‘Before’ Interview: Billy Crystal and Jacobi Jupe

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(L to R) Billy Crystal and Jacobi Jupe star in ‘Before’.

Premiering October 25th on Apple TV+ is the new series ‘Before’, which stars Billy Crystal (‘When Harry Met Sally…’, ‘City Slickers’), Judith Light (‘The Menu’), Rosie Perez (‘Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)’), and Jacobi Jupe (‘Peter Pan & Wendy’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Billy Crystal and Jacobi Jupe about their work on ‘Before’, how Crystal developed the idea for the series and playing a different type of role than he has in the past, Jupe’s approach to his character and performing in the “scary scenes”, and what it was like for the two actors to work together.

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(L to R) Jacobi Jupe and Billy Crystal in ‘Before,’ premiering October 25, 2024 on Apple TV+.

Moviefone: To begin with, Billy, can you talk about developing the idea of the series and having the opportunity to play a role different than anything you’ve done before?

Billy Crystal: The first idea was mine. It kicked off the chain reaction that ends up being this series. We had this notion of this pediatric psychiatrist working with a troubled kid who’s presenting in a very specific way, and that was the mystery of what’s he experiencing? It asked questions about, have we been here before? It got mysterious. So, then my co-EP, Eric Roth, who’s a great writer, brought in Sarah Thorp and he said that she can write this. “Listen to the first two beats of this idea,” he said to her, which was a psychiatrist, troubled kid, and where’s he from? She, in 10 days, came in with this notion that laid out Eli, and his journey with Noah. In the middle of it, I said to her, “Okay, I’m going to do it.” I wasn’t looking to play the guy, but I so was taken with Sarah’s vision that I said I’m in. It wasn’t like I want to play something different it was just, boy, this is great. I’ve been acting a long time and I’ve done different things always, and this was just another one of them. But in a world that I had never ventured into before.

MF: Jacobi, can you talk about your approach to playing Noah and what it was like for you personally shooting the show’s scarier scenes?

Jacobi Jupe: Noah on screen is scary and all the things that he sees and does is scary. But I wouldn’t say I did get scared by it because that’s movie magic, to make it look scary when it wasn’t that scary. But I found it cool. It was always exciting and fun, and I would always get to do crazy stuff. I don’t know, just speak in weird, crazy voices and scream. But I’m always kind of calm inside and then I become angry on the outside sometimes. The character is very extreme. He’s very extreme.

(L to R) Jacobi Jupe and Billy Crystal in ‘Before,’ premiering October 25, 2024 on Apple TV+.

MF: Billy, what was it like working with Jacobi and what did you learn from the experience?

BC: The thing about Jacobi that I’m so taken with, being such a young actor, he would always ask the director, why am I saying this? If the truth didn’t line up with what he had to play, like any veteran actor, he would have trouble. So, it always had to be the truth for him, which for all of us is “Why am I saying this?” Then if I got it, then you can play it freely and honestly. His range is fantastic in the show, but it was based in, it had to be the truth. That’s just a basic lesson for any actor. Is it the truth? Then I can do it.

MF: Finally, Jacobi, is Billy fun to work with? What is he like as a scene partner?

JJ: He’s the best. He is hilarious. He’s good at thrillers. He’s good at other stuff too. He’s such a fun guy and so incredibly talented.

“Your past can drag you under.”

TV-MA1 SeasonsOctober 24th, 2024

After tragically losing his wife, child psychiatrist Dr. Eli Adler encounters a troubled young boy who seems to have a haunting connection to Eli’s past. Read the Plot

What is the plot of ‘Before’?

A recently widowed child psychologist (Billy Crystal) meets with his next client (Jacobi Jupe), who seems to be connected in some fashion to his past.