Ron’s Gone Wrong, the new animated movie from Disney, via 20th Century Studios and Locksmith Animations, hits theaters on October 22, 2021. Last week, I had the chance to attend a Ron’s Gone Wrong cast interview Q&A. The press conference attendees were Kylie Cantrall, Julie Lockhart, Sarah Smith, Peter Baynham, Octavio Rodriguez, Jean-Philippe Vine, Zach Galifinakis, Ed Helms and Jack Dylan Grazer. Put those names in one virtual ‘room,’ and you know you’re going to have a fun time.
The youngest cast member in attendance was Jack Dylan Grazer, who is now 18 but was 13 when filming began. Movies take a lot longer to make than people realize, and add in the challenges of a global pandemic, and people have to get really creative. During the creation of Ron’s Gone Wrong, they were about halfway through making the film when everyone had to begin working from home. We think it’s hard keeping kids quiet while we’re talking with clients via Zoom — can you imagine doing voiceovers when you have to worry about your dog barking at a cat outside the window or the Ring app going off due to a delivery?
Jack plays Barney, a middle-schooler who is a bit of a social outcast. Everyone is getting the latest and greatest piece of technology, a Best Friend Out of the Box. It takes Jack longer than the rest, and he ends up with Ron, a robot that malfunctions…a lot…and it’s voiced by Zack Galifiniakis.
I won’t give away how it turns out, but there are lessons to be learned in this movie. Technology is changing people…changing us…and while it can help our lives, it can also cause problems in friendships. We can fix it though, with a little patience, help and love.
Zack gets the role of Ron right in so many ways, but according to Zack in the cast Q&A, it took some practice. He’d find himself injecting emotion into a character where there shouldn’t be any, and he’d have to redo some takes. Add in Zack’s typical humor and you can imagine how that must have played out.
Kylie Cantrall was asked about a part in the movie where her character experiences an embarrassing moment go viral, and if she could relate to that all in real life. As a young lady in a very social media-focused world, she had a really important viewpoint to share: “But as long as you’re just not letting it take over your life and having that balance of knowing when to put the phone down and having those real in-person connections, I think it’s so important to know your limits and not let it be your whole world.“
When asked a similar question, Jack’s response was simple: “Who am I to give advice? I still don’t fit in…” and he followed it up a few beats later with “So, the greatest thing I think is you should know who you are and stay grounded.”
Wise words.
Ron’s Gone Wrong, exclusively in theaters on October 22. This cast interview is just a small slice of what to expect…and you’ll like it.
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