The Afterparty cast is following in the footsteps of legendary method actors, like Daniel Day Lewis, Lady Gaga and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Ilana Glazer, Zoë Chao, Ike Barinholtz, Jamie Demetriou, Sam Richardson and Ben Schwartz spoke exclusively to E! News about how they got into character for the murder mystery series in which pop star Xavier (Dave Franco) is killed at a high school reunion afterparty.
For obvious reasons, we can't divulge the details of the crime, but we can confirm these actors are dedicated to their craft.
Brit Jamie, who plays Walt, shared that working with the cast was an intense ride from beginning to end: "They actually were really kind and very safely met me at the airport and threw tomatoes—or as you say, toe-me-toes—at me."
Ilana took the lead in welcoming the English actor to America, joking that they helped him acclimate to the way things are done across the pond. "I was sort of like the captain of the hazing campaign," she confirmed. "It had phases—we shot for like four and a half months—and it got dark for Jamie."
Instead of viewing this as a negative experience, Jamie said it got him into Walt's mindset since the character was an outcast in high school. "I think they were just trying to help me, they were trying to make me go meta," he said. "I mean, everyone was going meta."
He went on to explain how deep into character everyone got, revealing, "Ilana was drinking all day every day. Ike was wearing those tight jeans when he got home. Ben Schwartz was literally singing musicals every where."
Ilana and Jamie shared that John Early, who played Detective Culp, even started working with the local police department to get some hands-on experience. In the process, John taught the officers some stuff too, with Ilana revealing, "He got those boys into shape."
But the star who really got into their role was Tiffany Haddish. Jamie joked that the comedian went undercover and "solved some of the great murders of 2021 as a result."
For Ike, the experience was transformative as the actor realized through playing an action star that he has a true need for speed. "A lot of people have been spreading the rumor that I didn't do any of my own stunts, which is not true," the comedian insisted. "I did about 10 percent of them."
And while he hasn't gotten any invites to audition for the next Mission Impossible, Ike said he has what it takes to be an action star. In fact, he's so confident in his abilities, he'd be willing to take on Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's role in Fast & The Furious. "I'll do it," he said, "if Dwayne's out, I'm in."
If The Afterparty sounds like it's all over the place, that's because it is—but it's totally intentional. Executive producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller put a clever twist on the typical murder-mystery by telling each suspect's perspective through a different genre. Ike tackled the action movie, Ilana starred in a thriller, Ben sang his heart out in musical fashion and Zoë became an animated version of herself.
It's the perfect blend of action and romance, though the cast leans heavily into its comedic roots. To see how the stars tackled your favorite types of movies, check out the series when the first three episodes premiere on Apple TV+ Friday, Jan. 28. The five remaining episodes will be released weekly.