Courtesy of SXSW

In the week leading up to the premiere of “Brian” at the SXSW Film & TV Festival, I had the opportunity to talk with the six cast members who make up the vibrant group of high schoolers in the witty and grounded coming-of-age film. 

“It felt very young, very youthful, very [much] like we all had a voice in what was being made. And I think that takes a very good director to make everyone feel that way and still keep everything under control,” Joshua Colley, who plays Brian’s friend Justin, said. The film marks Will Ropp’s directorial debut.

Occasionally, Brian (Ben Wang) is the kind of person most of us probably want to be: He speaks his mind no matter the consequences and has an endearing charisma that makes him shine when he is not at the peak of a freakout. Most of the time, however, Brian is exactly the kind of person you are thankful not to be. His bursts of wild anger and frustration make forming friendships difficult and turn him into the school’s outcast. He is a junior in high school, yet still drags around a rolling backpack and, albeit uncontrollably, throws temper tantrums in the middle of English class. Despite being incredibly socially awkward, he decides to run for student body president.

“The interesting thing about [Brian] is that when I was playing him, I felt that I was sort of embodying an earlier, totally awkward and acerbic version of my own self,” Wang said.

Wang believed that no amount of research could help him execute the awkwardness that Brian’s whole personality is steeped in. He instead reflected on his own experiences from when he was Brian’s age.

“The truth is, I think if you were to ask most people who are like 28 or 29 if they feel any different than they did when they were 18 or 19, most of them would probably say, ‘not that much.’ And that’s how I feel,” Wang said.

In his endeavor to run for class president, Brian recruits Justin (Joshua Colley), a new student who came in the middle of the school year, to be his campaign manager. Brian has a strong support system behind him: two loving parents (played by Randall Park and Edi Patterson) and an annoying yet caring older brother (played by Sam Song Li), with Justin as his best and only friend. Similar to Wang, Colley’s character deeply resonated with him.

“I feel like I brought a lot of myself to the character of Justin… like life is so unserious to me sometimes, and I think Justin kind of views it similarly, and why not lead with kindness?” Colley said.

Kyle is Brian’s older brother, a senior in high school, and everything Brian is not: confident and cool, with a shelf full of trophies. Li, however, related more to Brian than he did to his own character.

“I think that’s why it was really fascinating to watch Ben in the process of playing Brian, because I was like, ‘man, you’re so good at capturing that experience.’ It’s like looking at myself,” Li said. “It’s cathartic, in a way … It’s almost like I’m comforting my younger self.”

Each actor used the word “collaborative” to describe the community Ropp created on set every day. For many of the cast members, “Brian” differed from their past projects because they were allowed a great deal of freedom to improvise, using Mike Scollin’s sharp script as an anchor for their overall performance.

“I felt like the whole set was like a playground for all the actors … Mike [Scollins] and Will [Ropp], and honestly, all of our actors, were so open to the idea of just playing and seeing where things go. And I think that’s what created such a wonderful collaborative environment that we all felt,” Li said. “It’s kind of rare to be able to just have that much fun and have the chance to kind of go off the rails and really improv.”

Other cast members, like Jacob Moskovitz (who plays Teddy, the incumbent class president Brian campaigns against), also felt that he had many creative liberties throughout his performance.

“I was really scared for this character, because I was trying to find a grounded version of it. But we’d just keep pushing it, seeing how far we could take it. It was just so much fun, because normally, as an actor, you don’t always get that sort of freedom,” Moskovitz said.

This was especially true for Colley and Peyton Elizabeth Lee (who plays the president of the drama club Brian auditions for), both of whom have previous experience acting on Disney shows and movies that approach the coming-of-age narrative from a completely different angle.

“It’s definitely fun saying some adult things,” Colley said. “I think a lot of Disney, you can get away with things being a little bit more fantastical and things like that. But this feels really, really grounded in reality. And there’s a sense of naturalism even in just a lot of the performances.”

Lee added that the middle school audience her show “Andy Mack” was geared towards is now older, and a part of the high school audience “Brian” caters to.

“I think one of the great things about starting a career on Disney, like Josh and I both did, is you are immediately welcomed into this audience of young people,” Lee said. “So getting to create new things for those same people that have been supporting your career all this time, I think, is really special.”

Park and Patterson are two cast members especially known for their improv and comedic abilities. Yet while most of the other cast members had the freedom to riff off of each other, most of Wang’s lines that made the final cut were scripted.

“It’s kind of like when you know when they start going, the rest of us just kind of hold on for dear life and try not to blow the take. But I think it was a pleasure being on the receiving end of that,” Wang said.

“Brian” is sure to find an audience amongst many individuals in the WashU community, especially with first-year and sophomore students who are still facing a transition out of high school and into college.

“I think it’ll feel nostalgic, and I think it’ll feel really real,” Sophia Macy, who plays the third candidate for class president and is also the school’s resident “woke” student, said.  “I think there’s going to be a lot of themes and a lot of topics that this movie talks about that you’re probably seeing yourself in college,” Li added.

Ultimately, “Brian” is a film about maturing, accepting people for who they are, and learning to lean on the people around you.

“Growing up is learning that I am awkward and I will always be awkward, but it’s not the end of the world. In fact, sometimes it can be endearing,” Wang said.

“Brian” premiered at SXSW 2026. The film is currently seeking nationwide distribution.