Stars of ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ visit KC, talk about life, Royals and 1980

After a monthlong U.S. tour promoting “Everybody Wants Some!!” a shaggy comedy about college baseball players, it only seems right that actors Glen Powell, Wyatt Russell and Quinton Johnson finish their tour on the turf of the current World Series champs.

But they didn’t merely attend a game at Kauffman Stadium. Nope, the stars secured a private tour.

“We met KayCee Baseball. We got to go in the dugout and pick up the bullpen phones. It was so cool,” says Powell, best known for portraying haughty frat guy Chad Radwell on the TV series “Scream Queens.” “Then, everybody who watched the movie last night was so nice. It’s a great city.”

The three sat down with The Star at the Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet on Friday, a day after they hosted a special screening there for KC filmgoers.

Set in 1980, “Everybody Wants Some!!” concerns the exploits of an incoming freshman (Blake Jenner) who attends fictional Southeast Texas University to pitch for the school’s revered baseball team. His fellow players include the silver-tongued Finnegan (Powell), stoner philosopher Willoughby (Russell) and peacemaker Dale (Johnson). The teammates get to know one another over the course of an exuberant weekend before the start of the semester.

Texas filmmaker Richard Linklater based much of the story on his experiences at Sam Houston State. As the first followup to his Oscar-winning drama “Boyhood,” “Everybody Wants Some!!” serves as a “spiritual sequel” to both that film and his 1970s-themed cult classic “Dazed and Confused.”

“Rick is a very Zen-like person,” Russell says of the director. “Things come and go. They move and sway. But everything amorphously moves forward. There’s no rigidity, other than what he puts forth as the script. You always stay within the guidelines he’s set. It creates a very structured creative environment.”

University of Texas alumnus Powell adds, “He understands that casting people is half the battle. Letting them breathe and blossom into the characters they’re going to become is part of why he wants to make the movie. It’s the fabric of Linklater. It’s why he does what he does.”

Unlike the 55-year-old Linklater, the three actors weren’t even alive during the year the film is set. So what comes to mind when they hear the date 1980?

“Music,” Johnson says. “My dad always used to play ‘Rapper’s Delight’ in the car when I was going to school. I grew up with those sounds.”

A recent UT student who was cast in the project his junior year, Johnson gets to rap those iconic Sugarhill Gang lyrics during an early scene in which several team members cruise the campus while listening to the radio.

“Ronald Reagan,” Powell responds to the same question. “And it was a good time for music. I think it’s the only way we still connect to that era. The music never died. … Plus, I loved the way girls looked in 1980. I loved their clothes and how their hair was all fluffed out.”

“The USA Hockey Team,” Russell answers.

Not a surprising answer, considering Russell went to the University of Alabama in Huntsville on a hockey scholarship, eventually moving to go pro in Europe before a hip injury cut short his career.

He also shares a deeper connection. Russell admits to being a huge fan of “Miracle,” a docudrama examining the squad’s gold medal run in the 1980 Winter Olympics. The film stars Kurt Russell as the underdog coach.

Kurt is Wyatt’s father. Wyatt’s mom is actress Goldie Hawn.

He says “Everybody Wants Some!!” seems unlike any picture his prominent parents appeared in.

“They didn’t do movies like this,” he says.

“It’s certainly nothing like ‘Big Trouble in Little China,’ ” Powell interjects.

“What’s weird is my dad never did a baseball movie,” Russell adds. “Even though he played for a while in the minor leagues.”

But the elder Russell indeed headlined his share of college films, as anyone can attest who grew up watching Disney efforts such as “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes” and “The Strongest Man in the World.”

“ ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ really is about finding out who you are in that stage of life,” Russell says. “High school is supposed to be exercise; in college, you’re allowed to be free. You’re not under Mom and Dad’s roof. You can start over and pretty much be who you want.”

Powell agrees, adding, “What this movie really sells is that college is a time to just figure it out. Not knowing is OK. … Life doesn’t come in plot points or setups and payoffs. Life washes over you and passes. That’s the beauty of this movie: It’s like two hours of life, and the most fun version of that life.”

This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 3:00 AM with the headline "Stars of ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ visit KC, talk about life, Royals and 1980."