The Big Picture

Collider’s Steve Weintraub speaks with co-stars Chad Michael Murry and Britt Robertson for Netflix’s
The Merry Gentlemen
.
In the movie, Ashley (Robertson) must help save her parents’ business by organizing a group performance of male dancers before it’s too late.
During their interview, the duo share their favorite holiday films, the movie’s deeper message, and Murray explains why
Freakier Friday
was a “no-brainer” for him.

What do you get when you mix Magic Mike with holiday cheer and Chad Michael Murray? Netflix’s The Merry Gentlemen and a sweet story to swoon over. Starring opposite Murray in this Christmastime romp is Britt Robertson, who plays Ashley, a dancer from the big city who returns to her hometown to help save her parents’ performance venue, the Rhythm Room. To do so, she’ll have to turn this small town upside down with a spectacle unlike anything they’ve seen before: “men taking their shirts off.”

In this interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Murray and Robertson tease the most challenging scenes and the true message beneath the bright lights and abs. They also contemplate the Super Bowl, discuss Taylor Swift’s nearly-ending Eras Tour, Murray’s favorite LA pizza spot, and why joining Freakier Friday with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan was a “no-brainer.”

Britt Robertson Does Not Care If the Bills Win the Bowl
“I’m just trying to get my Tay-Tay on.”
Image via Netflix

CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY: What’s on your shirt?

COLLIDER: I’m going with the Arnold Schwarzenegger.

MURRAY: Yeah! I like that. I love that.

The best part was I wore this to interview him and he really got a kick out of it.

MURRAY: Is that Total Recall?

It is.

MURRAY: That’s what I thought. Nice.

BRITT ROBERTSON: You guys are bro-ing out hard right now.

MURRAY: Sorry. Great movie.

Total Recall is fantastic. But listen, I’m gonna start with the most important question upfront, and Chad, this is for you actually. Will the Bills win the Super Bowl this year?

ROBERTSON: No.

MURRAY: You know, I was just on Good Morning Football this morning, and I won’t call it this year. Every year I’ve called it, it has not worked out in my favor. But I gotta tell you, this is the most complete they’ve ever been, and there are no selfish players on the team, and that is the reason they’re eight and two.

ROBERTSON: But it doesn’t bring home trophies. You know what I’m saying? It doesn’t bring home the big Super Bowl… I don’t know.

MURRAY: How about this? Buffalo wins the Super Bowl, I’ll get a room cleared out for you, you come party and go watch Bill’s Mafia just go nuts in that city.

Image via Netflix

They would lose their minds if they were to beat Kansas City and make it to the Super Bowl.

ROBERTSON: Really?

MURRAY: You watch.

ROBERTSON: Wait, really? It’s a thing? Oh, wait, because they’re about to play…

MURRAY: They play Kansas City this weekend.

ROBERTSON: That’s what it is. Of course. I heard about this because I’m going to be at Taylor Swift this weekend, and they were like, “Well, don’t you know that Kansas City, blah, blah, blah…?” I was like, “I’m just trying to get my Tay-Tay on, like, calm down.”

Well, first of all, congrats on getting tickets.

ROBERTSON: Thank you. I spent everything I’ve ever earned on it.

MURRAY: It’s all gone.

By the way, it’s probably totally worth it because every single person I’ve spoken to that’s been to that show has said nothing but, “It’s A+ amazing. Oh my god, you need to see it.”

ROBERTSON: Perfect. Everything is worth it, then. Everything will be okay.

Family Dysfunction and the Antithesis of Christmas
Image via Warner Bros. Discovery

[Laughs] Sure. I could ask you a million other things, but let’s jump into the movie. Actually, no, I have one question before. Do you have a go-to holiday film, and has it changed as you’ve gotten older?

MURRAY: No, they’ve been the same since I was younger. They’ve become more relevant — [National Lampoon’s Christmas] Vacation because we all grew up in dysfunctional families. That’s how it goes.

ROBERTSON: That’s what it’s about?

MURRAY: Oh my gosh, yes. They take every dysfunctional family thing, and they just magnify it, and you go, “Wait. No, no, it’s not magnified. That’s just Christmas at home.” And so my wife didn’t understand the film until she came home — [laughs] forgive me, Dad — and saw a family Christmas in the Murray household, and then she went, “Oh my gosh. Now I know why this movie is funny.” And then the second one was It’s a Wonderful Life. That movie, I mean, come on, it’s a perfect film.

ROBERTSON: It’s a heart bleeder. I haven’t seen it. I don’t know it. I love The Grinch. I love a funny guy. I like his little hands. I love The Grinch. That’s mine.

MURRAY: You should dress up as the Grinch for Christmas.

ROBERTSON: Oh, interesting. It’s weird because I do love the Grinch, and I love Christmas, but I always forget that the Grinch is the guy who tries to steal Christmas. He doesn’t like it!

MURRAY: His heart grows 10 sizes, and it’s okay.

ROBERTSON: So then he learns to love it. Yeah, but I guess it’s sort of the antithesis of Christmas.

MURRAY: He is anti-Christmas, but you know, we all learn and we all grow.

ROBERTSON: We all learn to love it.

MURRAY: Ten sizes.

If You’re in LA, Check Out Chad Michael Murray’s Favorite Pizza Place

Jumping into making this film, you see the shooting schedule in front of you; what day do you have circled in terms of, “I’m really excited to film this,” and is there a day circled in terms of, “Oh my god, I have to film this day?”

ROBERTSON: Day one. Day one for me was all my tap dancing, all my dancing. Everything from that point on was like, “Yay!” And I’m all good at that. But I was really nervous about my dancing.

MURRAY: Weren’t you guys there for, like, three days?

ROBERTSON: Yes, but all my dancing, all the proper filming of the dancing of the tap was day one. Then they were doing other behind-the-scenes stuff, but the actual dancing was day one.

MURRAY: I always try to lead with a mindset of, “Hey guys, guess what, I get to go to work.” I always lead with that mindset, so there’s no day that I’m dreading, but I definitely had a date circled for gluten-free pizza night. I have that sitting at home. I’m eating the whole thing. Nobody touches it. “This is Dad’s pizza. Dad’s pizza!” I had that circled.

ROBERTSON: When was it? After the dancing?

MURRAY: It was after my last shirtless scene.

Image via Netflix

ROBERTSON: He probably has a really good gluten-free pizza spot.

MURRAY: Oh, dude, there’s an unbelievable pizza, it’s called Tomato Pie in Los Angeles, California, and I highly recommend it. But if my food order’s late because I’ve now told you about the best gluten-free pizza, we’ve got some problems.

I’m actually very curious. I live in LA.

MURRAY: Tomato Pie. There are, I believe, two locations. Trust me. Go.

ROBERTSON: Is it Topanga?

MURRAY: Topanga is one of the great ones, and there’s one in Los Feliz, or Silver Lake.

ROBERTSON: Isn’t it amazing how very few times he’s been to… How did you say it?

MURRAY: Los Feliz?

ROBERTSON: This guy’s never been to Los Feliz! [Laughs] He can’t even say it. He’s never been east.

‘Freakier Friday’ Was a “No-Brainer” for Chad Michael Murray
Image via Disney

I was surprised that they’re making Freakier Friday because I just didn’t expect it. How did you find out that was happening, and what can you tease about that sequel?

MURRAY: I found out very last second. Well, actually, that’s not fair. Not last second, but I found out right before we were shooting The Merry Gentlemen. Ann Marie [Sanderlin], one of our producers, called me and just said, “Hey, so I wanna give you a little heads-up that this is coming down the pipe, and we’re gonna do it.” The film has just stood the test of time, and it’s grown, and their performances, from Jamie Lee [Curtis] and Lindsay [Lohan], were so epic that I think everyone really wants to revisit that. Everybody wants to go back to that time and just enjoy the freedom that this movie gave everybody. They had a great script, they had a great team behind it. It was a no-brainer. With Jamie propelling this thing forward and pushing it uphill and Lindsay saying, “Yeah, I’m gonna come back and crush it,” it was a no-brainer for everybody, and it was awesome. So much fun. It didn’t feel like work at all. Not even.

Britt, individual question for you. One of the things about this film that I like is that there’s no villain, the villain is basically life and what you choose that you want to do. Can you talk about that?

ROBERTSON: I think the closest thing we have to a villain is the lady who owns…

MURRAY: The Avon lady.

ROBERTSON: [Laughs] Yeah, exactly. She sort of runs the whole thing, so we’re having to convince her, like, “Well, we’ll make our money back, and we’ll get it to you. Let us stay, let us stay.” That’s sort of the only villain. But you’re right. I think the obstacle in the film is more or less, what do you choose for yourself? What do you want your life to look like? What’s important to you at the end of the day? Do you want to be a tap dancer for the rest of your life? Is that what your calling is, what your heart speaks to, or are you intrigued by the idea that you could love your life with your family where you grew up, find a guy, get pregnant, turn into a dancing pregnancy lady? But no, I think it sort of speaks to the idea that you are in control of your own destiny, and life can be that obstacle, in and of itself, and can actually be an opportunity in some ways.

The Merry Gentlemen is available to stream on Netflix now.

A former big-city dancer returns to her hometown to save her parents’ struggling performance venue by organizing an all-male, Christmas-themed revue.Director Peter Sullivan Cast Chad Michael Murray , Britt Robertson , marla sokoloff , Maxwell Caulfield , Colt Prattes , Hector David Jr. , Marc Anthony Samuel , Beth Broderick , Michael Gross , Maria Canals-Barrera , Meredith Thomas Main Genre Holiday Writers marla sokoloff

Watch on Netflix