Photo Credit: Deem Waham www.wwhowl.com

To truly convey a convincing and realist portrayal of a character on screen, an actor must often put his or herself in that very situation, becoming in real life the fictional character.  For the three charming and humble young leads of Project X, a documentary-style comedy about an epic high school house party, having to play the part came with plenty of fun and excitement.

“The energy on set was enough to feel like we were actually at a party,” explained Thomas Mann, the birthday boy of note and the resident of the house that hosts the epic event. “We had a DJ there playing between takes, the extras were always dancing—it was easy.”

The fictional Thomas sees his parents off for the weekend and hopes to have a gathering small enough not to catch unnecessary attention, but big enough to make him seem popular. Costa, played obnoxiously and pompously by Oliver Cooper, and J.B., an endearing and at times hopeless Jonathan Daniel Brown, orchestrate an event that quickly gets out of hand, far greater than anyone could have imagined or anticipated.

Director Nima Nourizadeh in his debut found three winning young men, and personally cast about 300 extras to party with them. “It’s amazing his attention to detail,” said Brown of Nourizadeh’s concerted effort. “It’s so many little things that end up making the movie feel real.”

“It really felt like a party.” said Mann. “We are shooting for five weeks, and we really got to know each other.” At least one of the extras threw their own party, adding another layer to a movie about the documentation of a party. If only someone filmed that party.

Still, while the movie seems like a great film to be a part of, the three did have to endure some strange and arduous moments.

Costa, a continuous instigator and thrill-seeker carries with him a giant cup throughout the movie, an ornate device to show off and drink from. “One night on set he was shaking it,” told Brown. “He shook it, and bottom of the cup sliced my head. I required on set medical attention, and there was a lot of blood.”

Apparently Brown immediately yelled ‘cut,’ though amid some confusion.

“In one scene, we were standing on a truck, and there were just so many people around us,” said Cooper. “I just couldn’t believe the energy,  it really rubbed off on us.”

“At the end of the day it’s a movie,” said Brown. “And it’s fun”

Project X hits theatres everywhere this Friday! Be sure to check it out!
www.projectxmovie.warnerbros.com