Putting a modern spin on the 1970s book by Gregory Mcdonald, Confess, Fletch hits theaters and digital on September 16. The comedy is directed by Greg Mottola and stars Jon Hamm as Fletch, a carefree, investigative journalist who has no problem opposing the law when he feels the ends justify the means.
The cast also includes Roy Wood Jr., Annie Mumolo, Ayden Mayeri, Lorenza Izzo, Kyle MacLachlan, and Marcia Gay Harden.
Actors Lorenza Izzo and Annie Mumolo chat with Screen Rant about the similarities they share with their characters in the film.
Screen Rant: Lorenza, you share most of your scenes with Jon Hamm's character. How was it working together on this project?
Lorenza Izzo: He's phenomenal. I've been a fan of Jon's for a very long time. He's a true comedian. I've been watching all of his work. The episode from 30 Rock where he plays the boyfriend, and then his stint in Larry David...he's always had an incredible humor to him. And coming into this project and having to play off of him, I was quite nervous, because I didn't know if I was going to be able to deliver and actually live up to that. And he's a very generous actor, and he's incredibly good at allowing the space and the energy flow for you to do that. And it ended up being a really fun and cool experience.
Screen Rant: I really loved your onscreen dynamic. I thought it was great.
Lorenza Izzo: He does the best banter and he's incredibly smart. And his references are insane. You have to be with your phone and Googling everything because he'll come at you with jokes from specific movies, and you're like, "Oh my god. I need to learn and I need to watch so much more." You learn a lot while you're with him.
Screen Rant: Annie, I enjoyed your character so much. I think the best way to describe her is just kind of chaotic. She doesn't bat an eye at all these crazy things going on around her. Was it fun to play someone like that?
Annie Mumolo: Oh, yeah. It was very freeing and not too much of a stretch for me from my real life [laughs]. It was so much fun to play somebody who just doesn't care. There's a real freedom in that. Because I find in my own life, like, I have that sort of chaos. But I'm always concerned about, "Oh, no one at my kid's school is going to look at me the same again," or whatever. It's just very freeing to play somebody who just doesn't have that.
Screen Rant: You kind of answered this already, but did you share a lot of similarities with your characters? Or was this basically like playing your alter ego?
Annie Mumolo: Well, Lorenza was saying earlier—we were talking about how you have to find that part of that person within yourself. So you go around in there, and then you pull from yourself to play. So, for me, it's a piece of myself that I bring to each one. And then you kind of have this spectrum of colors or layers or things that you do with each character.
Lorenza Izzo: Same. For Angela, I had a similar feeling of freedom in playing her. There's something that happens when you play a larger-than-life character who's quite fearless and sure of themselves, and just kind of knows what her place is in the world in a way that I wish I had more of. Sometimes I do. But same as what Annie was saying. It's something inside of me that Angela embodies that I was able to then extend and create that with it. But it's an extension of me. So, yeah. I do have some of Angela in me, for sure.
About Confess, Fletchââââââ
While investigating a case of valuable stolen paintings, the roguishly charming and endlessly troublesome Fletch becomes the prime suspect in a murder. To prove his innocence, he must sift through a long list of suspects -- from an art dealer to a missing playboy to a crazy neighbor to his own girlfriend.
Check out our other interviews for Confess, Fletch as well:
Confess, Fletch will arrive in theaters and on digital September 16, followed by a Showtime premiere on October 28.
