With friends like these…
The pair behind pitch-black Brit-com ALL MY FRIENDS HATE ME talk us through its cringe-inducing characters
IT’S THE STUFF of socially anxious nightmares: you’re reunited with a bunch of old university pals on your birthday, and yet you can’t shake the feeling that nobody wants you there. This is the horror through which Tom Stourton’s Pete finds himself wading in razor-sharp comedy All My Friends Hate Me. Here, Stourton and co-writer Tom Palmer talk us through the film’s enthralling, empathy-deficient ensemble.
PETE (TOM STOURTON)
We see the cast of characters through the lens of protagonist Pete’s various anxieties — regarding his masculinity, his mental health, the value of his charity work, and guilt about his privilege. “Class definitely feels like a core part of Pete’s inner anxiety,” says Palmer. “He’s asking himself, ‘Am I agood guy who works with refugees, or a really obnoxious toff who used to hang out with some quite unsavoury people and did some bad things?’” This is Stourton’s meatiest role yet, and one the actor says was “intimidating to take on,” but he found it helpful to lean on the film’s themes. “I didn’t want to overthink whether he was going to be likeable or not,” says Stourton. “Pete’s M.O. is to try and be sympathetic, even to his detriment. He’s desperately trying to be good, even though his motives are questionable.”