At times with articles such as these it’s easy to see how one person might have an issue working with another actor since drama and tension tend to sell more than positive vibes usually and it’s easier to push gossip than it is to bring anything else to the public. But in this case Bill Burr had nothing but good things to say about his costar Pete Davidson when working on the movie King of Staten Island. The story is pretty simple as the writers from Looper tell it, as Davidson plays a character that’s more or less like himself, apart from the fact that Burr has openly stated that Pete isn’t a slacker and instead is the type of hard worker that gets in and gets the job done on a regular basis, proving that he’s dedicated to his craft and being the best he can be. Playing the part of a 24-year old slacker that still lives with his mom and has no real ambition to do anything though, Davidson is insanely convincing as he appears to have no real desire to grow, adapt, or change, despite the fact that everyone around him is doing something with their lives, or trying to. The fact that this is said to mirror his own life in some ways is interesting, though of course it’s already been established that Pete is a hard worker and despite the idea that father did pass way during 9/11, much of the story is accurate in a way but made up otherwise.
The story is still a powerful one though and it definitely made Burr work for the role as well, considering that after growing the mustache he felt as though things were clicking in a way that made a lot more sense as he continued to get into character. But as far as his relationship with Davidson went the two had already known each other for a while and as a result they worked quite well together. Becoming the kind of guy that would move in on a young man’s mother after sharing a mutual attraction however it does feel accurate to say that a young boy would feel a bit threatened by the proposed change and the intrusion of someone into his world that might not be fully acceptable at first. When one sits and thinks it through, this kind of change is more than a little difficult since it forces someone that’s suffered a traumatic loss to simply move on, and while some folks can do this, not everyone is so accepting of the reality and there are those that will actively seek to deny it as much as possible. In that way this movie was bound to be a challenge for both men no matter that they knew each other and no matter that Davidson had been through this part of life already.
Many people understand that kids don’t have the same mental and emotional faculties as adults, or rather, those faculties aren’t as fully developed yet, which means that they don’t always process such trauma in the same manner when given the same amount of time to do so. It doesn’t matter if one is an adult or a kid, the time needed to grieve, to accept, and to move on can vary from person to person, but often adults will come to understand a little quicker that pushing forward is the only way to go after losing someone. This isn’t universal of course, as some adults have completely shut down upon losing someone important in their lives. Even those with kids might shut down without another thought for anything but their own misery. But on average an adult will move forward before their kids, and if that’s the case then it’s very possible to get the scenario we see in this movie. Obviously this is frustrating for others that don’t understand why a person can’t appear to move forward, but as with anything in life it’s a process, a personal matter that requires time, patience, and a gentle prod now and then that might cause resentment and anger at some point. But it’s a real story that can and has happened throughout history since following trauma of any sort one of the biggest parts of recovery is the act of moving on.
This is a highly recommended movie for anyone that’s lost someone, as it’s amusing and touching at the same time and does represent just what can happen when someone loses the will to move on with their life and instead decides to dream without taking action. Burr and Davidson’s chemistry was perfect since they managed to create a relationship that became more than a little volatile throughout the movie, but eventually allowed them to understand one another better and find that they had more in common than they thought.
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