When Michael Angarano was trying to get ‘Sacramento’, his indie buddy comedy about two friends who go on a road trip to a certain state capital off the ground, the question he’d get was always the same. Does it really need to be set in Sacramento?
At one point we were ready to shoot the movie in Atlanta—we had the financing and everything
, remembers Angarano, who directed the film, as well as co-wrote it. And this was for a movie called ‘Sacramento.’ But it’s like why try to cheat it? Maybe, we should just call it ‘Athens’ or ‘Savannah.’
Even though Angarano and his co-writer Chris Smith weren’t that familiar with the city that inspired their film, its appearance on a highway sign, informing them of the California city’s distance from Los Angeles, was foundational. For them, Sacramento wasn’t just a destination; it was a state of mind.
Sacramento as a State of Mind
We feel grateful and very excited to make a movie like ‘Sacramento.’
The exchange about Sacramento plays out nearly verbatim in the film that Angarano and Smith finally finished after many false starts and abrupt stops. This version premieres at the Tribeca Festival this weekend and has evolved just as the lives of those involved with bringing it to the screen have dramatically changed. In ‘Sacramento’, two estranged college buddies reconnect at a transitional moment in their lives. Michael Cera is Glenn, a soon-to-be father, stressed out by impending parenthood and facing a professional crisis. Angarano plays Ricky, his irresponsible friend whose happy-go-lucky persona masks some deeper personal issues.
The Real-Life Reflections
Our dynamic is not the same
, says Angarano. Mike is not like the strait-laced one and I’m not the wild guy. We’re both pretty similar.
Cera notes that the years it took to get the film off the ground meant that when cameras actually started rolling, their lives mirrored the characters they were playing: It’s a movie about these two guys on the precipice of fatherhood who are entering this new chapter
, Cera explains. He emphasizes that due to the delay in starting production, both he and Angarano had entered into fatherhood by then, making it a very real and immediate experience.
The Unexpected Casting Journey
This production has deeply affected Angarano’s life. He met his future wife Maya Erskine after casting her in the film as Ricky’s ex-girlfriend. Despite all the delays in getting off ground, Erskine stayed committed to both Angarano and the project. The couple’s first son was born in 2021, followed by an announcement last April that they were expecting their second child.
The Kristen Stewart Chapter
To add more depth to their cast, Angarano approached Kristen Stewart, whom he had dated in their early teens. Stewart plays Rosie, Glenn’s very pregnant wife. Stewarts’ love for smaller films and desire to work with Cera helped secure financing for shooting the movie in Sacramento instead of an Atlanta suburb.
A Nervy Ask From Cera
A few days before filming began, Cera gave Angarano some anxiety with an unclear text message asking for an insane favor. When Angarano reached out for clarification, Cera didn’t respond immediately which led to panic among all involved. Eventually, when Cera responded he simply wanted to borrow one of Angarano’s guitars during the shoot.
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