Dean Norris, Brandon Flynn & Nik Dodani Talk Family Drama and Ghosts in The Parenting - Interview

The cast discusses horror, comedy, and haunted family dynamics in The Parenting.

Dean Norris, Brandon Flynn, and Nik Dodani star in The Parenting, which is now streaming on Max. The terrifying new comedy follows a young couple, who have planned a perfect weekend getaway in the country to introduce their parents — however, their rental is actually haunted by the presence of a 400-year-old poltergeist. I had the opportunity to speak with the actors about the cast’s off-set chemistry, which scene they were most excited to see the final version of, which of their past characters would be a good asset in this situation, and more.

Brandon & Nik

“Nik and I were really each other’s support system going into it,” Flynn, who portrays Josh, shared while reflecting on his time filming. “We had no idea what it was going to be like, working with these legends, and I think we kind of held each other’s hands throughout it and lucky for us, all those legends grabbed on and held our hands in return. It was a really special encounter in that regard.”

When it came to mixing the horror and comedy genre, Dodani, who plays Rohan, explained, “I just feel like the script that Kent Sublette wrote beautifully blended the comedy and horror together, and the demon possession is such a great metaphor for the family conflict. Josh and Ro are such different people, but they love each other, even when they’re on each other’s nerves, and meeting your partner’s parents is the most terrifying thing. And so, putting all of that together with Brian Cox levitating, like, oh my God, I was so, so stoked when I got this job.”

Dean Norris

“I always look at this as a family comedy and I thought the horror just upped the ante hugely,” Norris, who takes on the role of Cliff, expressed. “It’s tough enough for two people to get married, but then really what you’re doing is two families are getting married and everybody or anybody who’s kind of probably gone through this in one way or another, either getting married or being the family that someone else got married, etc. So that dynamic is always going to be wrought with tension, and in this case, I think comedy, but then you get the idea that, okay, so that’s tough, where are we going to spend Thanksgiving? I don’t know, how about the father-in-law is fucking possessed by a 400-year-old poltergeist? Now deal with that, family!”