The Machine is not your average comedy. It’s based on Bert Kreischer’s unbelievable true story about partying with the Russian Mob during a college field trip. But that’s just the beginning. In this wild ride, the Mob kidnaps Bert and his father 25 years later, all in search of a lost piece of jewelry from their infamous train heist. Brace yourself for a hilarious and action-packed adventure!
While Bert Kreischer is known for his stand-up comedy, The Machine marks his big-screen debut. Directed by Peter Atencio and written by Kev Biegel and Scotty Landes, this film also features an incredible cast including Mark Hamill, Iva Babić, Jessica Gabor, Stephanie Kurtzuba, and Robert Maaser.
FilmmakerFocus caught up with the director, cast, and friends of Bert Kreischer at the premiere of The Machine. They shared their experiences working on the film, including collaborating with Mark Hamill and the excitement of bringing comedy to the big screen.
Cast & Director Talk The Machine
FilmmakerFocus: You guys got the amazing Mark Hamill to play Burt’s father. Mark Hamill is a legend. I can only imagine what it’s like directing him. Talk to me about what surprised you the most about working with Mark.
Peter Atencio: I think for Mark, it’s the same thing. He’s Luke Skywalker. He could come in and just do his own thing and not want to take direction if he wanted to. He’s a legend, but he is, again, so open. He was very upfront. He was like, “I trust you to make this funny and to make my performance good.” He threw himself into the role. And again, like Bert, I think he’s going to surprise people too. It’s a whole new side of Mark.
FilmmakerFocus: We also know that you want to do The Machine 2 and 3. Have you already started thinking about a cast for that film?
Bert Kreischer: Oh, I’ve already told Mark he has verbally committed. All we need is him to be kidnapped by the cartels. That’s it. He ends up in the cartels. Very static shot and it’s me and the Russian mafia going to get him out. Then the next one my daughter’s have to come rescue me.
FilmmakerFocus: You’re in The Machine. You play one of the villains. Talk to me about your role a little bit.
Iva Babić: I play one of the villains I play Irina, Russian mafia girl. She’s here to kidnap Bert and take him to Russia with her to retrieve something that is really important to her.
FilmmakerFocus: Talk to me about what it means for you to have a big comedy like this back on the big screen?
Jay Pharoah: It definitely does set the mark for other comedians, where we see that it can be done. Bert is the forefather of that, running that project, and giving us all hope that we can do it too, man. That’s amazing, man. That’s how it’s supposed to be. I feel like, for a comedian to have an action-packed comedy and for it to be good? Oh, just kiss the baby.
FilmmakerFocus: What does it mean to you that your friend Bert’s gonna have his feature film debut?
Tom Segura: It’s so par for the course of how Burt would do something. When he throws a party. When he cooks you dinner it’s so over the top. And this is totally in line with that, but I’m super excited for him. This is an incredible thing that has come from this story.
Check Out The Rest Of The Machine Interviews Below
About The Machine
Bert Kreischer rose to fame as a stand-up comedian known as The Machine, and in his signature set he recounts his true experience with Russian mobsters while on a booze-soaked college trip. Now, 23 years later, that trip has come back to haunt him as he and his estranged father (Mark Hamill) are kidnapped back to Russia by the mob to atone for something they say he did. Together, Bert and his father must retrace the steps of his younger self (Jimmy Tatro) in the midst of a war within a sociopathic crime family, all while attempting to find common ground in their often fraught relationship.
Check out our interview with The Machine star Bert Kreischer as well.
