Simon Rex describes going from the ‘no-plan van’ to starring in ‘Red Rocket’

Simon Rex has kept engaged implicit the years: He’s been a model, an MTV veejay, a rapper (aka the comedic persona Dirt Nasty) and an histrion successful TV shows and films similar “What I Like About You” and “Scary Movie 5.” In his youth, helium adjacent paid the bills by doing a fewer solo pornographic scenes that person haunted him ever since.

Now, astatine 47, the California native’s beingness has changed everlastingly acknowledgment to “Red Rocket,” the caller movie by “The Florida Project” manager Sean Baker. Rex, who has been surviving retired adjacent Joshua Tree, is abruptly winning awards astatine movie festivals from Newport Beach to Mill Valley and adjacent generating Oscar buzz for his rambunctious yet poignant portrayal of Mikey Saber, the self-absorbed whirlwind who blows into Texas City, Texas, trailing occupation successful his wake. 

Mikey is simply a porn star, who deed a unsmooth spot and has returned location to lick his wounds and crippled his triumphant return, though that really gives Mikey a spot much recognition for readying than helium truly deserves.

Mikey imposes himself – with impulsivity, recklessness and a not inconsiderable magnitude of charm – connected his estranged wife, his neighbor, the section weed dealer, and a 17-year-old named Strawberry (Suzanna Son) who works successful the donut shop.

Eating berries and bacon during a video interview, Rex, who present has caller vocation options including a children’s euphony album, reflected connected the movie and however it has changed his life. “I knew this would beryllium a bully experience, Sean Baker doesn’t bash atrocious movies,” helium says, but the awards and attraction took him by surprise. “I can’t adjacent wrapper my caput astir it. It’s inactive surreal.”

This interrogation has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

Q. How overmuch did you gully connected Sean’s research, connected radical you’ve known and connected your ain beingness to make Mikey?

Sean showed maine archetypes of the idiosyncratic successful interviews with radical helium had met successful the industry. I got it quickly; these crazy, delusional sociopaths are everywhere, successful each tract of life. Everyone successful Hollywood is simply a delusional narcissist, dreamers who travel to L.A. thinking, “I’m amended than everyone; I’m going to marque it.” You person to beryllium a small brainsick and that astir apt includes myself erstwhile I was younger. So it wasn’t excessively hard to propulsion up those delusions of grandeur. 

I besides relied connected the script, which was precise good written, and past it was mostly instinct and utilizing my imagination.

Q. Mikey behaves terribly passim the movie — he’s either making atrocious decisions that pb to self-inflicted wounds oregon behaving selfishly and inflicting that harm connected those astir him. How did you find a mode to marque america subordinate to and adjacent basal for him astir of that time?

I’ve ever played the sitcom feline – harmless characters who are coloring wrong the lines truthful to play the feline wherever the assemblage conscionable thinks “Shut up, stop, you’re conscionable putting your ft successful your mouth” was truly fun.

On the page, it oscillates backmost and distant arsenic to whether helium does person a motivation compass. He gets upset erstwhile radical are doing drugs oregon pretending to beryllium successful the military, but you person to deliberation astir whether helium truly does attraction oregon whether it each comes backmost to being each astir him. Maybe helium doesn’t cognize what he’s doing and doesn’t person atrocious intentions. So I likened him to a cute puppy that pees connected the rug and you privation to get huffy but he’s cute and doesn’t mean to bash it. 

Q. The quiescent country wherever Strawberry reveals her concealed ambition by playing her euphony for Mikey is pivotal successful their dynamic. How did you attack that? 

While we were filming, I was conscionable staring astatine her, remembering a celebrated movie wherever a celebrated actress, who I can’t remember, was watching her full colony pain down. At first, she was sobbing but the manager said no, conscionable springiness a blank look – little is more, fto the assemblage enactment it together. So I conscionable sat there. You tin determine what Mikey is thinking. 

Sean has truthful galore of those moments near unfastened to interpretation. Most movies springiness you fixed answers successful a tightly wrapped bow. That’s excessively casual and benignant of boring – wherefore not person nuance and things to speech about? 

Q. Sean casts non-professional actors and shoots connected a tiny budget. What was that similar for you?

We were shooting the movie connected the edge, with a debased budget, a ten-person crew, and Covid testing. It’s truly ambitious, but made with nary comforts, nary luxury, which I deliberation served the movie. I had nary trailer to retreat to betwixt scenes, I’d spell beryllium successful my rental car with the aerial conditioner on. I don’t deliberation Mikey Saber would person been chilling successful an RV; he’d beryllium successful a rental car— helium would person illegally gotten his with a stolen recognition card. 

Working with the formed was truly refreshing and made it easier. I’m successful southeast Texas with existent section Texans successful a existent house, not connected a acceptable with a clump of extras who moved from each implicit the state to LA to marque it doing fake accents. 

Being successful that existent situation adds to the authenticity. When I amusement up astatine the doorway and you spot my mother-in-law, nary histrion tin represent that woman’s past that you spot successful her look and body. Why aren’t much movies similar this? 

Q. You’ve talked successful the past astir however your parent taught you however to beryllium comfy alone. But you besides archer the communicative of being astatine an Oakland A’s crippled arsenic a teen and flipping disconnected everyone connected the Jumbotron and reveling successful the crowd’s reaction. Do you inactive marque clip for some sides of yourself?

It’s astir the balance. I tin bash the circus I’m doing present with this movie wherever it’s each astir me-me-me. But past I spell beryllium successful the godforsaken nether the stars and person immoderate position and calm down a small bit. 

Blaise Pascal said each of man’s problems travel from people’s inability to beryllium unsocial successful a room. Before compartment phones, boredom was good but present we’re ever stimulated. I effort to marque myself measurement distant from that and springiness myself bid and quiescent oregon I could spell brainsick from each this.

Q. You’ve talked astir winging your mode done beingness and relying connected a “just accidental yes” philosophy. Will each that alteration now?

I heard erstwhile that “Life minus expectations equals happiness” due to the fact that you’re pleasantly amazed each the time. I similar the improv rule, wherever you say, “Yes, and…” I’m ever consenting to conscionable spell for it. 

Don’t accidental yes to everything – not to “Here’s a heroin needle and immoderate meth” — but I similar going done beingness without a plan. When you don’t overthink things, that’s erstwhile the magic happens. Most of the clip it works retired well. I bought an RV a fewer years ago. I telephone it the No Plan Van. I leap successful my mini-RV and thrust up the coast. I don’t cognize wherever I’m going and it ever seems to extremity up that I find large restaurants, conscionable absorbing people. 

I’m not going to I’d retract that statement, but present with my vocation I’m getting each these offers and saying nary to a batch of worldly due to the fact that abruptly I don’t request to accidental yes to everything. So the mode you unrecorded beingness successful your RV should not beryllium universally applied and present I’m successful a antithetic position. I’m inactive trying to fig it out.