He already electrified the screen — and perhaps shook you to the core — in the Oscar-winning film Whiplash back in 2014. Actually, J.K. Simmons has been stealing the show in countless projects over the past years and even decades. Now, he’s teamed up with wife and director Michelle Schumacher again for a dark new thriller from Lionsgate called You Can’t Run Forever, out this week. Simmons gets top billing, but you’ll quickly realize he’s not exactly the good-guy protagonist in this twisted tale that ultimately becomes a celebration of family and the power of love.

Simmons and Schumacher previously teamed up for I’m Not Here, and we recently caught up with Simmons to learn more about how this latest collaboration is even more of a family affair than the last. Simmons also weighed in on the future of superhero films, his upcoming Christmas movie Red One, and why folks are still talking about his Academy Award acceptance speech all these years later.

Simmons’ New Film Is a Family Affair
You Can’t Run Forever (2024) Release Date May 17, 2024 Director Michelle Schumacher Runtime 1h 42m Writers Carolyn Carpenter , Michelle Schumacher Studio(s) Rubber Tree Productions , Voltage Pictures Distributor(s) Lionsgate

Simmons is reliably magnetic on-screen in this new film of his, even if you may grow to hate his character Wade. The film also succeeds through its other characters, who band together in times of extreme duress to fight certain evil forces (Wade). We were curious if having family involved behind the scenes helped in bringing extra “heart” to the end result, on a storytelling level. Simmons says, “Yeah, absolutely. It’s that synchronicity of making a film that’s, on its face, this thriller and this sort of scary ride through an overnight in the woods with my psychopathic character, but ultimately, yeah, it is a film about the strength of the human spirit, of family, love and all that.” Adding:

“[Michelle’s] brother was our producer, our sole producer. Our daughter Olivia is in the film, and our son Joe did the entire score for the movie. So really, not only was it a really satisfying creative adventure, but it obviously brings up the proud papa and the proud husband.”

J.K. Simmons on Turning Off the Psycho

Given that Simmons’ character, Wade, is such a terrifying and heated individual, one has to wonder if it’s that much more challenging at the end of a workday for Simmons to turn it off and become a family man once again. “As always, for me, two things: Having done this for as long as I’ve done it, and the other thing, having never branched out into any of the grownup responsibilities of writing, directing, producing — for me, it’s pretty easy to shake it off at the end of the day and go home,” Simmons said.

In contrast, he said it’s harder for those in his wife’s position. “For Michelle, as the writer-director, she goes home or back to the hotel, and she starts to prep for the following day’s work. And so it’s definitely an all-consuming thing for producers, directors, and some of the creators on the crew. But for me, I’m able to just leave work and be myself.”

Related 10 Animated Characters You Probably Didn’t Know Were Voiced by J.K. Simmons The actor who played The Daily Bugle’s editor-in-chief voiced a vast number of animated characters over the years. Here are some of them.

Can Superhero Movies Keep Expanding the Stakes? Should They?
Sony Pictures

In addition to Kris Kringle, Simmons has also starred in a number of superhero films, including playing Commissioner Gordon in Justice League and, of course, those money-making Spider-Man blockbusters. This particular realm of cinema will forever be a hot topic in the biz, so we were curious if Simmons had any thoughts on its future in Hollywood. He explained, “I’m not one of the grownups. I just read the scripts and decide what I want to do, which is a beautiful thing. I do feel like, I don’t know how far you can go with amping up the stakes for these, for the superhero movies, just generally speaking.” He went on to say:

”
I mean, after you’ve killed trillions of souls in some of these movies
… I often find it most interesting when movies, whether they’re big movies or independent films, when the stakes need to be elevated, but they don’t need to be expanded always. It’s the closeness of the high stakes, like a mother and her daughter in You Can’t Run Forever, I find to be the most compelling, regardless of the scope of the overall movie.”

Related 10 Best J.K. Simmons Movies, Ranked J.K. Simmons has proved himself to be one of the greatest actors working. Let’s take a look at ten of his best films.

You Can’t Run Forever’s Psycho vs. Whiplash’s Psycho
Lionsgate

When experiencing a thrilling new thriller like You Can’t Run Forever, those who know Simmons’ extensive on-screen work might even catch shades of Fletcher, the terrifying character that won Simmons an Oscar back when Whiplash was in the running. Interestingly, folks have been drawing parallels between Whiplash and the recent Challengers, as both movies focus on performers’ aim for perfectionism.

Sony Pictures Classics

We had to ask if Simmons ever reminded himself of Fletcher during certain intense sequences in his latest film. “First of all, I never watch playback or any of that, and don’t spend too much time admiring myself in the mirror in the trailer, although there are always mirrors everywhere,” he said in classic Simmons deadpan glory. “But when you’ve got as many films and TV shows, and even plays back in the day, on your resume as I have, it’s like, the similarities are there with almost every character you do. And at the end of the day, I’m a bald white guy. What are you going to do?”

J.K. Simmons’ Great Oscar Speech

Speaking of Whiplash, Simmons might forever be remembered for his heartfelt acceptance speech when he won Best Supporting Actor for his Fletcher portrayal, ending his short & sweet speech by urging everyone to call their parents. “I actually did hear lots of stories about that happening… about people who had been estranged, and because some random character actor wearing a tuxedo said, ‘Call your mom, call your dad,’ they actually did so,” said Simmons, thinking about how his words impacted the lives of others who would later reconnect with their parents. He added:

“I didn’t really have a speech written for that event. And I just knew what I wanted to talk about, which was family and love, and what’s most important, and I was able to use my 44-and-a-half seconds to talk about Michelle and our kids and my parents, and what’s important to all of us. And yeah, it was a great way for me to take advantage of the biggest audience that I’ll ever have and try to say something that I thought was important.”

J.K. Simmons Puts on the Santa Suit in Red One
Netflix

Looking ahead, moviegoers are particularly excited for the holiday season, since a star-studded film called Red One is set to hit the masses. After voicing Santa in the hit animated film Klaus several years back, Simmons is back to play the same beloved character in this highly anticipated live-action movie. He told us, “It was one of those things that’s both a treat and kind of intimidating because so many great actors have done their takes. And writers have done their takes on Santa Claus. And this was, I think, I hope, a new and fresh one, and I’m really looking forward to audiences seeing that.”

From Lionsgate, You Can’t Run Forever will be released in theaters, on digital and on demand Friday, May 17th.