Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Lionsgate, Movies | Tagged: Barry Jay, Dylan Flashner, like father like son

Like Father Like Son: Jay & Flashner on Hereditary Crime Thriller

Like Father Like Son writer/director Barry Jay and star Dylan Flashner spoke to Bleeding Cool about Lionsgate's thriller, casting & more.

Barry Jay has been always fascinated by thrillers since his debut writing the 2015 indie horror thriller The Chosen. Expanding himself creatively, he's taken to writing and directing most of his projects, including Ashes (2018), Killer Therapy (2019), and The Way Out (2022). His latest is the Lionsgate thriller Like Father Like Son, which stars Dylan Flashner as Eli, a man who is pushed to the brink to end a brutal cycle of violence perpetuated by his once distant father (Dermot Mulroney), who's on death row for murder. As Eli's life begins to fall apart, he discovers similar terrifying triggers in himself and takes extreme measures to ensure that the family's string of savagery comes to an end. Jay and Flashner spoke to Bleeding Cool about how Jay's research and friend and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik set the film in motion, the film's psychology, and casting.

Director/Writer Barry Jay and Star Dylan Flashner on Telling an Authentic Cautionary Tale to Like Father Like Son

Bleeding Cool: Barry, what was the inspiration behind 'Like Father, Like Son?'

Jay: I have been a horror fan since I was a kid, and I had a fascination with serial killers in that phase of my movie watching. I started wondering if there was a hereditary aspect, and then I researched a bit and found a story about a father on Skid Row who was put to death with an infant at home, and that infant grew up to be a killer. My thoughts were all my own once the research was confirmed, and then Mayim [Bialik], who is a neuroscientist, also confirmed there could be some connection, and it is possible that it can be handed down, so I wanted to explore that.

Dylan, what intrigued you about this film?

Flashner: Other than the sheer fact [my character, Eli's] so out there, there are a lot of similarities between Eli and me, not necessarily how he tells people. The idea that he has a little bit of a short fuse and the familial stuff connected to me. I just felt that connection with this character that was a little different.
Barry, can you break down Dylan and Dermot's chemistry and why they work well together?

Jay: It was a beautiful marriage. There's always a factor of luck. I did not know that they were in a pilot together as father and son years before. As soon as I heard Dermot as a father, it was like you're setting up two friends. You know they're going to get along. There is that feeling of knowing Dylan's talent, and I also loved Dermot's work. I was like, "This is going to be so good!" They kind of even look a little like each other.

Flashner: It's a little scary.

Jay: I don't know [laughs].

Dylan, what were the biggest challenges you had taking on the role of Eli, going to the extremes, going through the motions, and dealing with the psychology of the character?

Flashner: It's funny; I've been thinking about this a little bit recently. Eli is so lonely at times, and he's so caught up with what's going on in his brain. It's a little difficult to do that in real life. It's unnatural, and it's not human nature to be so alone. I went through some isolation for this character and got into that mindset. That was the toughest thing for me.

Barry, could you talk about how the rest of the cast came together, and was anyone penciled in from the get-go? I imagine Dylan, Dermot, and Mayim were obvious choices, but how did Ariel [Winter], Vivica [A Fox], Eric [Michael Cole], and Jim [Klock] get involved?

Jay: Chadwick Struck is a great casting director. I remember meeting with Dylan on FaceTime one day and going through the character. He mentioned during the meeting that Ariel Winter was interested, and I jumped up. I'm a huge 'Modern Family' fan, and the truth is, I immediately saw it. She was the perfect choice. God, I hope it's her and that she ended up climbing on board.

With Vivica Fox, we were looking for someone for that role, and we had few feelers out there, but honestly, I'm lucky because when I heard her name, that's the one that made me perk up. I've been fortunate to get the dream cast. Mayim's a friend I got to say. I was over at her house early having ice cream, and I got home to text, saying, "I want to invest in your next film," not ever thinking she was going to be in it.

We had already shown it to [producer] Luke Daniels and everything, so I went to him and said, "This is what's going on with Mayim." That certainly got everyone excited, and then it was Luke saying, "Why don't you ask her if she wants to be in it?" I was afraid because, as a friend, she had already done this, which had never happened. We've been friends for years, and her sending me that text was mind-blowing and game-changing. She said, "I can do a little cameo. Yeah, sure. Let's do that." Of course, since she helped me with the connection with her editor, she played the psychiatrist in that one scene that says the dialog that she gave me about the hereditary aspect of it all.

Like Father Like Son is currently in theaters, digital, and on-demand.

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