Oakes Fegley's Peter has declared war in The War With Grandpa, in which a young boy strikes back after his grandfather moves in and takes over his room. Starring opposite Robert De Niro's Grandpa Ed, Peter engages in a battle of pranks, which evolves into an all-out war by the end of the film. However, as their war escalates, they may not be the only ones who end up hurt.
Speaking to CBR, Fegley and his on-screen sister Laura Marano broke down the film. They shared their favorite pranks and scenes, as well as the message they hope audiences take away from the story. They also discussed what it was like to act alongside actors like De Niro and Uma Thurman, working with a producer their own age, how their characters would be handling quarantine and more.
CBR: This movie was full of pranks between the characters. Do you have a favorite one?
Oakes Fegley: My personal favorite prank is when Peter's grandfather pulls all of the hardware out of his furniture, and he is pretty much just left in absolute disbelief. It's just a chaotic scene and a crazy moment. That definitely was my favorite personally, both to film and to watch.
Laura Marano: Yeah, my favorite to watch was the snake for sure. That is a terrifying prank, but kind of amazing.
Was there any pranking going on behind the scenes?
Fegley: There was actually really no pranks. We've learned that we were a bit of a prank-less set, to be honest.
Marano: I know! Regretful.
Fegley: Yeah, we really didn't get up to any mischief, unfortunately.
Marano: I think it's because, to be honest, at least for me -- well, first of all, I'm not a prankster, but second of all, the cast is so incredible. The cast is these legendary people. So I'm like, "I'm not gonna prank any of these people! I'm just gonna stay silent and watch them, in a not-weird way."
What was it like to work so closely with A-list actors like Robert DeNiro and Uma Thurman?
Fegley: It's always my favorite thing, about working on any project, to be working with different people and to always be just talking to different actors and actresses and directors, or producers, or whatever it may be, and this was no exception. With a cast and an ensemble like we had, it was really just an honor to even be a part of it, and it was definitely great. I learned a lot just through watching and, as Laura said, listening and just being there, and taking it all in is the best way you can.
Marano: Totally! I think, for me, it was a big reason why I wanted to be a part of the project. I was just in awe of the amazing cast that was assembled. Obviously, there's some huge names that everyone knows about, which was amazing working with them: Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken, Jane Seymour, Cheech Marin, Rob Riggle! But then, I feel like all the kids were amazing. Truly, there was no weak link in the cast, and everyone has such an amazing dynamic. I hung out with Poppy, who was five at the time, and we have the best time, not gonna lie!
One of the things that makes this film unique is that one of the producers, Tre Peart, is so young himself! How did that affect your experience on set?
Fegley: I think one of the really interesting things about this filming process for me, personally, is that I was around a lot of obviously younger actors, and Tre was also there as well. We all kind of hung out off-set sometimes, and it was definitely a lot of fun having him be around. We were all, I guess, three or four years younger, so it was a different time. But yeah, we were all really close, and it was definitely nice to have some of that younger energy be brought to life and I think his parents also helped that come to fruition, which was really cool.
Marano: Yeah, I was gonna say, I'm a sucker not just for family films, but family-made films. After War With Grandpa, I actually made a very different film, but with my mom and sister. So watching Marvin and Rose and the other producers and their son Tre be in control this movie and work together, and seeing Tre on set, being 11 or 12 wearing a headset, it was a really, really fun dynamic.
How do you think your characters would be handling the quarantine right now?
Fegley: Absolutely not well. There's no way. I think Laura could say this as well, but I don't think the three of the kids would do well together at all.
Marano: I think Mia would be over it. Mia would be trying to hang out with Russell for sure, and Uma would have to be like -- Uma and Rob's characters would be telling her she has to stay inside and don't go out. I think it would be a pretty interesting conflict, non-stop, but I also feel like, at the end of the day, they'd recognize that they love each other and family is important and we're here to be supportive of each other.
Fegley: Yeah, I think so too. I think Peter would probably lock himself in the attic, though.
Marano: Totally.
Can you tease your favorite moment or scene from the film?
Fegley: I think there's a lot of, obviously, really loud and crazy scenes going on -- chaotic scenes. Some of my personal favorite scenes are some of the quieter scenes, and some of the scenes where, yeah, there's just a little bit more intimacy or a little bit less of that insane energy. That kind of gives it a good juxtaposition, you know what I mean? Just changes up the flow a little bit.
Marano: One of my favorite scenes to watch, going off of what Oakes is saying, was literally the scene between Oakes and Bob at the end. Near the end, Oakes literally made me cry. He's so good! But I think one of my favorite scenes -- I'm cheating a little bit here -- to make was the music video at the end. It was really, really fun to put that together.
Laura, like you said, you performed a song for this film. Tell me a little bit about how that came together.
Marano: Well, the producers came and said, "We have this song." It's a play on, "War! What is it good for?" It's not like that, though, if you haven't heard it yet. They already had the song and they asked me if I was interested in singing it and I was like, "Yes, I would love to sing it!" So it was honestly a no-brainer for me. I thought it was such a fun thing to be a part of.
Who was the best dancer on set?
Fegley: Oh, my! I don't even remember! There was definitely some moments from everybody. It was definitely a crazy moment on set. So I couldn't say. Definitely not me, though. That's all I can say.
Marano: You could move! You were fine! I think Isaac is a dancer.
Fegley: Oh, it was Isaac! 100%.
Marano: It was 100%. He was a professional dancer. So that was embarrassing, for all the rest of us. My big move is, you know, rock star moves. So I'm just like, "Uh! Yeah!" Eye contact with the camera! But Isaac was, like, doing flips.
What do you hope audiences take away from this film?
Marano: I think I want families to take away that, at the end of the day, no matter how much your family drives you crazy, they're your family! There's love there. There's support there. I think there's an unbreakable bond that will always be there, something that we all probably need a little bit of reminding of right now, during this time.
Fegley:I would say, for me, just hopefully that people can take away that it's a good vibe and experience a few laughs and maybe some smiles, and this can bring that, hopefully. That's my wishes for this release. Also, it's been a difficult past few months, and I think what I would hope is that this film can bring some happiness to certain people. Yeah.
I'm going to do a lightning round, where I'm going to list some class superlatives and I'd like you to tell me which one of your castmates would fit the bill. First up: Who is the life of the party?
Fegley: JC! JC. Juliocesar [Chavez].
Marano: JC and probably Rob Riggle and Jane Seymour.
Most athletic?
Fegley: Isaac!
Marano: Isaac!
Most likely to cheer you up?
Fegley: Cheech!
Marano: Cheech! Cheech and Rob [Riggle], I'd say.
Last one: Who is the most likely to become the next Robert De Niro?
Marano: Robert De Niro.
Fegley: Robert De Niro. I don't know! That's a difficult one. I don't even know who can match up to that.
Marano: I know! There's only one Robert De Niro.
Fegley: There's only one Robert De Niro. There's no "next" Robert De Niro! It's just Robert De Niro.
Based on the book by Robert Kimmel Smith, The War With Grandpa is directed by Tim Hill and stars Oakes Fegley, Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Uma Thurman, Cheech Marin, Jane Seymour, Rob Riggle, Laura Marano, Poppy Gagnon, Colin Ford and more.