Emmy-nominated actor Jake Lacy (“The White Lotus”) chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about starring in the film “A Mosquito in the Ear.”
The film is based on the true story chronicled in Andrea Ferraris’ graphic novel of the same name. “A Mosquito in the Ear” follows Andrew (Jake Lacy) and Daniela (Nazanin Boniadi) as they travel to Goa, India to bring home their newly adopted four-year-old daughter, Sarvari (played by Ruhi Pal).
When Sarvari refuses to leave the only home she’s ever known, their long-awaited journey takes an unexpected turn—unraveling into a volatile, deeply human struggle marked by emotional upheaval, marital strain, and the unpredictable realities of forming a family.
The movie is directed and co-written by BAFTA newcomer Nicola Rinciari in as part of his directorial feature debut. “A Mosquito in the Ear” opened in New York City on June 19th, and is currently playing in theaters in Los Angeles.
On his experience making “A Mosquito in the Ear,” he said, “It was wonderful! My manager read the script and told me that this a small movie and that I should really look at it. As soon as I read it, I just felt like it jumped off the page.”
“It was co-written by the director, Nicola’s wife, Emily Dillard, who is also his producing partner. Nicola and I jumped on the phone and we went through our concerns, and ironically enough, we both had the same concerns and the same ideas on how to solve them,” Lacy explained.
“From there, we spent a month together filming in India, which I had never been to before, and it was just incredible,” he added.
Playing Andrew in ‘A Mosquito in the Ear’
On playing Andrew, Lacy said, “Nicola and I would say that Andrew was leading from behind. I think that is perhaps one of my favorite aspects of this project. He is a guy who is open to the experience, wants to show up, wants to be the person that he hopes to be and the person his wife wants him to be, and his potential daughter needs him to be.”
“So, playing Andrew was really fun. Andrew was also somebody who was trying to navigate his relationship with his wife, as well as the hope and fear of the relationship with his daughter,” he explained.
“Every scene was really fun, especially working with Nazanin and Nicola as they helped inform things that perhaps I wasn’t realizing alone. Ruhi Pal, who played our little girl Sarvari, was exceptional in this movie. She was so cute and just astounding,” he underscored.
Lacy compares Andrew in this film to playing Peter in ‘All Her Fault’ on Peacock
Lacy acknowledged that Andrew is a totally different character from Peter in “All Her Fault” on Peacock. “Someone described both characters to me as two dads who were trying their best,” he said. “I guess that’s the only overlap there is. He is not a perfect person.”
“We’ve talked about how we said we can give the best performances of our lives, and you can shoot this film like no one shot it before and have the greatest score in the world, but if the character of Ruhi doesn’t work, then there’s no movie; it adds up to nothing,” he noted.
“Ruhi is the heart and the crux of this whole movie. It was really such a thrill to work with her, and I think that came across in the film. She is just remarkable. I don’t have enough good things to say about her,” he added.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Lacy revealed, “To Be Determined…”
“I don’t even know my title when I look back sometimes, you know what I mean? Other people have to go like, ‘I think you’re in a bad spot’ and I’m like ‘Oh, I think I was in a bad spot.’ It’s like showtime… you slow down al little, it goes dark, and then you go, and you have a good time and you come back out again,” he elaborated.
Lessons learned from the screenplay
On the lessons learned from the movie’s script, he said, “I guess the best that I can say is creatively that I really need to embrace the mess a little bit more.”
“It’s not war zone scary, but it’s just a little unnerving to be an actor and to commit to a scene and to agree to be witnessed in any kind of way. It continues to be a process over years for me of ‘can I strip that away?’ Like can I really get willing to be seen and not have little tricks to not be seen, or to keep those barriers up a little more, and to be as imperfect as we all inherently are,” he elaborated.
So, even in watching this film, which I’m really proud of, I also see my own thing in it and I go, ‘Man, you’re still a little controlled in that Jake.’ I think there is more room for Andrew to be a shaggier dog than what you’ve kind of let him be. This is a business that is built on results. So, there’s an inclination to be like, ‘I need to give you the result that we’ve agreed upon’,” he expanded.
“Not from anyone forcing that, but from my own generated expectation up here to be like, ‘That’s how I succeed is by giving you this.’ I actually just want to see a little more of a mess, imperfection, and ugliness in a way, so I am just learning to really let that come through because that is what I respond to,” he acknowledged.
“As a viewer, myself, I respond the most to when someone is just imperfect and totally their own,” he concluded.
To learn more about Emmy-nominated actor Jake Lacy, follow him on Instagram.
Read More: “A Mosquito in the Ear” rave review.
