‘Ass Backwards’ Is Your New Favorite Movie

Chances are, you already know and love Casey Wilson and June Diane Raphael from, well, lots of things. From Happy Endings to New Girl, these ladies have been welcome additions to our TV screens, always there to make us laugh. Now, they take their real-life friendship and comedic talents to the big screen in Ass Backwards, a film which follows two childhood friends who return to their hometown to win a pageant which eluded them as kids. Writing and starring in your own feature film is no small feat, but Casey and June make it look easy. We were lucky enough to chat with the ladies about their project – and to get an awesome exclusive clip from the film!

What inspired you to tell Kate and Chloe’s story?

“The story was inspired by our 10-plus year friendship. We met at NYU in a clown class (don’t be jealous!) and have been BFFs ever since. After college. our lives were in shambles but we thought we were doing it up Sex and the City style. We were sharing credit cards and creditors (saved in our phones simply as “NOOOOO!”) and we shared Ambien and a waterbed. We had no money or boyfriends but we had each other. Boy, did we have each other. We built each other up in allll the wrong ways, saying, “You don’t have a boyfriend because you’re too strong for a man!” and we believed each other. It was very sweet but our co-dependence was slightly delusional. So the characters in the film that we play (Kate and Chloe) are very reality-challenged, delusional ASS BACKWARDS women. The road trip aspect was based on a road trip we took where we almost killed each other.”

Did either of you compete in pageants growing up?

“No. Mercifully, no. But we consider ourselves learned students of Toddler and Tiaras!”

What’s one thing you did as a kid that you’d like to get a second chance at as an adult?

“We both played soccer and miss it. Also, in our youth, we were able to be in musicals (which we love) and right now Broadway hasn’t exactly called for us to star in a song and dance production, but we NEED IT. Consider this us calling you, Broadway!”

We don’t want to spoil anything for those that haven’t seen the film yet, but which scene was the most fun to film?

“The most fun to film was driving over the Manhattan Bridge singing ‘Take On Me’. In the scene (based on our real life road trip) the CD is so scratched it skips over and over and our characters learned the skips and we are happily singing along to an insane version/remix of the song.”

You’ve pulled together such a great cast – how much of a say did you have in getting that group together?

“We were so lucky to have Alicia Silverstone to play our pageant nemesis (and current thong model), Laurel Kelly. She was a dream and the movie is heightened, like a female Dumb and Dumber or Romy and Michelle (we like to think). So having her, as a tip of the hat to Clueless, was perfect. We also had our friends Bob Odenkirk and Paul Scheer and Paul Rust and Sandy Martin and Drew Droege join us because we asked and Jon Cryer and Vincent D’Onofrio read the script (we didn’t know them) and agreed to be in it, which was so wonderful. We loved everyone in the cast and are so happy to have had their talents for an indie film.”

Are Kate and Chloe anything like June and Casey?

“Well, June doesn’t sell her eggs for a living and Casey doesn’t sleep in a glass box as a model for a living, but other than that? Ha, our lips are sealed.”

Check out an EXCLUSIVE clip from Ass Backwards below, and head out to see the film – out in theatres now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GrLjjyitso?rel=0