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The star of Grimm, the villain in Pitch Perfect 2 and the director of the Al-Jazeera documentary Borderland used to be roommates, and back then, they swore they would make a movie together.
Buddymoon, opening this Friday, makes good on that promise.
Buddymoon is a charming, bromance-in-nature comedy following David Giuntoli and German YouTube phenomenon Flula Borg as fictional versions of themselves. They filmed in Oregon, ad-libbing most of the dialogue in the unscripted film about a morose actor who gets dumped right before his wedding and agrees to go on his honeymoon hike with his eccentric foreign friend Flula instead of his wife. Alex Simmons directs with reverence for the Pacific Northwest, incorporating diary entries from Meriwether Lewis throughout the buddies' trek.
Before Buddymoon's release, Flula Borg talked with WW about peeing in cars, his crush on Grimm and hiking in Portland.
WW: A lot of your YouTube videos take place in cars. Are you homeless?
Flula Borg: I enjoy to save money on rent, yes. But I find that there's a lot of inspiration when you're in the car. There's such a driving culture here, especially in L.A.
What's come out of your most inspirational L.A. traffic jams?
One time I was driving with my friends' dogs, and one starting peeing in the back seat. I realized we should all be outside all the time and had a metaphysical breakdown and wrote a song about it.
How did you and David Giuntoli end up being roommates?
Just like in the movie, I met him while he was traveling in Germany. I moved to America shortly after, and we ended up living together in L.A. We met the director of Buddymoon, Alex Simmons, while looking for a housemate on Craigslist. He was not a casual encounter, I promise.
Why did you film in Oregon?
Besides us really liking Portland, it worked out nicely with David about to start another season of Grimm. We had to fit in filming between that and my wrapping up Pitch Perfect 2, so we did it in 10 days. If those 10 days hadn't worked out, the movie probably wouldn't have happened. When it actually came to pass, we were so excited that we couldn't resist using our real names in the movie.
Do you have a favorite place in Portland?
In Portland, it's like a Miss America pageant, but all of the winners are mountains and trees. I love beer, coffee, rain, the nature. Portland and the hiking are like lasagna: There are lots of good little things, but you have to bite it all at once to get the dozens of delicious flavors.
Were you familiar with the story of Lewis and Clark?
I know some American history, but that was a deep cut. Alex is from Idaho and knew a lot about their story. It was Alex's call to make it more of a backbone during the editing, having David read the passages from the Meriwether Lewis journal in voice-overs. I'm like a crazy jumping bean the whole movie, and David is like a sleepy twinkie—his character needed more.
Will the three amigos reunite?
We would like to make a TV show happen, for sure. I have asked too many times for a cameo on Grimm, so I don't think it will ever happen. I think David knows I'd go nuts on that set.
See IT: Buddymoon is not rated. It opens Friday at Living Room Theaters and on demand.
Willamette Week