I connect to blue collar world of people: 'Eenie Meanie' director Shawn Simmons

New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) "Eenie Meanie" writer-director Shawn Simmons says he always sets his characters in the world of blue collar people as he himself hails from a similar background.

Simmons, who has written "John Wick" series spin off "The Continental" and "Wayne", focuses on Samara Weaving's Edie, a former gateway driver, pulled into the criminal world again to save her chaotic ex-boyfriend John, played by Karl Glusman.

"Wayne" also revolved around a good-hearted 16-year-old vigilante who sets out with his new friend to get back his dad's stolen '79 Trans Am. "I do a lot of stories about orphans from poor communities like I was from. I connect to the blue collar world of people. I have a lot of affection for those people, and understand their struggles. This is what I try to show through Edie, John, Wayne or any of the people I write about," Simmons told PTI in a virtual interview.

The director said the script was conceived as a teaser centred around the character of Edie.

"I do a funny thing where I write a teaser, and I never know where it's going to go. And I had written this teaser about a young girl who drives her parents around because they're alcoholics. And I thought, what a wonderful kind of origin story for either a hero or a villain," he said.

The writer-director said the toughest character to write was of John, Edie's good for nothing boyfriend, who he described as a "classic John Cassavetes s**** up".

Cassavetes, an actor-director, often featured such troubled characters in his movies be it "A Woman Under the Influence" and "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie". "In the end, it always came down to how we were treating John, in both Karl's great acting work, and writing the script, I kept saying, how are we going to make people like him? There is a back and forth that Edie does throughout the story and her feelings for him.

"And at first, you're asking yourself, 'why this guy, why this maniac?', and then (you) have to understand why he was so important to her, and that he was the only family she ever had," he said.

Simmons said he grew up in a "tough town in Brockton" (US) which is what makes the theme of family even more appealing to him. Unlike Wayne, Edie is not an orphan, but she is alone without John.

"I like to talk about the different shapes of families that we have in those poverty stricken towns. Sometimes it's your grandmother raising you, sometimes it's an uncle, sometimes you move in with a girlfriend." While the film explores heavy topics like crime, loyalty and love, it also strikes a balance with its witty comedy. Simmons added that the balance between the two tones was challenging to achieve.

"That's the hard part of the movie. Usually people wonder if you're going to be able to do it, and treat it like some sort of magic trick sometimes... But you have to respect the stakes and danger and as long as you do that, the audience will also respect the tonal shifts and comedy," he said.

"Eenie Meanie" releases in India on JioHotstar on Friday. PTI SMR BK BK