Bad Genius is an edge-of-your-seat new thriller that follows Lynn, a brilliant scholarship student, who devises an ingenious cheating scheme to help her friends ace their exams. However, things soon spiral out of control and you won't be able to tear your eyes away from the screen.
The movie stars Callina Liang (Presence), Benedict Wong (Avengers: Endgame), Jabari Banks (Bel-Air), and Taylor Hickson (Motherland: Fort Salem), and is written by Julius Onah (Captain America: Brave New World) and J.C. Lee (The Morning Show). The latter also directs.
Last week, we sat down with Wong and Lee to discuss this must-see remake of the 2017 Thai hit.
During our conversation, Wong talked in detail about branching out from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, how he approached playing a caring, overbearing father, and what he related to in the character.
Lee, meanwhile, explains how he created tension on screen, why Benedict was a crucial part of telling this story, and where the inspiration came from to put a new spin of the original Bad Genius.
You can check out the full interview with Wong and Lee on Bad Genius below.
I thought this film was terrific, and Benedict, when it came to working with Callina on that father/daughter dynamic you get some really fun scenes like the face cream one and then more serious ones with how disappointed he is in her. What about the process did you enjoy?
Benedict: Thank you, Josh, I really did. For me, my career sometimes is always in that fantastical element so for me to just connect with that human story and to play this proud father of this tight family unit…he’s a single dad who wants to honour his late wife and wants everything for [his daughter]. Hopefully, we get to see the full gamut of he can be silly and he’s got to be everything for her, but yet he’s trying to steer her on this right path and wants her security. We watch this tussle that she’s pulling away for her passion and dreams. That musicality she has like her mum. It’s beautiful to play that.
J.C., there’s a great scene early on when there are two different versions of a test and it had me on the edge of my seat; what’s the biggest challenge in creating tension as a filmmaker for a moment like that?
J.C.: Oh, thank you so much. I think, you know, I feel like creating tension is often about making sure you’re living inside the world with the character. In a film like this, which is about test taking, we’ve all experienced that. We all know what it feels like to sit in an exam and not know the answers or to be worried about someone catching you doing something you’re not supposed to be doing. There’s already a pre-existing visceral response to seeing that and having that moment and I think that’s what all fun films do. They reconnect you to this part of yourself and the memory surges through you and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I remember exactly what that felt like.’ I think that’s the fun of the film. We can all connect to that experience; we’ve all been in school, we’ve all taken a test, and it’s freaked us out at one point or another. That’s where a lot of that tension comes from.
Benedict, you’ve been in some of the biggest movies ever Marvel; is it fair to say it’s important for you to balance that with projects like this one where you get to challenge yourself in different ways and tell different stories?
Benedict: Absolutely. I always have my dowling stick as a guiding system of following the good story and listening to my gut. I haven’t seen the original Bad Genius but I came across this script beautifully written by J.C. and this iteration of having the immigrant story and chasing that ‘American Dream,’ quote, unquote. For me, that was a really great angle, especially for someone who is of a first generation. It’s totally relatable for me. Yeah, I was just along for the ride. It’s a heist movie as well and, as a veteran actor, I get to watch this incredible ensemble of young actor who are going to have these massive careers. A lot of debuts going on with Callina and beautifully helmed as well with J.C. directing it. Look out for them all. Jabari Banks, Taylor Hickson, Sam Braun, Conor Meadows, they’re gonna be some serious household names.
J.C., working with Julius Onah on the script, there is an original version of the story and you’re remaking it with a different spin by exploring the American education system. What inspired that?
J.C.: I mean, that original film, right? That original film was just so remarkable and great. What a powerhouse of a filmmaker. Whenever I adapt anything, the question is always just, ‘Can we protect and preserve what everyone loves about this material?’ With that original film, that’s not super hard to do because there’s a lot to love about what that was doing. I just felt like our job was to make sure we were faithful stewards of that. We took the material and we made sure this was what people loved and protected that. Whenever we needed to translate around the edges in terms of how an American audience comes to understand the story, that’s what we would do. Beyond that, that original film is great and our job is just to be faithful to that.
While I’ve got you, Benedict, Robert Downey Jr. is playing Doctor Doom in the next Avengers movies; what are the odds we see the Sorcerer Supreme go up against him?
Benedict: Hey, well, look, I’m all for it. I’m ready! With Wong, he’s been promoted to Sorcerer Supreme so it’s all in the hands of the Marvel Universe to see where we go with it. Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.
Back to you J.C., and talking of Benedict’s character, he is such an important part of this film, why was that father/daughter relationship such an important part of this story for you?
J.C.: Benedict, to me, is the heart and soul of every film he’s in, you know what I mean? I think that having him play this father in this film only anchors that even more. I think that for Callina’s character and her performance, you don’t really go on the ride with her unless you know what she’s fighting for. When you come home with her and you see her relationship with her father and you see how much his approval means to her and how much work he’s put into giving her an opportunity to fulfil her dreams, then you understand why she goes out and does all the crazy stuff she does in this movie [Laughs]. You need that. So, to me, it’s a no-brainer that you would lean into some of that stuff and with Benedict and Callina, it was just a treasure trove of material that they gave us to work with. They gave us so many iterations, so many gradients, so much nuance in what they did together in those scenes that you would be insane not to build a film around that heart and soul.
Meng does want what’s best for his daughter, he’s a really good guy and is such a hard worker. At the same time, he wants something specific for his daughter’s future. To explore that, could you relate to experiences in your own life?
Benedict: Yeah, very much so. Your parents, mine obviously wanted me to be the lawyer, the doctor…I starred in an episode of Medics and thought that was going to be enough and Law & Order, but you have to…it’s about security and dreams. I’m living my dream now and I think the lesson for us all is to find our passion and to nurture our kids passion and within ourselves and ask that question because when you find that, you never need work again. It’s work but it’s not work. It’s a real pleasure and it’s been such a joy to be on this and for us to build something like this, I’ve enjoyed it thoroughly.
Bad Genius is a gripping thriller that follows Lynn, a brilliant scholarship student, who devises an ingenious cheating scheme to help her friends ace their exams. As their underground cheating operation expands, Lynn finds herself at the center of a high-stakes game that tests her morals and pits her against the American education system.
Bad Genius releases day-and-date in theaters and on Digital on October 11.