Posted in: A24, Interview, Movies | Tagged: friendship

Friendship: Brandi Burkhardt Talks Paul Rudd & Tim Robertson Comedy

Brandi Burkhardt (Hart of Dixie) spoke to Bleeding Cool about her latest A24 comedy, Friendship, Paul Rudd, Tim Robinson, and more.

Brandi Burkhardt has carved an impressive run as a character actress and singer in Hollywood with a passion for performing on the stage or the screen. Since her on-screen debut in the Touchstone mystery drama Boys in 1996 in an uncredited role, she landed her next project within the Disney family in the Hollywood Pictures period drama Washington Square in 1997 before landing her big break in the NBC soap Passions, appearing in 67 episodes. Burkhardt would be a regular appearing in guest roles in shows like ABC's Boston Legal, NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, CBS's NCIS and How I Met Your Mother, AMC's Mad Men, and her next ensemble cast TV role in The CW's Hart of Dixie. Her latest is the A24 comedy Friendship that stars Craig (Tim Robinson), a socially awkward marketing executive who yearns to be friends with his neighbor, a charismatic but unfulfilled weatherman (Paul Rudd). Burkhardt, who plays boss and anchorwoman Rebecca Springs, spoke to Bleeding Cool about her audition, working with writer-director Andrew DeYoung, her life on stage and screen, Robinson, her football rivalry with Rudd, and Kate Mara.

Friendship Star Brandi Burkhardt on Getting 'Anchorman' Vibes from Paul Rudd

Bleeding Cool: What intrigued you about 'Friendship,' and how did you get involved?
I got an audition, and I saw that Paul Rudd was attached, and because my character is an "anchorwoman," I was immediately intrigued. I mean, you immediately get vibes of 'Anchorman.' Who doesn't want to step into that? The film itself is very different tonally, which was fun and grounded in a different way. I was excited to get on set with everybody. Also, Tim Robinson's comedy is so unique, so I was excited to see the two of them play off each other.

I totally love Tim's bit about the drive-thru. That was a classic.

Oh gosh! People love that one.

How does a film like this differ from your other work? Did you do a lot of dark comedies on screen or the stage?

What's fun about 'Friendship', I guess it's a dark comedy, because it's so grounded in realism. Andrew DeYoung, the director, didn't want the laughs to scream at you. He wanted them to sneak up on you, and they really do in this movie. Yeah, it was fun to step into that world and not try to go for a laugh. It was freeing, and I enjoyed working on it.

Was acting something you originally set out to do early on, or was this something you fell into? Did you prefer the stage, screen, or is it something you naturally adapted?

I always need a little of each in my life, stage, screen, and music, too. I like to go between the media. There's nothing like being on stage and having that audience reaction, because you create that chemistry in the room, and it's the same with music. When you're on stage with other musicians, there is magic in the air, and that's what we're trying to capture, essentially, when we're on a movie set. We're trying to get those sparkly feelings. That's what intrigues me about it. I grew up very shy, so acting was a way for me to come out of my shell a little without having to be myself. What's funny is transitioning into pop music like I'm doing, I am giving myself my voice finally, so it was a neat journey to step into a lot of different characters to find out who I am.

What was it like working with Andrew as a creative, and what did you like about his script?

When I got on set, I wasn't sure how much improv we would be doing or how closely we would stick to the script, and we honored the script, which was written well. I'm glad they put all that work into writing it. But when you got on set, it didn't feel super corporate. It almost felt like we weren't supervised, which was a great setting to be creative in. Andrew was very encouraging in terms of trying to get the room sparky and like having those moments live. He was a great director, and I can't wait to see what else he's doing.

What's it like working with Paul and his energy? Was he bombarded with 'Anchorman' references throughout? Did you pepper him on that?

No, he was exactly like you would expect him to be, so super generous, funny, and affable. My first day on set was the day after the AFC Championship between Baltimore and Kansas City, so 2024? I'm from Baltimore, so I'm a Ravens fan, and Kansas City kicked our butts, and he is a Chiefs fan. We immediately had something to banter about on set, so it was a great time. He's so disarming, charming, and everything you'd want him to be. You want to be his best friend [laughs]. We even talked about going to a Taylor Swift concert with his daughter, so he's great.

Is there anything you could say about your other cast members? Did you get a chance to talk much to Tim or Kate?

Kate, I did get to talk to and watch her work, which was incredible. She was so grounded and brought so much heart to the film. Tim was so focused and was in character a lot of the time, but also very professional. You knew he had a job to do. It's incredible what he and Andrew had put together. I could tell that they were focused on getting this character across and giving him his due. It's a unique character.

How would you describe the atmosphere on set?

I was excited to be on set with such great actors and everybody having their own unique voice, and what that becomes in the mix. I compared it to baking a cake and what all the ingredients turn out to be. It's been fun to watch the audience response, where the laughs are, and people laughing at places that I didn't necessarily know were funny. It was fun to see it all complete and to finally get that audience's feedback. When you're on stage, you get that reaction immediately, but in a film, you must sit through it with people who haven't seen it before and brace yourself.

Friendship, which also stars Jack Dylan Grazer, is currently in theaters.

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