Interview: ‘BlackBerry’ Stars Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton Discuss Their Pride in This Work

I love when comedic actors show new sides of themselves. In BlackBerry, both Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton are doing funny work in the film, but it’s through a dramatic prism. By mixing the comedy with the drama, they both turn in their best performances to date. It’s compelling work, to be sure, among the most interesting of 2023. Earlier this week, I was given a brief window to hop on Zoom and talk to them both about the movie. Today, you get to see our chat.

In my review (found here) of BlackBerry, I had this to say about the performances:

While Jay Baruchel is the lead, and is quite good, Glenn Howerton steals the show. Baruchel plays Mike as a brilliant introvert, more comfortable tinkering with a gadget than standing up for himself. Howerton, on the other hand, is big, loud, and profane, often raising the stakes. Moreover, several of the funniest bits come up due to his rage. Matt Johnson is solid as comic relief, but he’s very much in the shadows of Baruchel and especially Howerton. Supporting players here include Cary Elwes, Michael Ironside, Saul Rubinek, and many more.

Below, you can see my discussion with Baruchel and Howerton. We didn’t have a lot of time, but we managed to still have some fun. I’d interviewed Baruchel years back for his horror flick Random Acts of Violence, so he remembered me and we had a good rapport, but Howerton was just as easy to talk to. I centered our short conversation on what it’s like to talk about BlackBerry at the end of its pre-release cycle. It led to a fascinating back and forth. Much like the film itself, it’s compelling, funny, and well worth a watch…

Here now is my interview with BlackBerry co-stars Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton. Enjoy:

BlackBerry is in theaters this weekend!