Actor Michael Angarano partnered with Chris Smith to write the script for their road-trip comedy Sacramento years ago, long before Angarano experienced major personal milestones. A notable example would be that he contacted performer Maya Erskine about the project, only for the pair to get married and also have two children together. Given that the movie leans heavily on the progression into fatherhood, Angarano was able to channel some of his own personal experiences to not only incorporate into the movie’s narrative, which also stars Michael Cera, but his own journey also influenced his direction. Sacramento is set to hit theaters on April 11th.
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“Definitely the story evolved and was very different, I think, from even when Mike and Maya were brought on. It was, especially with Mike, he really helped us nudge the story and plan in the right direction and I feel like the story and the script really matured once we started writing from Glenn’s perspective,” Angarano explained to ComicBook of the story’s progression over the years. “It was always very [much] through the eyes of Rickey and what he needed and what he was doing. Once we realized that maybe Glenn wasn’t the guy Rickey thinks he is, that’s when everything made sense.”
He continued, “While a story probably evolved, it was more on a subconscious level. The insight that we had, that I had, in directing the movie and putting it together at the end of the day was the insight of having kids and going through that experience, also subconsciously, made a big difference.”
Sacramento is described, “Following the death of his father, energetic and free-spirited Rickey (Michael Angarano) convinces long-time friend Glenn (Michael Cera) to go on an impromptu road trip from Los Angeles to Sacramento. Frustrated by Rickey’s Peter Pan complex, Glenn is encouraged by his pregnant wife Rosie (Kristen Stewart) to go on the adventure to reconnect. In the worn yellow seats of Glenn’s old college convertible, the two men confront their anxiety-ridden lives, addressing past mistakes and questioning what their futures hold.”
While the on-screen road trip is filled with lots of anixety-riddled attempts at overcoming obstacles, both literal and between the former friends, Cera himself has far fonder memories of his own personal excursions.
“I’ve had a lot of good ones, I’ve done a lot of them. I’ve done a bunch by myself, I’ve done a few with different partners over the years,” Cera reflected on his personal voyages. “Now I have two small kids and my wife and I, we’ve done several together, but we don’t know when it’ll be possible to do the next one until, one day, we do it all as a big family. Which will be fun. We’re on a little road trip hiatus right now, but before, it was really our favorite thing to do. And we would go all aroudn the country, we’ve been all over.”
Sacramento lands in theaters on April 11th.
