Michael Angarano is one of those actors that I always knew would one day become a filmmaker. You can just see it in them, and the way they seem to be soaking everything up even as they are performing. In 2017, he made his directorial debut with Avenues, but it was last year at SXSW that he made a bigger splash with Sacramento. The road trip comedy, which he co-wrote with fellow actor Chris Smith, has a personal quality as it’s inspired by an impromptu journey the two made from Los Angeles to the state capital. The film also co-stars Angarano’s wife, actress Maya Erskine.
Sacramento stars Angarano as Rickey, with Michael Cera as Glenn, two longtime friends dealing with a wealth of personal issues that have taken their anxiety to the next level. Together, they take an unplanned trip to Sacramento to sort out some of their problems, but all might not be as it seems. The film also stars Kristen Stewart as Glenn’s pregnant wife, Rosie, and former WWE Women’s champ AJ Mendez aka AJ Lee in a fun supporting role.
I had the chance to talk with Michael Angarano and Chris Smith about Sacramento, the real-life adventure that inspired it, and how much each of them can be seen in the characters of Rickey and Glenn. It was a great conversation and I hope you’ll check it out!
Sacramento is open in theaters now.
