroom?” asks Scott.
“I opened the door and he was sitting in there,” says Wilson.
“Were you writing in the bathroom? So badass,” Scott adds.
“There’s like an office, and in the office, there’s a bathroom, and I was in the office as she goes to the bathroom,” explains Angel.
The film leaves the door wide open for a very bonkers third entry. We asked the directors if they wanted to see the world expanded even further.
“Yes. Oh yes. I hope so,” says Coote.
“And if they do want to, hopefully we’re invited to the party. We have ideas that can be fun,” concludes Angel.
The Wrath of Becky hits theaters on May 26.
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