Amazon’s “Road House,” a reimagined take on the classic movie which starred Patrick Swayze, is still undated, but “Shrinking” star Jessica Williams is excited about it. Not only does it stars Jake Gyllenhaal, but she has an unnamed role in the movie, which she already shot.
Greenlit in August 2022, “Road House” tells the story of an ex-UFC middleweight fighter who ends up working at a rowdy bar in the Florida Keys where things are not as they seem.
During an interview for Variety Awards Circuit Podcast to discuss her role in Apple TV’s “Shrinking,” the actor talks about working with Oscar nominee Gyllenhaal (“Brokeback Mountain”). “It was so cool working with him,” she says. “He’s an amazing actor. I was so excited to do ‘Road House’ with Jake Gyllenhaal. He’s an insane actor. Every time, you’re learning. My job as an actor, especially on ‘Shrinking,’ is to make everyone look good by knowing what the hell I’m doing on set. I love volleying, and I got to do that with Jake.”
In addition to Gyllenhaal and Williams, the film stars Billy Magnussen (“No Time to Die”), Daniela Melchior (“The Suicide Squad”), Gbemisola Ikumelo (“A League of Their Own”), Lukas Gage (“The White Lotus”) and Hannah Love Lanier (“A Black Lady Sketch Show”).
The former “Daily Show” correspondent didn’t reveal any other projects on her docket but did share she was open to a Marvel film or any other superhero movie. “I want to work with really interesting people I can learn from,” she says.
Doug Liman (“Edge of Tomorrow”) directs the movie from a script written by Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry. After producing the original 1989 film, Joel Silver is back producing for his company Silver Pictures along with JJ Hook, Alison Winter and Aaron Auch who serve as executive producers. The original film grossed a modest $30 million against a $15 million budget but has since become a cult classic and stands as one of Swayze’s most beloved roles.
Williams is among the top Emmy contenders for supporting comedy actress for “Shrinking,” in addition to her voiceover performance on Netflix’s animated program “Entergalatic’ with Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi.
UTA and Rise Management rep Williams. Gyllenhaal is represented by WME; Liman is represented by CAA; and Ikumelo is represented by Paradigm and Curtis Brown Group.
Listen to the latest Variety Awards Circuit Podcast episode, which also has Williams’ co-star Christa Miller as a guest.
