Fatherhood taught Josh Duhamel the importance of creating an equal playing ground when it comes to kids — a skill he implemented while directing and starring in his new film, Preschool.
“When I’m communicating with them, I just talk to them like people,” Duhamel, 53, exclusively told Luxury Handbag Shopping while promoting the comedy, which is on demand now. “I don’t talk down to them anyway. We just have a good time.”
For Duhamel, who is a father of two with another on the way, it’s all about making younger actors feel “comfortable” on set. “It’s knowing that they’re in a safe place,” he said, “and that they can just let loose.” (Duhamel shares son Axl, 12, with ex Fergie, and son Shepherd, 2, with wife Audra Mari. The pair announced last month that they are expecting their second baby together.)
That advice came in handy for Preschool, in which Duhamel takes on double duty as star and director. The movie follows two competitive fathers (Duhamel, Michael Socha) in London who engage in a chaotic, “suburban warfare” battle to secure the last remaining spot for their kid at an ultra-elite, prestigious preschool. That meant a project working with multiple children where Duhamel was responsible for getting the best performance possible each and every take.
Capturing the magic, it turns out, is about bending to the young actors’ whims — and keeping an open mind.
“Sometimes I’ll have the camera rolling. They don’t even know it, so I can just capture real human behavior,” Duhamel told Us, noting that the two young stars of Preschool, Eadie Johnson and Arris Crooke, were both very “physical” performers, which lent to hilarious results.
“The little girl [Eadie] was a great gymnast, and the little boy [Arris] was really good at Jiu Jitsu,” Duhamel explained. “So I wrote in some things that I knew they’d be really good at physically. [There’s a] scene where [Arris] kicks my ass and flips me, and [that] was originally scripted completely different. And I said, ‘We’re going to have this [moment] because I saw his audition tape, and he was like, full on little Jiu Jitsu master!”
He also found a second hidden talent in Crooke, which also made the final cut.
“He could list every single country in the world, in alphabetical order all the way through in under two minutes,” Duhamel said with a laugh. “And I was like, ‘Roll camera!’ And we incorporated that into the scene. So it’s just about letting them know that they’re safe and that they’re just there to have fun. I think [the secret to a good performance] in general, whether they’re adults or kids, is just to act as you would, whether the camera’s rolling or not.”
Duhamel, of course, also had a job to do in front of the camera. The actor stars as Alan, an arrogant businessman who has no problem playing dirty to get what he wants. As someone who’s known for often playing the good guy, the opportunity to be as off-putting as possible was enticing for Duhamel.
“It was fun, I find it fun,” he told Us. “There’s more opportunity and unpredictability in playing the guy that isn’t the straight man. Because as a straight man, there’s a whole other bag of things you have to do, and you have to work within those confines. With a guy like [Alan], you can kind of get away with more, and I think that that’s really what I enjoyed doing.”
From maniacally scheming to actually throwing hands, Alan isn’t afraid to go the distance in Preschool — something Duhamel admits makes him a “bit of a tool.” Still, there’s also depth to the character’s story, and a reason for his madness.
“[He’s] a pretender and all those things, but with massive insecurities,” Duhamel explained. “He pretends that he’s got it all together, but this guy has so many insecurities. I think that’s also very fun to play. You know, letting that become part of his console.”
Preschool is on demand now.
