Run Rabbit Run: Unmasking the Madness – A Writers’ Room Special

So it's that will be total. Okay so you see here we are live recording.
Some other lady.

This is Amber Sondra. They don't recognize Jackie O.
You're rolling. We're rolling we can just go now.
Okay. I can't believe it's already over.
Yeah we're okay yeah all right well let's get into it then. This is this is Sean Sharma one of the partners of Table Read Podcast sitting here with Jesse Carter and Thomas Baudouin, who are the writers of Run Rabbit Run, which we just finished recording.
How are you guys feeling? Thomas, I'll start it with you. A little on edge, to be honest.
Like, not on edge, but what's the word? Euphoric. Euphoric.
Just the nerves are vibrating right now. Exactly, exactly.
I think Jesse has got the words for me, really. The energy was great.
The acting was phenomenal. I just wanted to...
I can't wait for you guys to put all the sounds on it. It's like now the anticipation is...
It's like the anticipation has a few levels. You anticipate to come here, you're shaking all the way here, and then now that you're recording, you're shaking because you're anticipating all these lines, and now you're anticipating the final product.
It's like all of it is anticipation, and it's, yeah, it's a great feeling to be going through. Absolutely.
How about you, Jesse? Yeah, I mean mean i knew we were in good hands just by reviewing the other the other podcast the other uh episodes and the other content you guys had done so i had a lot of confidence just based on that which alleviated a lot of anxiety as to you know where this was going to go or what it was going to be like so that that, that helped tremendously. And then, you know, of course the casting, getting the talent involved, you know, you really start kind of seeing the picture come together and, uh, it just, it went so well, the chemistry, the banter, just, it all, it all came to, it all jived in, in the way that it was designed to, because, you know, words sound different than they read.
And so, you know, when you're stuck on the paper with it, until you hear it in that way and performed in the way it's supposed to, it's not quite alive yet. And to see that leap from the just words on a paper to, you know, you know, life projected, it's just it's just an unbelievable feeling to see it you know it's like music it's like writing a score or a symphony and then you have the idea of what the violins are going to sound like with the drums you know you have an idea in your head and then when you watch it performed and you watch the instruments play it's you know it's just like with everyone's flair into it as well.
Yeah, and a flair you don't expect. Yeah, exactly.
Because, you know, you write a certain way, but yet, you know, there's all these interpretations. Uh-huh.
But in good writing, you have the guidelines. You kind of know, you know, it's like a roadmap.
But then from there, you can do your own exploring. You mean like with Floyd? Exactly.
What a... I mean, and I was nervous about him because he's such a unique not the actor such a unique character but yeah the character it's hard to hit it on the head oddball and it's coasting such a strange line of you know perversion and charm and and he had such a unique flair yeah nailed it knew exactly what to do and uh and brought it to life because that character could have been a belly flop.
He could have just tripped off the curb and just face planted. And nobody would ever know what it could have been.
It soared like a phoenix. Right off the page and he took it to the stars.
Matt Curtin who did that role. Well, you make an interesting point that actually being able to review the projects that we already have up for any other writers who want to potentially do this project with us.
They have all these different episodes they can look at to see the quality and all of that. What's fun about today, too, is that in putting the cast together, it was such a collaboration between the two of you and with me and with me and Jack,

although it was really the three of us piecing it together. And so, because a lot of times in the past, we're doing all of the casting, but the fact that it was kind of like almost like half and half, like half your friends, half people that we've relied on in the past.
Yeah, we worked really well together. But we just did a table read of this.
It's actually how you and I met Jesse, right? Is that the table read of this that we did in back in january february yeah so how is today different than that table read oh wow i think maybe they i think the actors had maybe a little less prep for the first table read yeah it's more raw so it was a little yeah it was a little more raw um and and even though it was a little more raw sometimes the lines didn't make as much sense back in January and February. But there was also the same kind of genuineness in terms of discovering the characters and also, you know, pulling them off the page.
The difference, I think, of course, you know, as actors, we want to perform and we want to, you know, do a good job. So with the mics, you know, there's a certain kind of, not necessarily a composure, but there's something that happens when you have a group of actors who are here to do a job.
It's like the energy. You can feel it in the room.
It was powerful. I'm sure the mics have picked up on it.
I have no doubt about it. The vibration is there.
So I think that maybe it was a little more intimate back in January. And now this time it's like, it's a production.
It's something a little bigger. It's like, okay, let's go.
Let's take it to the next level. When you have so many accomplished performers in the room, we're also wanting to be there for each other and help elevate each other and all that.
Absolutely. So what was the inspiration for those who are listening to this? What was the inspiration for the film in the first place? Well, I'll tell you one scene reference that kind of sparked the whole Roland thing is there's this out of sight.
It's 1998 old Sodenberg. There's a scene where George Clooney robs a bank without a gun and he never robs a bank with a gun.
But he comes out of the bank, and there's this freeze frame of him just yanking the tie off his neck because he can't stand the tightness of the tie. It kind of represents the working lifestyle.
It represents so much constriction. It's an iconic image when he comes out.
Yeah, and he slams it. Freeze frame on that.
He hated that. He had he had to be so phony and then his car won't start and so the luck that he has because if his car had started he would have been able to get out of there and the cops bust him in the car and that kind of led to that was kind of the nucleus or the seed that led to you know rolling and the luck kind of aspect and and just and butch cassie and the sundance kid that kind of that movie when i was a kid and it still holds up now so well just the chemistry between those two you know just the magnetism of those guys and the humor of it and the pace and the style it's timeless and that always stayed with me you know Kind of lethal weapon, but even, even better, even richer.
And, you know, I always wanted to kind of bottle that kind of, you know, and it's hard to go out and find it. You kind of have to, you know, it kind of has to land on you and then you grab that idea and then you just start sewing and the rest, you know, and then Thomas and I just took those seeds and it's like playing tennis or something just hitting the ball back and forth to each other but eventually the rally gets faster next thing you know you're hitting it back to each other 80 miles an hour and that's where the real ideas you know one idea leads to another and you know yeah i saw you guys like slapping each other's shoulders at parts we've been in the melting pot with this for years hours and years of and sometimes it gets real heated because it's the best idea that wins it there's no ego it doesn't matter whose idea it's the best idea and we're both and this is rare because some people they want it to be their idea they don't care if there's a better idea they want to stick theirs.
Both of us are really good about recognizing what's the best idea. Who gives a shit whose idea it was? What's the best idea? And it's through that, sometimes it's friction.
Yeah, absolutely. You have to communicate your ideas.
And sometimes you're lacking the words or you're stumbling on your words. And then the other one is just waiting for that idea to come out and yeah and the way it comes out it doesn't reach the other one and the other one is already somewhere else and especially with a story like this where it's a multiple character plot it's all over the place it it it talks about luck and and and you lose characters in the you know in places that you don't expect them to.
Poor Tyler. Yeah, poor Tyler.
That's the thing. I'm glad we didn't have to see that.
Exactly, exactly. See, on that scene in particular, when we were discussing that, we were like, do we show that? And we were like, absolutely not.
Absolutely not. Let them imagine.
Yeah, we love him by now. Don't show us him.
We can't show him. Right.
I know it's a saw blade, and you can just imagine how horrific that was. We don't need to spell that out.
Right, right, right. Let the individual create that scenario how they want.
And that's the thing. As far as we've taken this script, the things that happened in this script, a lot of it actually happened in real life.
Like these things, like this saw blade actually comes from newsreel. It's something that actually happened.
This guy was walking into a deli or a grocery store, and as he's closing the door, this saw blade just wham! Rams into that door right behind him. It broke off from a construction site and rolled at like 40 miles an hour.
He was just unlucky. And right when he walked in the door, it stuck into the and shook the whole shop.
And he stepped back out and realized if he had paused or taken a moment longer, that salt blade might have just cut him in half. Oh, so he survived.
He survived. He didn't get touched.
He won't get it. No, no, it's not as bad as Tyler.
No, it's not as bad as Tyler. We took that in, you know.
That's the thing. Injected some movie magic.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like, but it happened.
Those are things that happen, like car chases or, you know. Well, and that's what we wanted to do with this movie is it's outlandish and it's absurd by design, but we had to keep it tethered to reality in some regard.
Otherwise, they would just disconnect from it and not go on the adventure, but it's intentionally absurd and just kind of kind of yeah but you guys pull it off so one of my favorite uh parts of it that is like i don't like i can't imagine how you guys came up with it and there's other times throughout the script where i'm like it shows the years you put in to kind of work these scenes out and see how you can enhance them or these these sequences but like when all this drama over where Samantha, then she's in the trunk the whole time and they pop the trunk, she runs in the woods and it's just this comedy of errors of people not knowing what the fuck is going on. Yeah.
Comedy of errors. That's comedy of errors.
So it's like that kind of stuff is really fun, you know, cause it's, it's, it's, you have to conceive of it and figure out how you can sell it and whatever. And so there's little moments like that, like what happens on the yacht and whatever.
So like, are there moments or scenes or lines of dialogue that you're particularly proud of? Like that stick out to you where you're like, yeah, that was a good find when we did that. I personally, I think, I mean, boy, there are too many, to be completely honest.

I think there are too many.

Pick one.

What's one line?

I think it's as an actor, I think every actor wants to do a monologue.

And I think both monologues that we've worked into this, there's something about those monologues that have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

And the message through them are just going straight to the heart. You're talking about the two of Roland's monologues, the one about the snake and then about love.
The snake and the one about the true love, the cotton candy. But then at the same time, the idea is like, it's funny because often we'll be talking about ideas and then somehow, I'll give an example.
I. Okay, well, okay, we have to change this character.
We have to give the runaway car to someone else. And then we'll have the idea about, like, oh, it's got to be Floyd.
And then we're both like, oh, shit, we got goosebumps. That's how we know it's real.
That's how we know it's real. Okay, we got the goosebumps.
We're on to something good. Exactly.
You feel it. And then Jesse, in the middle of the night or, you know, in the middle of the evening, He's real okay we got the goosebumps we're onto something good exactly you feel it and then and then jesse in the middle of the night or you know in the middle of the evening he's like i got the scene down he's sending it to me i'm like that's brilliant that's brilliant and the whole scene reads perfectly and well we have to go in and tweak it like i'll have some raw scenes they you know when they you know it's like bottled lightning but then you gotta iron it iron it and then but it's fun to work on it once you have it, because that blank paper, that's what discourages a lot of writers.
The blank page, what do I, where do I start? What do I do? Just put it down. And then what happens is it's just like clay or a painting.
Once the paint is on the canvas, you can then go and play with it. But until it's on the page, it's daunting.
How about for you, Jesse? Is there a line, a scene, a character, something you're particularly... I mean, it's also close to me that it's hard, but one that's been there for a long time is when they're 16 with the motorcycle and he's revving the engine and Roland's like, where's the gas? And he's like, seriously, because anybody that rides bikes knows that If you have to ask that you don't have a fucking clue what's going on yeah yeah where's the gas like and in the way Roland plays it off if this guy handles I can handle it and to bring that line at the end when Monty knows he can't handle it and that that ending it's changed a lot but the fact it was a very crucial one when we kind of came to that conclusion.
Because Roland, it's such a selfless act. He knows he's probably going to die.
And he's already brought Monty into so much trouble in all of them. He decides right there.
And that's why he doesn't let Monty in the car. He's already caused him so many close calls and risked his life.
He's going to take that one for the...

And he knows his odds aren't good.

He knows he doesn't have a chance in hell.

But it's like jumping on a grenade.

Literally, for somebody like that, it's like jumping on the grenade so that, like in the

Thin Red Line, Woody Harrelson's character jumps on that grenade and it kind of saves

all his, not teammates, but his platoon.

And he died for that. And that's because we love the anti-hero.
All the heroes have to be a little flawed because then the viewer has to be able to think, hey, I could do that. That could be me.
Because if they're perfect, they have no error. You can't relate to it.
And we're all flawed. And so the anti-hero ishero is you know that's where it's at because you then feel like i could do that i could be in that situation and then that's when it's transcendent that's when the audience those are the movies that that really stand the test of time or do what they're supposed to do because you then put yourself there.
And that is, you know. We're also very reminiscent of the movies we've watched growing up.
Yeah. You know, as children or as teenagers, you know.
And that's also the way we write. That's what inspired us.
Absolutely. To either become an actor or to become a writer.
And so we're very much inspired by all the greats that we look up to. What are some of those films? Oh, looking up.
I mean, like, we have another script called For Adam. And that was, I saw that on your IMDb.
It's like a Goonie, Stand By Me meets Stranger Things. But with three young girls as lead.
Instead of boys. Instead of boys.
It's like a girls' adventure. Yeah, exactly.
They don't really have anything like that. Having a daughter, I'd love to, I'd love to, I would love to see a movie where my daughter can actually relate to the characters.
Yeah. And see how courageous these girls are.
And just be like, yeah, I could be that, you know. But also like for Run, Rabbit, Run, like he said earlier, out of sight.
It's funny because when he came up to me with the idea or the like the first draft of the script i i was reading it and then and then when we you know when we saw each other again i said look i'm reading it i have to reread again i have to reread it again but right now the feeling i'm that i have is kind of like out of sight he was like you're right in the in the ballpark. I appreciate it.
Let's go. So, yeah.
Because we love the mixing of genres. Yeah, yeah, exactly.
And this is what's taken so much time with it, the transitions and the mixing of genres. How many years of time? I mean, off and on.
I mean, there were years where you just, because sometimes you got to set aside because you're so close to it, you got to let it marinate and cook for a while and then re-approach it. So, I mean, over the course of, you know, nine to 10 years, but not the entire time.
But see, that's what's so important. Like for any writers who are listening or anybody, actors who are listening, you know, we owe it to our writing partners to do our work and come prepared because the amount of time they've spent to create this story and then we get to roll in at the last second and have the fun doing the stuff.
Like to phone it in or to not rise to the occasion is so disappointing when it's like, look at the work you've put in to create this world. But it's fun work.
It doesn't feel like work. It is a lot of work, but it doesn't feel like work.
It's not like mowing the lawn or something like, you know, like when we, when you create something that you're really into, of course, like it's not, it doesn't feel like work. You know, sometimes like, you know, depending on the job that you're working on, but like scripts like this or scripts that we actually work on or that we come up with is literally both of us sitting down and just giggling and laughing if we're not necessarily you know

arguing about a line or and it's not necessarily an argument but sometimes it is but that's banter again it's a banter because it's out of passion exactly and then we put it on the page it's like well you decided not to act today right why i just wanted to hear it i didn't want to i I didn't want to be, I didn't want to influence the actual read.

I just wanted to hear it. I didn't want to be...
I didn't want to influence the actual read. I just wanted to...
First of all, Tom is an incredible actor, and I wanted him to have a go at it. Does Monty's a character that you probably most relate to or play? I relate to all of them.
I relate to all of them. Killian, Jameson.
I literally relate to every single character in this story.

Even Floyd.

Even Floyd.

Absolutely.

Despite his perversion.

But yeah.

Dude's all heart.

Yeah.

And these ideas came out like, it's like you grab them.

You're like, oh yes, this is so good.

Him lecturing Monty on driving is classic.

Yeah, absolutely.

Well, you want to know a funny thing is that was originally Wyatt. yeah it's all changed a lot like it yeah honestly the hardest thing with this one was the meshing of the genres to to go because just a comedy it's linear you know it's easy to maintain if it's just a comedy but to have like kind of that magnolia drama you know that cohen brothers kind of drama but then it with, you know, outlandish comedy.
And it's kind of like boxing in that way. Like if you're laughing at something, you're disarmed and you're not ready for the violence, you know, where if it's just like violence, you know, you're always ready for it, but the humor disarms you so that when the violence or the drama sets in, it actually gets you because you're not, ah, you know, tense, ready for it.
You're laughing. And then from the drama, you go to comedy.
And so it's, you know, and that was the most difficult thing we had to do was kind of balance all the genre, because it is, you know, a drama, but it is also, you know, ridiculous comedy and there's tension and thrilling, you know, so it was kind of making all that work where it didn't feel disjointed like wait what kind of movie is this a drama who gives you it doesn't matter you know it's like who cares what the rules are if it works it works so and yeah yeah no i two more questions yeah because i know it's been a long day uh good so it's always good to talk about it anyway we could talk about it all day a lot of people are going to get a chance to experience the story now audially which is you know we all grew up listening to stories so it's just reaches us we can use our imaginations and stuff um but so my first question is what do you want people to take away from the film when they listen to it or eventually one day when they watch it what do you want people to take away from the film? When they listen to it, or eventually one day when they watch it, what do you want them to take away from it? I mean, above all, just to be... Really, for me, what it's...
Is just to entertain them. And if they're moved at times, and they laugh, and, you know, just...
But just to be entertained. And, you know, and just the undertone is luck, you know you know I mean there is a metaphor all throughout it and that's how much luck shapes our lives good and bad and sometimes bad luck is good luck things that happen bad in our life and we all I don't care where you are who you are what creed color wherever you are in the world that is a human condition sometimes bad things often turn out to be treasures and you don't recognize it at the time.
And it takes time sometimes for the journey to unfold, to realize that that was a blessing. There's this old expression, like, thank God for unanswered prayers.
And that always stayed with me too, because it's like when I was young, I didn't know what that meant. Like, what does that mean? But when you get older, you know, it makes more sense because you have to live enough life to see things unfold.
But really just that, you know, just, I mean, really just to be entertained is... Is that the same for you, Thomas? Yeah, I think the entertainment is the major factor or the major takeaway of this movie because like Jesse like jesse was saying earlier there's something about the drama starting with really strong drama and then boom going straight into some dark comedy and then it just takes you by surprise and to go along with for the ride it's you don't you know not that i want to throw our i don't want to some flowers here.
It's just like, it's the kind of movies or the kind of stories and scripts that, it's the kind of script that I personally really enjoy reading and working on. And I think the takeaway as the audience is to just go along for the ride and let your imagination flow into this crazy world and be entertained by all these crazy characters

and, yeah, just have fun with them

because, you know, once this movie gets made,

I want the crew and the cast to just have fun as well

because that's what it's all about.

That's really what it's all about.

It's entertainment.

So that's the last question that I have for you guys which is now the well yeah it's that part of the reason why we do this podcast in the first place is to bring these scripts to the public in a way where producers you know lit people like production companies network studios they don't have to read the script they can listen to it and it's brought to life, right? Yeah, exactly. So the hope for all of us is that we can be a platform to expose great stories that ultimately get picked up and made into shows and films.
So my question is, like, if I'm a production company or a studio and I'm listening to this movie on this podcast, like, what's the budget? budget like what is what's what are you guys looking like how would you pitch it to like somebody in production how would we pitch it in the budget is it's not well I think as comps we would we'd probably say bullet train meets seven psychopaths um and that's probably where we would try to land in terms of style and genre. So I'm trying to think of what's really expensive in the film.
Well, the action sequence certainly at the end, I mean, that could all be toned down. I think location, yeah, the action, like the, you know, rolling the stunts, the the car chase um yeah it's pretty but i mean of course like the car going through a wall is definitely something that that will cost a pretty penny um yeah that's right there's a lot of stunts in there that would probably be like yeah a couple cranes here it's like we have to we need 15 walls for 15 takes for a car to go through that 15 times, you know, for all the different angles or, you know, probably, you know, I think, I'm not too sure in terms of, in terms of budget.
I'm not too sure. And, and it's not necessarily my forte.
Yeah. I'd rather leave that to someone who really knows about it.
And, but we're definitely not shy of, that's the thing. We're definitely not shy of working and collaborating with people who actually know what they're doing in terms of that kind of storytelling.
And let's go. I mean, let's play ball and let's go.
It is a collaboration. Oh, yeah.
If producers or directors see the vision and they see where we want to take it, yeah, let's go. That's awesome.
Let's make it happen. Our emphasis...
And see, the characters come and go. So it's like you could come in and do your part and not have to spend six months doing it, right? But yet it's juicy and potent.
And so that was... In the same way, not to compare to Pulp Fiction or anything like that or Big Lebowski because, you know, it's like I'm not saying it's anything like...
Oh, but it's got flavors of both of those. Flavor, but it's like, you know, but the idea though is if you make those characters potent enough, you draw the attention of names like that.
And you get names like that filing in to play the part. Sky's the limit.
And that's why... It's definitely the dream.
That is the dream. And by no means we're actually you know we're actually no yeah i mean you know but we're telling everybody like oh yeah that's what we are no no absolutely no like these guys are inspirations like these guys inspired us in the work that we do yeah they started right where we all did exactly exactly and listen this is the truth too if you don't believe it no one you have to believe it that's You you have to it doesn't nobody else can believe in you but if you believe in it that's it everybody can believe in you but if you don't it's not going to mean squat so you have to believe it and you have to see it or you'll never make it there it will never happen well so i think i think the vision is actually pretty clear on the page now yeah all these years and after ironing all the creases or at least most of the creases out.
And I think that whoever reads the script or even listens to it, they'll get the vision. They'll get the sense of it.
Well, when we put the episodes up, we also on the website put a link to the script so they can read along with listening to it. Oh, really? So they can see it a great idea so what a great way to read the script while you're it that's right it becomes fully in bloom because i don't know about you but sometimes it's nice for me to have a second screen up where i can just like read along and see what's happening well this is the first time i didn't read the script while we were doing i know I know.
I saw that. Both of you guys were just watching.
I wasn't even like, wow, I was just listening because I'm, the script I spent too much time with. So, and we know it so well that I don't, I know all, you know, all the lines.
Like, you know. You're part of the thread, right? Like we just kept on shooting lines at each other, even with you.
It's like, you know, we're talking about something and then the line pops up from the script, like just because it's well-placed within our conversation with you or, you know, between the two of us. It's like, it's so fresh in our mind.
It's always there. Yeah.
It's almost like a dead grandma is like, just looking over you. Yeah.
I'm just like... Well, I just, I want to thank you both for trusting us with this opportunity to tell the story in this format.
And I am so excited for other people to hear it and to see what energy this generates. It's a pleasure working with you guys.
I had complete confidence when I saw the quality of everything. I knew I had no reservation at all.
The proof is in the pudding, they say. And I really want to say thank you, Sean, for having us on board because- No, I mean, you were kind of our lightning rod- Absolutely.
Kind of trailblaze- Yeah, yeah. Well, I didn't know if you guys would be up for it because we just read the script together earlier this year.
Yeah. And I was just saying, hey, what the heck? Well, just toss it because we needed another really fun piece.
Yeah. Well, I'm glad it worked out to me.
No, thank you. And thank you.
And I appreciate that. And thanks for spending some time talking about it.

It'll be fun for people to get us some insight.

Absolutely.

All right.

Looking forward to it.