Romantic Comedies Get A Dark, Modern Twist In Zoey Deutch's New Movie The Threesome (2025)

The Threesome is a new kind of romantic comedy that tells the story of a dream-turned-nightmare scenario. The movie centers on the young and unassuming Connor, who is steered into a threesome with his long-time crush Olivia and a stranger named Jenny. Afterwards, Connor's dream comes true as he and Olivia form a relationship that grows more and more serious–that is, until Jenny returns.

The Threesome was written by Ethan Ogilby and directed by Chad Hartigan, whose past work includes Morris from America and Little Fish. Starring in the film are Jonah Hauer-King (The Little Mermaid) as Connor, Zoey Deutch (Set It Up) as Olivia, Ruby Cruz (The Sex Lives of College Girls) as Jenny, and Jaboukie Young-White (Companion) as Greg. Together, the filmmaker and cast navigated a messy and realistic take on a romantic comedy.

ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley spoke with The Threesome director Chad Hartigan and stars Zoey Deutch, Jonah Hauer-King, Ruby Cruz, and Jaboukie Young-White at South by Southwest 2025. Deutch and Willow star Ruby Cruz discussed how their characters found their way to Hauer-King's Connor, while Young-White compared Greg to himself. Young-White also offered an update on the status of the Juice WRLD animated movie he was reported to be developing in 2021.

The Director Wanted To Tell A Messier, More Realistic Story

The first line of Chad Hartigan’s director statement for The Threesome was, “The romantic comedy is back.” Hartigan is happy about this, but with a caveat: “I think the rom-com renaissance, which is very welcome in my view, has, so far, been limited to the purely wish-fulfillment, fantasy side of romance–the idealized, movie version of romance. We haven’t had one that was really grounded and not afraid to look at romantic comedy situations, but in a very elevated, sophisticated, messy, ‘This is what life would really be’ way.”

Enter The Threesome: “That’s what the script presented to me as an opportunity, and I felt like I could fill something that hadn’t quite come back yet, and something that I’m starved for and [that] I hope other people are, too.”

Zoey Deutch & Ruby Cruz On How Olivia & Jenny Find Their Way To Connor

Deutch Has A Book Recommendation For You

“Have you ever read the book Attached?” Deutch answered when asked why it took the entrance of a third person for her to see Jonah Hauer-King’s Connor as a potential romantic partner. She continued: “You can be anxious attached, avoidant attached, secure attached … to me, [Olivia] feels very avoidant attached. She, I think, in her heart of hearts knows she has these strong feelings for him, but it’s not until she sees him with another person that she can initiate another interaction with him in that way.”

Things are very different for Jenny, as Cruz pointed out: “I feel like, the whole movie, she’s second fiddle in terms of the threesome, and second fiddle as the person that doesn’t get that much attention. I think she really is the third in the triangle.” That extends beyond her romantic encounters, Cruz continued, “[That’s] in her own life, too. She kind of takes the outside approach to a lot of things … She's kind of the product of a lot of other people’s BS. It is a really hard position for her to be in.”

“I’m An Exacerbator”: Jaboukie Young-White Talks Greg’s Role In The Threesome

Young-White Compares Greg To Himself

In The Threesome, Jaboukie Young-White plays Greg, friend to the movie’s other protagonists. “Is Greg an instigator? No, I think they’ve already instigated everything,” Young-White said when asked about Greg’s role in the group. He went on to clarify: “I’m an exacerbator. Just moving in a little bit. They’ll say something, [and] I’m like, ‘Ooh, I wouldn’t take that.’” It wasn’t hard to take on that role, as “That’s sort of my [thing] I love to do in real life too.”

At The End Of The Day “Who Knows?”

In 2021, it was announced that Jaboukie Young-White was developing an animated film based on the life of the late rapper and songwriter Juice WRLD, who tragically passed away at the age of 21. When asked about the status of that film, Young-White gave a less-than-stellar update: “We never know how life goes, I guess. I don’t think that’s happening anymore, but who knows? You’re breaking my heart. I don’t think it’s happening. With something like that, you need rights. I could do, maybe, Water Planet or something, but Juice WRLD I don’t think is happening.”

Check out our other SXSW 2025 interviews here:

• The Ballad of Wallis Island
• American Sweatshop
• The Accountant 2
• Surviving Earth
• The Astronaut
• Sweetness
• The Studio
• It Ends
• How Was Your Weekend?

Source: Screen Rant Plus