Lex Scott Davis and Shamier Anderson talk ‘Much Nothing’

about RLJE

Feature debut from co-writer and director Mo McRae Much nothing aims to make many records and succeeds in a style that establishes the actor and filmmaker as a talent worth keeping an eye on.

The story stars Y’lan Noel and Cleopatra Coleman as James and Vanessa, a seemingly perfect couple who end up trapped in a night they will never forget. After watching a news report about a police shooting, the two discover that their neighbor (played by Justin Hartley) was involved and they try to figure out what to do about it.

Needless to say, things don’t go as planned when the suburban spouses go to court, which gets complicated when James’ brother Jamal (Shamier Anderson) and his heavily pregnant partner Candy (Lex Scott Davis) show up for the date night for dinner, which they had completely missed.

A socially conscious thriller with a lot to tell, which also contains a lot of humor and absurdity, Much nothing is designed to get people talking. Ahead of the film’s release, We Got This Covered had the opportunity to talk to stars Anderson and Scott about the film, their experiences in telling a timely story and what they hope audiences will take away when the credits you review come out can get out below.

It must be exciting for you to know that the film will be released, especially since the premiere was so long ago and you have had to wait patiently for the day to come.

Lex Scott Davis: Yes! Very, very excited.

Shamie Anderson: Extremely.

In terms of the story, your characters are innocent bystanders in a way, but they become troublemakers once everyone lays their cards on the table when it comes to the story. That must have been a fun dynamic for you guys to play with on set, especially when the whole film is about subverting expectations and turning them upside down in one way or another.

Lex Scott Davis: Definitely undermines expectations. And it was a lot of fun. But it was also very difficult for us to just try to stay grounded in reality as much as possible. I don’t think we were trying to be funny or try to bring humor to ourselves, but it was just a crazy situation that you can’t help but laugh at.

Given the twists and turns that occur throughout the story, each performance must walk a fine tonal tightrope. Was there room for collaboration between the four cast members alongside Mo to find the right way to approach the material, or was it all there on the site from the start?

Shamie Anderson: It starts with the page but I think it’s a combination of everything. I mean, I think it’s – in my opinion – like the pages there as a kind of road map. The beauty is that a lot of us have bridges and relationships, we’ve all worked together before, I feel like I’ve done about three films with Lex now, it’s just amazing.

But I think under the guise of Mo and the producing team Inny [Clemons] and David [Oyelowo], it really was like the perfect storm. I just think a lot of good people invested in this project. We just wanted it to be great. And that’s one of the reasons why we… after COVID hit us and we took a hit and we got through it again, as Lex said before, it speaks to the work environment.

I think people just love that. Honestly, I think we would have done it for free. That’s how excited people were to be a part of it. And then yes, it was great if that answers your question.

The film has a lot to say about many important things that are incredibly relevant to the world we live in, but it never preaches or winks at the audience or tells them how to think and feel. Do you think – or hope – as a cast and viewer that sympathies and allegiances could end up resting with different characters depending on how each viewer experiences and interprets the story?

Lex Scott Davis: Yes, I think there is a point of view in every human person that is lived through these characters. I think each character represents something dramatic about the other. And so I’m hoping that there will be a healthy dialogue coming out of it when the audience watches it.

And even dissect the minds of Jamal versus Candy because they are very different mindsets despite being a couple. So yes I think there are so many different things to take away from this including Officer Brian and his wonderful POV into law enforcement. Yes, there are so many layers.

It’s not easy to sum up the film, but how would you best describe A Lot of Nothing in your own words? Because calling it a contemporary social thriller that’s a bit absurd and has some really funny moments doesn’t really do it justice.

Lex Scott Davis: Satirical thriller! That’s it. That’s how you describe it. It’s uncomfortable for you, and it makes you laugh, and it makes you sit on the edge of your seat. And I think all of that is kind of wrapped up in this genre; Satirical thriller.

Much nothing is out now in select theaters and VOD, and be sure to check out our review of the film here.