[Editor’s note: The following contains major spoilers for Find Me Falling.]

The Big Picture

In the Netflix original movie ‘Find Me Falling,’ John Allman is an aging rock star who seeks solace in Cyprus, finds connection with an old flame, and rediscovers the meaning of music.
Harry Connick Jr. connected to John, but would have made different decisions if faced with the same life choices.
Connick Jr. shares the challenges of writing songs for a specific character, singing in Greek, and finding peace in creativity.

From writer/director Stelana Kliris, the Netflix original Find Me Falling follows John Allman (Harry Connick Jr.), a rock star who decides to hide out on the Mediterranean Island of Cyprus after a failed comeback album. But what he thinks will be a break where he can be left alone in a remote home by the cliff to figure out what’s next, soon turns into a surprise reunion with an old flame (Agni Scott) that has a big secret of her own. At the same time, John bonds with a young singer named Melina (Ali Fumiko Whitney), who helps him reconnect with his love of music.

Connick Jr.’s character, John Allman, was once at the height of his career, thanks to a catchy song from the ‘80s, but has since become a bit lost when it comes to what music means to him. When he decides to run away from his mistakes and bad decisions, he thinks he’s just going to escape to his new cliffside home, only to learn that location tends to attract desperate individuals who are far worse off than him. While it feels like all his choices are catching up with him, he’s able to re-evaluate what music means to him, which just might get his life back on the right track.

During this one-on-one interview with Collider, Connick Jr. talked about why he wanted to sign on for Find Me Falling, how much he connected to the project, why he needs to be at peace to find success in his work, how the process of writing songs for a character differs from writing songs for himself, the nightmare of having to sing in Greek, and how he’s always felt compelled to entertain. He also shared why his approach to his acting career is different from music, and the one time he got nervous about a performance.

Find Me Falling (2024) Find Me Falling follows aging rock star John Allman who retreats to a secluded cliffside home on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus after a failed comeback album. Seeking solitude to reignite his creative spark, his plans are disrupted by unexpected visitors and the reappearance of an old flame. Release Date July 19, 2024 Director Stelana Kliris Cast Harry Connick Jr. , Agni Scott , Ali Fumiko Whitney , Tony Demetriou , Angeliki Filipidou , Lea Maleni , Athina Roditou , Clarence Smith Writers Stelana Kliris

Harry Connick Jr. Shares What Ulitmately Convinced Him To Sign On To Do ‘Find Me Falling’

Collider: I really enjoyed this because it is a very different take from what we normally see with romantic movies. It focuses instead on the parents and this second chance that they have at a relationship. I also love the added element of the music. When this came your way, was it something you immediately wanted to do? Did you need some convincing? Are you someone that’s always hesitant if it’s a movie that you’ll also be singing in?

HARRY CONNICK JR: I read all scripts with an open mind. If I’m singing in it, I don’t go into it thinking that I’m gonna do it, or I’m not gonna do it. It just depends on the script. And so, when I read it, I thought it was a really beautiful story. I thought it was well-written. I liked the characters. The next part of the process is to find out who’s involved, and when I found out that Stelana [Kliris] wrote it and would be directing it, I watched another film she did, called Committed, which I thought was great. It was a tiny little movie she did in Cyprus. And then, she wrote me this really compelling, lovely letter, saying why she wanted me to do it. I think I was as taken by her letter as I was the script. And then, you have to think about all the other things like, “What am I doing? When can I do it? It was two months in Cyprus, which sounded great. But it’s a matter of whether all the pieces can fit together, and they did. I was just thrilled that it worked out because it really was a fantastic experience for all of us.

Watching the movie, the location and the food makes it seem like it would have been an amazing experience.

CONNICK JR: It really was. As shoots go, it doesn’t get more fun. Obviously, you’re there to work, but it’s one of those things where you have to pinch yourself. You get days off, now and then, and even on set, it was a very small, family-like crew and the catering was amazing. Things like that really make for a great experience. Two of my daughters were there, so we really made a vacation out of it when I wasn’t working. The whole Cypriot experience was incredible.

2:11 Related VIDEO: Find Me Falling (2024) | Official Trailer | Netflix Harry Connick Jr.’s new rom-com premieres on Netflix this summer.

How did you feel most connected to this guy, and how did you feel most challenged by him?

CONNICK JR: The part about the suicide was based on a guy, named Don Ritchie, who was called the Angel of the Gap. He was an Australian man who saved [at least 180 people]. It’s just an amazing story about human connection, and that’s really what this script is about. The main difference between me and John is that he’s just so disconnected. I would go the other way with a lot of the decisions that he made. He’s at a really low point in his life, and I think it’s the result of some really bad decisions. I was very lucky to make some good decisions, and what I prioritize is quite different than what he prioritized. It’s just a matter of getting into that that head, which is a fun challenge as an actor.

Harry Connick Jr. Is Better Adjusted Than His ‘Find Me Falling’ Character
Image via Netflix
 

You seem very well-adjusted with a very well-balanced life, compared to most musicians.

CONNICK JR: Well, if I’m going to create anything, whether it’s writing something, or acting on film, or Broadway, or whatever, for me, what works is being at peace. How do you bring yourself to a place where you can have a quiet mind, emotionally, so that you can have this infinitely thrilling creative mind? For me, it’s making sure that the parts of your life that are the most important are the most important. That’s what works for me. I’ve never been one of these who, when tragedy strikes, I’m gonna go sit down at the piano and write about it. I would like to be able to deal with the tragedy, and then be able to access all parts of my life, creatively, when I need to. But that’s just what’s worked for me. Everybody’s got something different.

How different is the process of writing a song for a character that fits with a story? Do you find it easier when you have parameters like that, or is it harder?

CONNICK JR: One of my favorite things to do is create responsively. The tighter the boundaries are, the more fun it is to try to stretch them out. If there were no rules, life wouldn’t be as fun. I was just talking to my wife about that. She said, “You know, I can’t stop singing that song, ‘Find Me Falling.’ It’s really simple. It’s really catchy.” I said, “That’s nice,” because I had very strict parameters from which to create within. I had to write like a guy who is not me. I wouldn’t have written either of those songs. Maybe I would have written “Find Me Falling.” But the fact that I was trying to write from his perspective, which is a different musical perspective, was a lot of fun.

Related This Harry Connick Jr. Musical Rom Com Dominated Netflix’s Top 10 Meanwhile this long-running series topped the TV chart.

When you write a song, do you have a sense when the song is complete and it’s the best version it can be, or are you someone that’s always thinking about how you could change it or how it could have been different or better?

CONNICK JR: These are such great questions. My mother-in-law (Glenna Goodacre) was a world renowned sculptor. She did the Women’s Memorial at the Vietnam Wall. She did the Sacagewea coin. She was world-renowned, and we used to talk about this all the time because she used to spend all of her days matching clay and scraping. I was like, “When do you stop?” And she said, “That’s a challenge.” It’s similar. You heard me singing in the film, and that’s as emotional as I can sing. There’s no technique involved. It’s out of tune. It’s not really perfection, at all. And I love doing that. I sang that in one take, and that was it. I’m at a point in my life when songs become finished a lot quicker because I’ve realized that the imperfections are part of the snapshot of a particular time in your life.

I’ve always found the songwriting process so interesting because, as someone who doesn’t write songs, it seems mysterious and magical. We hear the finished product of a great song, but how many versions did it go through to get there? And does the artist love or hate their own music? It’s just such an interesting process to me.

CONNICK JR: It’s interesting to me, too. It’s a combination of those things. With that particular song, I knew I needed to write something about being hopelessly in love and not being able to do anything about it. And then, I started thinking about the double meaning of falling in love and these people that are falling. I started thinking, “No matter what my circumstances are, no matter what is going on, I cannot get out of this emotional place. If the wind blows a certain way, or if it’s calm out like today, I still stand on feet of clay.” And then, I was like, “But what am I doing? What am I telling her? She can come here and see that I’m desperate. She can come find me.” And then, I was like, “Oh, find me falling.” That’s how that came about. And then, they ended up changing the name of the film to that, which was a nice feeling, but I also thought it was appropriate.

Harry Connick Jr. Was Grateful His Greek Didn’t Have to Sound Perfect
Image via Netflix
 

What was it like to find out that you’d be performing a traditional serenade in Greek?

CONNICK JR: It was a nightmare. That’s not on the resume. I don’t get nervous very much. I wouldn’t call it nerves, but you’re standing around a bunch of Greek-speaking Cypriots and you’re singing one of the most famous love songs of all time. The thing is, I wasn’t supposed to sound like I knew what I was doing, so that was cool. The “Happy Birthday” was actually harder, at the end, because it just made no sense to me. I speak enough French to get by, but Greek isn’t French. It just doesn’t make any sense. If you look at it written on the page, the words are not phonetic, at all. So, yeah, I was happy when those scenes were over.

When I spoke to your co-star, Ali Fumiko Whitney, she told me that you took her along on some of your adventures while you guys were there. She said that there was a boat day and an ATV day that you all had. Was that something you did because you were trying to bond with her and create that onscreen relationship, or do you just typically like to include people on adventures?

CONNICK JR: She’s a great kid. I actually thought it may do both of us a disservice by associating with her offscreen. I thought it might do her a disservice, if that’s the way she worked. When the camera rolls, you’re playing a part. I’m not one of those guys who doesn’t wanna talk to her in real life because I don’t know her as a character. She’s just a great kid, and we had a great time. Our daughters were there and they’re around the same age, so she was just a blast to be around.

Related Ali Fumiko Whitney on Her Iconic Experience Singing with Harry Connick Jr. in ‘Find Me Falling’ Whitney also talks about how messy things got on the upcoming slasher, ‘#AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead,’ in theaters and on-demand on August 2, 2024.

What was it like to really establish the relationship and connection between those characters through music?

CONNICK JR: This guy was so sad to me. When I saw the cut of it, I actually teared up because she’s this wonderful young woman, and he doesn’t know her at all. That’s just so sad. It was such a nice coincidence that they were able to bond through that. Music takes over where words sometimes fail, and he doesn’t have the words. I just thought it was beautiful when they got to play some music together.

Except for the moment when they’re on stage and he’s drunk, and he just reveals that he’s her father in front of a whole bunch of people. What was that moment like to shoot? How weird is it to be playing drunk and trying to sing with an audience reacting to you?

CONNICK JR: The cool thing about Stelana is that when she gets a take, she knows it, and I like that. I don’t need to do 40 takes. If you get it on the first or second take, let’s move on. I was happy with it. You go into another reality when you’re playing that role, and I was looking at Agni [Scott], who was playing Sia, and standing next to Ali, and I was just so angry. I didn’t even think about anything. My personality went away, and you just become so enraged and passionate in that moment in time, or at least that’s the goal. And then, Stelana got it in however many takes, and we moved on. I didn’t even really think about it. Hopefully, you get to that fleeting place where you can just find yourself in a character.

Harry Connick Jr. Has Never Wanted to Be Anything Other Than an Entertainer
Image via Netflix

There’s a line in the film when Melina says, “Music isn’t a career,” which could have different meanings. It isn’t a career because sometimes you just can’t not do something that’s inside of you. There are also probably a lot of people that just don’t see music, or acting, or anything involving the arts, as a career. Have you ever shared that thought or doubt with your own career, or have you always just been focused on knowing what you want to do?

CONNICK JR: I feel very lucky in that way because I can’t do anything else, except feel compelled to create and entertain. I really don’t know what I would do. I would be unsuccessful. I just feel very lucky that I had the desire to be an artist, and I never questioned it. I never compared myself to anyone else. I never got jealous of anyone else. I am what I am, with all my limitations and whatever skills I might have. That’s who I am, and I just love it. Every day, I wake up and I feel like, “What are we gonna do today?” For example, I’m talking to you right now, which isn’t making music, but I happen to really enjoy talking to people. You’re someone that I like talking to more than maybe some others because you’re really good at your job. If this is a part of the job, I embrace it and am not trying to get out of it. I’m not, “Oh, my gosh, another interview.” I enjoy it.

When you started doing work as an actor, were there types of projects that you wanted to do or things that you wanted to avoid? Was it always just about following instincts as opportunities came your way? How did you picture your acting career, as opposed to music?

CONNICK JR: The acting career was a little bit different because, when I was about 19, I was playing in some club somewhere and somebody said, “Hey, we’re doing a WWII movie, called Memphis Belle. Do you wanna audition?” So, I auditioned because I always knew I wanted to do it. I had acted in high school and it was something that I wanted to pursue, and that came up. I wasn’t looking to do a period WWII movie, but that’s what came up, I fell in love with the process, and then just started reading scripts. I auditioned for the ones I liked and set aside the ones I didn’t. That part of it was something that was specifically designed, but you just never know what things are gonna happen. And then, as you get older, you get in a position, hopefully, where you can decisions from a production point of view and actually decide specifically what you wanna do or don’t wanna do, as opposed to just acting in a role.

Related The 8 Best Harry Connick Jr. Movies, Ranked The Grammy-winning recording artist is also an acclaimed actor.

They both fall under the arts, but music and acting do feel quite different. In music, you’re trying to find your sound and who you are as a musician. But as an actor, you don’t want people to see you as one thing.

CONNICK JR: Yeah, it’s interesting. They are very different. They’re very similar in a lot of ways, but that’s a really astute way of looking at the differences. I don’t want people necessarily to think of me as myself when I’m on-screen, so I do the best I can to just try to absorb that person and be that person.

Harry Connick Jr. Reveals the One Time in His Life That He Was Nervous About a Performance
Image via Netflix

Out of all the things you’ve done in your career, what was the most nervous that you’ve been before stepping on set the first day or stepping on stage?

CONNICK JR: I’ve never gotten nervous, except for one particular time. I was going to be a part of Frank Sinatra’s birthday celebration, his 75th birthday party, and I was supposed to sing among some of the greatest singers in the world. Right before I went out, I was standing backstage, and Ella Fitzgerald was sitting there. I said, “Ms. Fitzgerald, are you okay? Do you need anything?” I think I was 22 or 23. And she goes, “No, I’m fine. I’m just really nervous.” And I was like, “Oh, my God, you’re nervous?” She went out and sang with Frank. And then, Jack Jones went out. And then, I had to go out and sing with Henry Mancini conducting the orchestra. I was looking at Frank Sinatra, and I just shut down. I didn’t remember the song. I didn’t remember where I was. It was a nightmare. That was the one and only time that I was like, “This is what nerves are.” It was horrible. I was so mean to everybody. I had just started dating my wife, Jill [Goodacre], and I was mean to her. I was mean to my manager. I was just not fun to be around that day.

What’s next for you?

CONNICK JR: There are actually a lot of really exciting things. I can’t really talk about them yet because we’re about to announce some things. But there’s some really, really exciting things, more along the lines of very specific ideas, not only in music, but in film, in theater, and on TV. There’s a whole bunch of things that we’ve been working on for quite some time and we’re about to announce those publicly. Every once in a while, something comes up where I’m like, “Oh, I didn’t expect that.” Find Me Falling was that. But at this point in my life, everything else is something that I’m involved with from the very beginning.

Find Me Falling is available to stream on Netflix. Check out the trailer:

Watch on Netflix