Olivia Wilde's directorial debut Booksmart may be hailed as the next Superbad, but the central friendship is completely unique. In the comedy, Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever play besties Molly and Amy, who, despite their honour roll status and buckets of extracurriculars, neglected to have any wild-and-crazy high school shenanigans. The friends agree to let their fun flag fly, leading to a night of complete hilarity.
In real life, Lady Bird star Feldstein and Last Man Standing alum Dever really did grow close on the Booksmart set. During a visit to the real school where Booksmart filmed pivotal scenes (Refinery29 and other journalists were treated to their very own notebooks and lunch bags, with mom-approved inspirational messages and me-approved Oreos inside), Feldstein and Dever talked about how they created a lasting bond offscreen.
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"We’ve been living together throughout the shoot, which has been so immeasurably important and special," Feldstein told journalists during the visit.
The move was suggested by director Wilde, but ultimately it was the stars who wanted to make the co-living situation a thing. Explained Feldstein:
"It was that thing where you don’t want to be the person who is like, ‘So, do you want to?’ We both sort of looked at each other and were like, 'Well, I would do that.’ Everyone making the movie was kind enough to make that happen for us, and it’s been so special."
"It’s made a huge difference," added Dever. "I think our chemistry would be totally different if we weren’t spending 24/7 together."
"So many pancakes have been had," joked Feldstein of the pair's morning routine. "It’s really made it a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
The actors have a lot of love for each other, but also their onscreen counterparts.
"When I read for Molly, it was so exciting because she’s so strong and so fierce," explained Feldstein of her character. "I’ve never really seen that before or played that before, a young woman who is so unapologetically fierce in that way, and just very gung-ho and forward thinking."
"I think they’re really like sisters, and they’d do anything for each other," said Dever. "The character I play, between the two of us, I’m more of the good cop, she’s more of the bad cop."
"[The fact] that the comedy comes from their intense intellect is so exciting," said Feldstein. "There are so many of these films where [the women are] so funny but also silly. These girls aren't that silly. They're smart. They're so smart. I think it's exciting to see that duo at the center of that teen comedy."
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Check out a behind-the-scenes look at Booksmart below.
Booksmart hits theatres May 24.