Molly Gordon: 'Oh, Hi!' inspired by real heartbreak

UPI

4 days ago

1 of 5 | Molly Gordon, seen at the "Oh, Hi!" screening July 8 in Los Angeles, stars in the film. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
July 22 (UPI) -- Molly Gordon says her new dark romantic comedy Oh, Hi!, in theaters Friday, was inspired by real heartbreaks she and writer/director Sophie Brooks experienced.
Gordon, 29, plays Iris, a woman who goes away for the weekend with her beau Isaac (Logan Lerman). When Isaac shares he's not interested in being exclusive, Iris leaves him handcuffed to the bed and attempts to convince him they should be a couple.
In a recent Zoom interview wtih UPI, Gordon, who shares "story by" credit with Brooks, discussed some of the relationship turmoil that helped inspire the film.
"We both were with men that were wonderful but didn't want to have this last closure conversation with us," Gordon said. "So we both were like oh, what if we had forced them to have it? That's how this was born."
The misunderstanding about the nature of their relationship stems from both Isaac and Iris not speaking directly. Isaac doesn't want to be considered a jerk and Iris doesn't want to be seen as needy.
"I think that we're all so scared of rejection and actually showing our true selves to people that women can sometimes only hear what they want to hear," she said. "And then men cannot be fully honest that they're not interested in somebody just because they don't want to hurt their feelings. I think that's not even gendered."
The situation is exacerbated when Iris phones her mother, who encourages her to try to make it work. Then Iris goes down an internet rabbit hole of a relationship podcaster giving women advice on how to keep a man.
"We all look on our phones and go, 'I can do this and I can do this and I can change this and I can do this,'" Gordon said. "But if you really sat with yourself, why would you want to force someone to be with you and change something about yourself?"
While Gordon would never resort to trapping a romantic partner, she empathized with Iris succumbing to the temptation.
"We're not trying to finger wag in this movie," Gordon said. "Sophie and I struggle with this on a daily basis and finding our own inner confidence."
While there is a scary version of this concept, like Stephen King's Misery and Gerald's Game, Gordon said she and Brooks resisted suggestions to ramp up the intensity of Oh, Hi!
"We got notes in the beginning, like she should murder him or she should do what Kathy Bates does in Misery," Gordon said. "We weren't interested in making a horror film, but we definitely wanted to play with drama and tone because sometimes when you're in a fight with someone, you do feel like you're in a horror movie."
Gordon credits Brooks with keeping her from going too unhinged in her performance as Iris, though she has a few intense moments on screen.
"Sophie had to reel me in constantly because I haven't gotten the chance to really show this side of myself as an actor," Gordon said. "I was just so ready to throw down and she was like, 'Okay, Molly, we are giving Kathy Bates in Misery. Let's pull it back a little bit.' There were some maniacal laughs on the cutting room floor for sure."
The maniacal laughs got cut, but Iris does perform a talent show dance for Isaac. Gordon said intimacy coordinator Shelby Terrell did double duty as choreographer.
"What can't she do?" Gordon said.
Gordon also recently reprised her role of Claire in The Bear Season 4. One episode saw chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) seek to make amends for breaking up with Claire while he was locked in a refrigerator, leading Gordon to give Carmy credit for eventually getting to the apology.
"He does say, 'I'm sorry. I'm so [expletive] sorry' at the end, so I'm going to give Carmy a little justice," Gordon said. "Why it took him a five minute screen conversation to say that, that's his own journey."
Gordon previously shared writing and directing credits on Theater Camp, which she developed with Ben Platt, Noah Galvin and Nick Lieberman. She said Oh, Hi! was Brooks' idea. She began helping Brooks as a friend, which evolved into the professional collaboration.
"She had the idea: man and woman go on first trip together, he doesn't want to be in a relationship, she holds him hostage," Gordon said. "She had never written for an actor specifically so I would give her notes towards what I was also looking for as an actress."
The script was originally written to take place in Ojai, Calif., but had to move to High Falls, N.Y., to stay in budget. Still, the title doubled for the setting and the honeymoon phase of a new relationship.
"At the beginning of a relationship, you just look at each other and you're like, 'Hi, hi, hi, hi,'" Gordon said. "Then you start living in silence with your partner."
Molly Gordon, Logan Lerman attend special screening of 'Oh, Hi!'
Cast members Molly Gordon (L) and Logan Lerman attend the special screening of their film "Oh, Hi!" in Los Angeles on July 8, 2025. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo