Kylie Bunbury: a fresh face to the blockbuster scene. You may know her from her roles in ABC Family’s Twisted, the Stephen King novel-based drama Under the Dome, and Fox’s Pitch. I got the chance to speak briefly with Kylie about her role in the new film Game Night, in theaters February 23, 2018.
Check out our conversation below:
Cat Combs: Well hello. Let’s dive, in shall we? Your character Michelle, tell us about her.
Kylie Bunbury: Ok. Michelle. Michelle is the wife of Kevin. She is definitely the grounded one in the relationship. She’s fun, she likes to play games, she’s competitive, and her and her husband have been together since middle school. And this is their favorite thing to do every week, to have game nights with their friends. And yeah, that’s who you’re going to see in the movie.
Cat: Okay. So how is that relationship with the husband played by Lamorne Morris. Kevin is his name in the film. I know you guys go through a little tizzy in the film—tell us about that.
Kylie: Well, we end up playing a game that kind of brings about Kevin’s insecurities. And, I don’t know how much more I can really say. But, it’s a through line running throughout the entire movie. And it’s fun. It’s fun for Michelle. I mean, she’s used to watching him squirm a little bit and they’ve been together for so long, so I think she likes to poke at him a little bit.
Cat: I could see a little bit of that.
Kylie: Yeah!
Cat: Has that ever happened to you in real life? A mistaken identity kind of thing?
Kylie: Um, no. But if you talk to Lamorne though, this character really resonated with him, because he’s actually gone through the circumstance.
Cat: Oh!
Kylie: Yea. I know, I know. But I haven’t. Not that I know of.
Cat: Okay, okay. So, Game Night is all about murder mysteries and games. Have you ever been involved in a murder mystery dinner party?
Kylie: No, I would love to do one. I was actually thinking about doing it for my birthday sometime. Maybe I’ll do that for my next birthday. But I do do game nights, big game night person. I’m very competitive.
Cat: What do you play?
Kylie: Taboo. I really like it. A lot!
Cat: So, if there was a game that you could be the best at, what would it be?
Kylie: Oh, a game I could be the best at. Hmm. [friend in the background: “Taboo”] What? Taboo? Yeah. I mean yeah, probably Taboo if I could be the best at it, but I’m already the best!
Cat: There you go.
Kylie: Actually let me think about that. Oh, you know what, chess because that’s a hard one. So, if I could, yes, chess.
Cat: Comedy is kind of new for you, right? You haven’t done much of that.
Kylie: No. I haven’t done much at all. I normally play very serious characters. It’s interesting because I don’t necessarily think that Michelle’s character is funny. She’s funny, but I don’t think she’s like, the comedic relief, by any means, in the film.
I think what’s important in a comedic film is having that groundedness, and I think Michelle provides that. I mean, I learned a lot. It was fun, you know, working with these comedic geniuses, basically.
Cat: What drew you to the script originally?
Kylie: What drew me to the script was how funny it was. Because I’m reading the script and I’m actually laughing out loud without even seeing it, you know. But, I loved the dark undertone, and I liked that it was a thriller. I liked that I haven’t really seen comedies that have done that. I think it’s kind of creating its own genre a little bit.
Cat: Did you do any prep work for the film? Like, go play some games…
Kylie: Well, I do have game nights so, yeah definitely.
Cat: Did you tell your friends, I got this role so let’s practice?
Kylie: Yes, yes. We played all sorts of games.
Cat: What was one of the most memorable moments while making the film, with the cast?
Kylie: So, we actually, as a cast, we had our own game nights. And we played Clue. So that was really fun. Because we really wanted to build a rapport to make it look like, you know, we all got together on a weekly basis and played games. Because on a film you kind of just get thrown together and are expected to have good chemistry. So, it was important for us to get together and play some games, get to know each other.
Cat: Have you ever cheated in a game?
Kylie: Oh yeah, for sure. Well, I have brothers so I’ve definitely had to cheat sometimes.
Cat: What’s the worst thing you’ve done to win?
Kylie: The worst thing I’ve done to win…I can’t even remember. Probably just, if they called me out on cheating, just incessantly lie. Like, “I’m not cheating,” and just carry on that narrative throughout the day.
Cat: Going on a cultural standpoint, with cell phones, digital games, little kids on their tablets, how do you think this film will bring about the traditional game nights?
Kylie: I think that’s the cool thing about this film, that it’s calling people to set down their phone and, you know, actually play games that technology is not required [for] and have conversations. Yeah. I think, also, we love throwbacks. So, I think people are going to start playing some throwback games. Hopefully. I don’t know.
Cat: Okay, last question. I am from Black Girl Nerds, so are there any nerdy aspects about yourself that you would like to share with us? Comic books you love, shows you watch…
Kylie: I like Dragon Ball Z.
Cat: Alright!
Kylie: Yeah, yeah! That’s definitely nerdy.
Cat: I love that! Dragon Ball Z.
Kylie: Yes! Trunks is my favorite.
Cat: Perfect! I will end on that.
Game night releases in theaters tomorrow, February 23rd.
Written by Catalina Combs
Catalina Combs is an aspiring film critic from California. She loves reading, writing, film, baking, music, drawing, traveling, Disney, and playing soccer. Her life usually revolves around all of these and her family. The oldest of six, Catalina tries to set a good example for her siblings. She graduated from Santa Clara University in 2010 with a BA in English Creative Writing and is pursuing an MA in Film. I also blog on WordPress and contribute to the Examiner.com.
Twitter: @tiggercraze | Facebook: Cat Combs | Instagram: @tiggercraze
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