SXSW: ‘Break Point’ Cast and Crew Interview

By Jordan Gass-Poore’

I want to start out this post by saying that actor Jeremy Sisto’s appearance at this year’s SXSW was one of the reasons why I wanted to attend… I’m just not going to lie to myself anymore. I’ve been a huge fan of the former HBO series Six Feet Under since I was a wee high school freshman and would forgo sleep to watch weeknight reruns on Bravo. Yes, the Six Feet Under series finale is the best, most heart wrenching finale of all time. All. Time. You just can’t get any better than Sia’s song “Breathe Me.” I highly recommend a YouTube jaunt for those who don’t want to watch the entire series, which I suggest you do, but, if you really don’t have the time, search for: Six Feet Under finale montage. And for those that don’t know, Sisto played Billy, the artist brother diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I read somewhere that the show’s creator, Alan Ball, wrote the character of Billy specifically for Sisto, so I was psyched (no pun intended) to ask Sisto in person if this was true. But then I got too nervous and stuck with strictly Break Point-related questions.

Whoo. I’m glad that I got that off my chest I can talk about Break Point (not the Keanu Reeves-fronted, 1991 classic Point Break), which made its world premiere at this year’s SXSW. In this comedy, Sisto, who also has a writing credit, plays a reckless man-child at the end of his tennis career. When his doubles partner drops him he decides to reach out to his estranged, substitute teacher brother (David Walton) to team up with him. The duo, with the help of an 11-year-old named Barry (Joshua Rush), make an unlikely run at a grand slam tournament.

I spoke with Sisto (the deep-voiced one), Walton, Rush (the not-so-deeped-voiced one), director Jay Karas, writer Gene Hong and Vincent Ventresca (who plays the smarmy Gary, and who my mom thought was cute in the movie Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion) during a SXSW 2014 press roundtable.