Secrets in the family have a way of festering, and in Alex Winter’s new thriller “Adulthood,” that rot takes the form of a literal body. The film thrusts estranged siblings Megan and Noah, played by Kaya Scodelario and Josh Gad, into a spiral where responsibility can no longer be avoided, and every choice risks compounding into catastrophe. The film arrives on digital on demand platforms on September 23; it is a chaotic blend of dark comedy and moral unease, where adulthood itself feels like the cruelest trap of all.
Director Alex Winter, still beloved for cult staples like “Bill & Ted” and “The Lost Boys,” proves here that his filmmaking instincts are as sharp as his screen presence ever was. He keeps the story teetering between farce and tragedy, never letting the characters or the audience escape the consequences of a bad decision. Surrounding Scodelario and Gad are Billie Lourd, Anthony Carrigan, and Winter himself, rounding out an ensemble built to bounce between biting humor and raw tension.
On this episode of The Discourse, host Mike DeAngelo talks with the stars of the film, Josh Gad and Kaya Scodelario, about building sibling chemistry, working with Winter as he evolves from cult icon to confident filmmaker, and unpacking the movie’s central metaphor. Gad also shares updates on his upcoming Chris Farley biopic starring Paul Walter Hauser and the long-gestating “Spaceballs 2,” while Scodelario clears up speculation about a potential return in “Crawl 2.”
For Scodelario, the film’s sting lies in how suddenly the burden of maturity lands. “It is the death of their parents being the protectors and then them having to step into that role,” she explained. “For me, that’s kind of what the body represents. It’s the end of them being able to fuck around and not have the responsibility of just being the little brother and the little sister anymore.” Gad, meanwhile, latched onto the script’s unnerving moral questions. “What would you do if you found a secret that could forever change the lives of those you love? To what degree would you be willing to protect that secret? Or would you do what’s considered the right thing? One bad choice can very easily lead to a series of bad choices from which there’s no return.”
Despite the weight of the story, their on-screen sibling bond came naturally. “It was effortless,” Gad recalled. “Alex pulled me aside that first night and said, You guys have incredible chemistry together. Kaya and I match up so well in this movie because we couldn’t be more different. She’s the proverbial mother, I’m the fucking child, and once we had that set of rules, every scene was just like Christmas morning.” Scodelario laughed, “I think it’s my first time having a sibling on screen. I loved it.”
Naturally, talk turned to Gad’s passion projects: his directorial debut about Chris Farley starring Paul Walter Hauser and the long-awaited “Spaceballs 2.” On the “Spaceballs” sequel, he revealed, “This journey began three years ago when I called up Mel Brooks and I pitched him the seed of an idea. He said, ‘Josh, I’ve been waiting for this call for a long time.’… I genuinely would not be tackling this if I didn’t have the same love that all of those fans have for this franchise. And we are about to do something genuinely worth the wait.”
When asked why he chose Farley’s story for his first feature as a director, Gad didn’t hesitate. “A very dear friend of mine, who’s a director, once said to me, your first film you choose to do as a director should be the most personal film you ever do. And for me, nothing could be more personal than Chris’s story. I studied him as a child. I wanted to be Chris. You can see the influence in things I’ve done, whether it’s “Book of Mormon” or even parts of Olaf. Everything I do comes with a spirit of those who came before me—people like Chris, Robin Williams, Phil Hoffman.”
Scodelario, meanwhile, addressed recent buzz about returning to her breakout thriller “Crawl” for the announced sequel. “It wouldn’t be with me. I saw the article and was like, ‘All right, fuck it, let’s do this again,’” she said of the rumored “Crawl 2.” “It was the most fun, challenging thing I’ve ever done. But no, not a real one, I’m afraid.”
Listen to the full Josh Gad & Kaya Scodelario interview below:
The Discourse is part of The Playlist Podcast Network, which includes Deep Focus, Bingeworthy, and more. We can be heard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and most places where podcasts are found. You can stream the podcast via the embed within the article.. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we greatly appreciate it. Thank you for listening.
The Playlist Presents: Josh Gad & Kaya Scodelario’s Recommendation Playlist
• ‘Nobody Wants This’ (series)
• ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (series)
• ‘Jaws 50th Anniversary Documentary’
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