ComingSoon Entertainment Content Specialist Brandon Schreur spoke to Hannah Simone about her role in Super Troopers 3. Simone discussed working with Jay Chandrasekhar on New Girl before joining the cast of the new Super Troopers movie, how she and Broken Lizard filmed some of the movie’s wildest scenes, and more. Super Troopers 3 is now available on Digital and arrives on Blu-ray November 3.
“The third installment of the cult comedy franchise from the Broken Lizard crew finds the Super Troopers once again caught between questionable police work and complete mayhem. When Farva’s wildly over-the-top Indian engagement to Thorny’s sister spirals into chaos, the Super Troopers must navigate Thorny’s schemes to break up the relationship, while trying to crack a pernicious new drug ring – all to save the day and maybe the wedding itself,” the official description reads.
Brandon Schreur: I’d love to hear a little bit about your relationship with the Super Troopers movies in general. That first one came out in 2001 and obviously became a big hit; I was a little too young to see it at that time, but in the following years I’ve watched it so many times and have fallen in love with it. The second one came out in 2018. Were you a fan of these movies before you officially joined the franchise in Super Troopers 3? Do you remember the first time you watched the movie and how you responded to it?
Hannah Simone: I don’t remember the first time I watched the movie, but I know I watched it multiple times. And the second one, multiple times. I was a huge fan. I mean, there wasn’t a lot of South Asians in big American blockbuster movies, right? So, for me, it was, like, shocking. I was like, ‘We’re allowed to do that? That’s so cool!’
I remember being on New Girl and they were like, ‘So our director this week is Jay Chandrasekhar.’ It was, like, this huge thing, especially as, you know, a South Asian actor — to be able to work with him and be directed by him. And he directed a bunch of New Girls over the years. It was always so surreal and he’s such a good director, because he’s also an actor, so he really gets it. It just feels like he’s your friend who just wants you to win in the scene, you know?
So that was, like, just an incredible moment for me to work with him there. And I thought, ‘Well, that’s the end of that. Great!’ And then a decade later, I got a text on my phone saying, ‘Hey Hannah, it’s Jay, I need you to play Sarita in Super Troopers 3, my sister.’ And I was just like, ‘Is this real life? Like, how am I going to be part of this franchise? And get to work with one of my favorite directors? And get to play his sister?’ Like, all of it was just wild. I could not believe that this was my life.
Sure. I’m sure that’s got to be super exciting. And, like you said, Jay just seems like the nicest guy in the world and like he’d be so much fun to work with, so I can imagine collaborating again with him must have been an absolute blast.
Yeah, for sure, because I’d only worked with him as a director. Now, we got to be scene partners together, right? So it’s like a whole different layer of interacting with someone that, you know, you really, really admire. It was really cool.
Absolutely. So do you remember that first reaction you had when you heard they were making Super Troopers 3 and you got that text? I mean, you have a big, important role in the movie. What’s the story of how you ended up getting cast in here, and then what made you most excited to dive into this project and play this character?
I mean, the first time I heard of it was when Jay texted me. I didn’t know there was going to be a Super Troopers 3. And I got that text from him and I honestly thought, ‘Like, is he joking? Is it a prank?’ I didn’t know. It felt so crazy. I was like, ‘This — this is how someone gets cast in a movie?’ You know, this is not, like, a little movie. This is not a tiny thing we’re doing or a favor for a friend. This is a huge, global release and a studio film, and I was like, ‘This is how I’m getting cast?’
That felt totally surreal to me. And then I thought, ‘Well, maybe [Sarita] has one line in one scene. And then you’re like, ‘This is, like, the heart of the whole movie.’ Yeah, so — I mean, that was crazy. I don’t know, as somebody who always wanted to be an actor, the idea that you’ve made those kinds of relationships in the industry and people can see what you can do, [it means] that they trust you. Just for them to say, ‘We’d be so lucky to have you come and hang out with us and do this with us.’ It was, like, a really nice moment to know that you’ve worked hard enough and gotten to that place. It was great.
I’m sure that’s got to be a great feeling. That’s awesome to hear. The character you play, Marita, is so much fun, too. I love how she’s defying expectations right from the beginning; you don’t expect her to fall in love with Farva, of all people, but that opening with the car crash and everything — you see how that plays out and where the movie goes from there. What stood out to you most about this character when you were reading the script for the first time, and what aspect of Sarita were you most excited to explore in your performance here?
I love the fact that she’s unexpected. You think when she says what she does for a living or how she’s talking to her brother, like, ‘Oh, I know the formula on this type of character.’ And credit to those Broken Lizards, because they just put twist after twist after twist into the film. So, don’t get too comfortable, I guess, I would say to viewers. If you’re watching it and you go like, ‘I know what’s going to happen.’ I promise you, you don’t.
Totally. You get me good at the end there, too, with that last joke involving Rabbit and then going back to Farva. I did not expect that one.
I know, I didn’t either when I read the script. I was like, ‘Wait, what?’ I had to read it again. And was still like, ‘Wait, what?’ She’s good.
You mentioned Broken Lizard, and I’m really curious what it’s like to show up on set for the first day with them. They’ve obviously been working together for so long and have known each other for decades. Is it nerve-wracking at all to show up for this project knowing they’re all already so close with each other? Or does them having that back-and-forth make for a more collaborative environment for you to play in the space and find the comedic area to explore this character?
I mean, it’s kind of both, right? Of course, it’s nerve-wracking. Like, you’re showing up to these five best friends, and they’re also the writers. They’re also directing, right? They’re also producing and they’re starring in it. And they have, like, all these hit movies behind them and you’re just like — you just don’t want to screw it up. So you’re like, ‘I’m going to show up, and I just hope that I help add or elevate whatever it is you’re doing.’ I’m just here to help, right?
I’ve had friends who’ve worked on their previous movies, so I called them and I was like, ‘What’s it gonna be like, showing up on set? I only know Jay!’ And they were like, ‘They’re the best guys. They’re so funny, the set is so loose, all they want to do is bits, and they want to make each other laugh on and off set.’ And I was like, ‘Okay!’ I showed up on set and every word of that was true and more. Like, the kindest, kindest crew you’ve ever met in your entire life. And because of that, you immediately feel safe. You’re laughing all the time; you’re trying all these things. They love it, they’re bouncing off you, and you’re bouncing off them.
And then they cast a bunch of people, right, that are all just a murderer’s row of comedic improv people. And they just let them go. So, it’s the great set. When they make a Super Troopers 4 and you get cast in it — run. Get that text from Jay and run to go be part of the next movie. Because it is just the most fun experience.
Totally. Like you said, so many great, talented actors. I spent a lot of the movie trying to figure out who the voice of the electric car was because I wouldn’t let myself pause the film and look it up. Then I got to the credits and was like, ‘Oh, Will Sasso!’ He’s great. So many awesome people.
So many awesome people. And that’s the thing, too, I’ve learned that once you’re in the family, you are in the family. Like, there’s so many people that have been in previous movies that come back in different ways. And, truly, when you’re in the family, you are family. Like, I was at a barbecue at Kevin’s house, you know? They’re just the most loving, wonderful people. Ugh, I can’t say enough about them.
There are a couple of specific scenes in this movie that I’m really dying to ask you about. One of them is the dance scene right at the beginning. One of my favorite things in the world is when a movie has an unexpected dance scene, so when we get one here that opens the movie, I’m suddenly freaking out and like, ‘Yup, I’m in for an all-timer here.’ Can you tell me a bit about filming that moment and how long it took to rehearse the whole sequence and learn the steps to make sure it looked right?
When I got the script, I had just assumed that the dance was all of us. Like, big flash mob style where everybody’s dancing kind of dance sequence. Because I am a terrible dancer. So, I was in hair and makeup with Jay, and we were sitting there, and it was like a week before we were going to do the dance sequence. And I was like, ‘Oh, hey, by the way, I forgot to mention this, but when we do the dance sequence next week, just bury me in the back, okay? Like, hide me in the back because I don’t want to mess up the movie.’ And he’s like, ‘What are you talking about? It’s just you and Kevin.’ I was like, ‘Excuse me?’ He’s like, ‘It’s just you and Kevin doing the dance. Hannah, no one else is dancing.’ I thought that was a terrible idea. That’s very terrible. And he’s like, ‘Well, you better figure it out because that’s what’s happening.’ So we had two days of choreography, and then we had one morning where we shot the entire thing.
Thankfully, Kevin and I, we are so close, our friendship is so close, and we care for each other so much that that was the drive, right? Like, I’m not going to let him down and suck as his scene partner, so I have to act like I can dance. I have to sell it. And he was the same — I mean, he’s not like some professional Bollywood dancer, as you can imagine. But he was like, ‘Well, I don’t want Hannah to feel like I wasn’t trying my hardest.’ So he just sold it so hard. We both did.
We were like, ‘Let’s just commit a thousand percent and make it seem like we know what we’re doing.’ And so we did. We sold it as hard as we could. But at the end of the dance sequence, you see him and me, like, jumping up and down and hugging each other and everything. That was not part of the film. That is just us genuinely being so relieved that we survived the dance sequence so that we can now move on to shoot anything else.
That’s so awesome. I loved it, and it’s such a cool way to open the movie, so it’s awesome to hear that it was as fun to make as it was to watch. Another scene I’m dying to ask you about is the part when all of you go get the clothes for the wedding ceremony, and there’s that big basket of snakes that Kevin has to reach his hand into. I genuinely could not tell, were those real snakes in that scene or was that all special effects?
Thank goodness they were all fake snakes. Because I was so concerned. I was like, if there’s going to have to be, like, a snake handler there, what’s it going to be like? Thankfully, they were all fake snakes. I would have been climbing the walls otherwise.
Did that make it more challenging, like, to have to film around it and imagine the snakes there? I’m sure if there were snakes, you and probably a lot of other people would have been freaking out, but is having to play in that space still an acting challenge?
No, it was great. I mean, they had snakes on set — they were prop snakes that looked, like, real enough to make your skin crawl. So, they helped us get there, for sure.
Totally. I’m always so curious to hear about what it’s like to watch the movie that you’re starring in for the first time. You’re obviously there when this is all being filmed and you have an idea in your mind of what it’s going to look like, but what’s it like to sit down and experience Super Troopers 3 for the first time with a crowd where you get to laugh along with other people? Was there a specific moment or gag that really got you when watching the film that played differently compared to when you were filming it?
Honestly, that was the greatest part. I’m not, like, a huge fan of watching myself. But I’ve done a lot of TV, right? So, to sit in a cinema. Full of people. And get to hear what everybody laughed at, right? And to see what everybody responded to — the things that you had no idea that people were going to laugh that hard at. You know, it was really cool. I just want comedies to come back to the movies. Because I realized how much I’ve missed that communal experience of sitting with a bunch of people and laughing. I’m so grateful now that the film is available to buy and run on Amazon Prime, Fandango, and Apple, so that people can sit there, they can get all their friends over, they have a watch party, and they can laugh together. I feel like that’s what we’re missing right now in life, to be able to sit down and laugh together. It was a wonderful experience, actually, to kind of discover what the audience thought was so funny.
Sure. Just one last question for you, Hannah. I mean, you mentioned it before, but we end here with a tease for Super Troopers 4. But it’s a very Broken Lizard kind of tease where it can be hard to tell if it’s just one last joke in the movie or if there are plans for something happening here. Do you think this could happen? Would you be interested in seeing another? Personally, I would love to see what Farva and Sarita’s baby looks like, if that’s where we’re going with this.
I mean, we have to do it just for that alone. Everybody wants to see little Farva running around. Absolutely. Yeah, I mean, I hope so. Look, they’ve done it three times, and I feel like the movies always get better and funnier and weirder. So, yeah, let’s hope for it. I hope Super Troopers4 is coming; I want to see Baby Farva running around. I will say there were so many weird, funny things that happened when making this film, and they put together such a great gag reel. They did a tour of the set; they did all sorts of things just for the fans. And the film is going to be available on Blu-ray and DVD on November 3, and all of that stuff is available there. It’s also nice to have movies in your hands these days, I feel like.
Oh, yeah. Big fan of that.
Yeah, right? Own your media. So I think that’s really cool. So, I encourage people to go buy that, watch it with your friends, and you’ll see jokes you missed the first time. Do your rewatch and then, yeah, you get access to all this stuff that otherwise isn’t available.
Thanks to Hannah Simone for taking the time to discuss Super Troopers 3.