Ruby Cruz on Helping Cailee Spaeny Meet Taylor Swift

When a movie called The Threesome first showed up in Ruby Cruz’s inbox, she didn’t bat an eyelash over the suggestive title. In fact, she felt it was rather fitting considering she made her feature debut in Emma Seligman’s lauded sex comedy, Bottoms.

The title of director Chad Hartigan and writer Ethan Ogilby’s romantic dramedy might create a barrier to entry for some viewers, but the well-received indie’s equal balance of laughter and emotion is well worth an open mind. Cruz plays Jenny Brooks, a sheltered grad school student who works at a nonprofit soup kitchen. In the midst of being stood up at a restaurant, she’s approached by Jonah Hauer-King’s Connor Blake, who, as a former employee of the establishment, was encouraged by his bartender friend to cheer her up. That’s not his only motivation, though, as he wanted to provoke Zoey Deutch’s server character, Olivia Capitano, into taking the idea of their coupling more seriously.

Connor’s gambit works, and all three characters go out dancing before concluding their evening with the titular scene. Shortly thereafter, Jenny and Olivia discover that they’ve both been impregnated by Connor, throwing a wrench in his and Olivia’s now-blossoming relationship. Jenny then asks Connor to pose as her boyfriend for the sake of her religious conservative family.

“The title might deter some people, but if they stick around for it, they’ll be very pleasantly surprised with how wholesome it is,” Cruz tells The Hollywood Reporter. “[The titular scene] was actually the last scene that we filmed altogether. We’d already established our friendships at that point. I felt really comfortable with [Deutch and Hauer-King], so it was definitely not awkward. Jonah might disagree because he was suffering from an extreme allergy attack.”

THR last caught up with Cruz during season one of Willow, and despite a second season being written already, the series was eventually canceled and abruptly removed from Disney+. The streaming bubble burst eight months before Willow’s premiere, so the move was part of a much larger cost-saving initiative. Naturally, Cruz was upset at the time, but she remains grateful for the role of Princess Kit Tanthalos and her impact on fans.

“People still reach out and say some of the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful things about what Kit brought to them,” Cruz says. “[Willow] existed in its own little bubble of time and space, and it reached the people it needed to reach. Of course, I also feel conflicted about it. It breaks my heart that people can’t watch it anymore, and I support people in wanting answers.”

Cruz took over the role of Princess Kit from her dear friend, Cailee Spaeny. The pair became fast friends while playing best friends on the set of Mare of Easttown. Spaeny even took Cruz to last year’s Golden Globe Awards as part of her nomination for Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla. Spaeny originally moved to Cruz’s hometown of Los Angeles with pop star ambitions, and her Taylor Swift fandom likely had an influence on that decision. Thus, upon the realization that Swift was sitting near them at the Globes, Cruz took it upon herself to set up a one-on-one between Spaeny and Swift.

“That was Cailee’s princess moment. She was remarkable in [Sofia Coppola’s] Priscilla. I was just there to support her in any way I could, and Taylor Swift was right there,” Cruz recalls. “I was feeling liquid courage-y. She grew up listening to Taylor, and I was like, ‘Well, this is your night. We’re not leaving until this happens.’ And I guess I was sitting next to Taylor’s manager’s partner or something like that.”

The tête-à-tête ultimately happened, and Cruz enjoyed her own moment of recognition when Swift spotted the difference between her Mare of Easttown character and her real-life self. (Cruz is known for being a chameleon in terms of her frequently changing appearance.)

Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Cruz also discusses the wave of recent love triangle stories, as well as the original version of The Threesome’s mid-credit scene.

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Well, I assume you got an email one day that asked you to put yourself on tape for something called The Threesome. With a title like that, what snap judgement did you make?

It felt like I was inviting that sort of thing. The first movie I made was called Bottoms, so it felt pretty natural that the second movie I would make would be called The Threesome. (Laughs.) But I love the title, and I was immediately interested when it came up in my inbox. I was like, “What could this be about?” But then it proved itself to be something very different and very touching. The title might deter some people, but if they stick around for it, they’ll be very pleasantly surprised with how wholesome it is.

The movie was [9/1’s] mystery movie at AMC [and Regal]. The audience goes in not knowing what movie they’re going to show. So Chad [Hartigan], the director, showed me this post of someone saying they walked out of their mystery screening. But their explanation was like, “I walked out of The Threesome today because I was with my grandma.” And that is so funny to me because I think older generations would actually love it. 

Yeah, the movie is certainly not as risqué as the title implies. As far as the titular scene, love scenes or intimate scenes between two people are already a bit awkward, I imagine. So was the title scene involving three people as uncomfortable as one might expect?

It was actually the last scene that we filmed altogether. We’d already established our friendships at that point, so it was just another day on the job. I felt really comfortable with [Zoey Deutch and Jonah Hauer-King], so it was definitely not awkward. 

Jonah might disagree because he was suffering from an extreme allergy attack during the filming. The house that we were shooting at had cats or something, and he’s extremely allergic to them, so he had his own discomfort going on. But otherwise, it was all very comfortable. They’re great people. 

Did they purposefully schedule the scene last so that everyone would be more comfortable with each other at that point?

I do wonder if that’s why. Typically, it’s first up. So many things I’ve been on have had intimate scenes shot so early on, which is fascinating. It’s all part of the job; it’s all acting. So I don’t really know if that was their tactic, but it worked. We were all comfortable with each other already, and we also knew our characters, having spent so much time with them and their dynamics with each other.

Jenny mentions that she’s lived at home throughout college and grad school. Thus, she never got the chance to have a stereotypical college experience. Was this wild night her way of making up for that? Or was it more of a discovery in relation to her sexuality?

I think it’s a mix of both. She’s feeling very stagnant in her life as well. Staying at home and in one environment her whole life has probably contributed to that. She’s feeling, “Wow, I am getting older. I’ve lived all this life already, but I still have so much to live. I feel changes happening inside of me, but my environment isn’t changing, so how do I ignite something in my life to shake things up?” So I think she was just feeling very stagnant, very bored and very lonely. It definitely had to do with feelings of loneliness, but also just feelings of being stuck. Both really contributed to it.

Jenny is still a grad student who works at a soup kitchen, and getting pregnant via a one night/morning stand was obviously not what she had in mind for her life. What did you make of her decision to proceed?

That [night/morning] was an attempt to shake things up, and this [pregnancy] being the result of that felt like a very clear direction that was being splayed out in front of her. To Jenny, it felt very obvious that she should take this path. So I thought this story was so fascinating because it’s a new telling of someone deciding to become a parent. 

Weirdly enough, people in my life were getting pregnant at the same time I was reading the script, and they’d just started seeing each other within one month. It was a very specific situation, but their parents were around to help. And they felt like this happened to them for a reason, regardless if it was a religious reason or a sense of direction in life. 

For Jenny, it was like, “Life is short. It reveals itself in different ways all the time, and if this is something that’s happening to me, I might as well take it.” It’s kind of an indescribable belief. So I think Jenny’s upbringing might have had some influence on her, but I don’t think she believes what her overbearing and controlling parents believe. I think she sees this as fate. She was like, “The one day I decide to do something new, my life changes drastically. I’ve been wishing and hoping for change, so I might as well see where this takes me.”

Love triangles, like the one in The Threesome, are a renewed trend right now. Challengers, Materialists, Snack Shack and Past Lives are other recent examples. Do you have any theories why they’re so back in vogue right now?

I wonder if there’s a cultural rise. Maybe people are just feeling inspired. Challengers was amazing. I loved that movie, and I really was a huge fan of it. But  I think people just relate to people who are figuring it out. Watching people fall in love is always such a beautiful thing, and I always love a good romance story. It’s so fascinating to me. But there’s also a messiness that people can relate to as they try to decode feelings and figure out the right thing to do. People can relate to complications. But I don’t know if there’s a cultural mirroring of people trying this out these days.

I’ve covered some work recently that used real-life photos or home videos of the actor in question. Does Little Jenny’s footage belong to you or a young actor?

​​No, that was an actress [Rivver Manen]. She’s a star. Chad and I sent some of the audition tapes to each other, and we were obsessed with her. She had so much energy, and it was an interesting contrast between the way we see Jenny now. She has this shyness that she’s built up over time, but she started out as such a wild firecracker.

I did provide the art department with a bunch of pictures of me, my family and my friends for Jenny’s room. They did an incredible job. These pin boards and framed photographs were so gorgeous and elaborate, but of course, they are not seen once on screen. It was still really nice to look at all of my friends’ faces during those scenes in her bedroom.

[The following quesiton/answer contains spoilers.] There’s a wedding reception scene at the very end of the closing credits’ blooper reel. Was that scene a part of the actual movie at one point? Or was it strictly shot for the outtakes?

I think it was always a bonus scene. I love when romcoms have an extra scene through the credits. At first, Jenny had a partner or date with her, but her arc is discovering that the love that she keeps searching for is the love between her and her child, not her and some other romantic partner.

You experienced this on Bottoms as well, but did you know ahead of time that your bloopers had the potential to make the closing credits?

There was no heads-up. (Laughs.)

If they told you, then you might become self-conscious and not give a natural reaction.

Yeah, but it’s happened so many times now that I’m aware. 

I happened to binge Brad Inglesby’s new series, Task, over the weekend, and it reminded me of the saga between you and Cailee Spaeny that began on Brad’s previous show, Mare of Easttown. You played best friends on Mare and became real friends in the process, before you replaced her on Willow. Anyway, she told me how valuable you were as her plus-one at last year’s Golden Globes. 

(Laughs.)

You were insistent that she meet Taylor Swift that night, and you apparently helped get the word out so it could happen. What made you take the initiative?

That was Cailee’s princess moment. She was remarkable in [Sofia Coppola’s] Priscilla. I was so proud of her. I was so honored and excited to accompany her to such a fabulous celebration of her as a person and as an actress. I was just there to support her in any way I could, and Taylor Swift was right there. We were surrounded by people that we look up to and people that we adore, and I was feeling liquid courage-y. She grew up listening to Taylor, and I was like, “Well, this is your night. We’re not leaving until this happens.” And I guess I was sitting next to Taylor’s manager’s partner or something like that.

That was such an amazing night. Cailee and I don’t live in the same city, so whenever I get to see her, it’s always just bursts of joy and laughter. That’s my date, always. We’ll always have a good time. We’ll always figure out how to navigate these environments that can be so heightened and confusing, and I just love having her around in those moments. She’s the best. I miss her so much. I’m going to call her after this. 

The move from L.A. to New York, did you just need a change of scenery? 

I totally did. I was looking for change and I got it. I love it. I face the world every day now. In L.A., I was very much in my own little world. 

Cailee also told me that Taylor recognized you despite you being unrecognizable from your character on the show. Taylor said something like, “But you were blonde in Mare of Easttown, weren’t you?” 

Yeah, that was crazy.

Did that recognition put some spring in your step for a while?

Yeah, I was not expecting that at all.

If the shoe was on the other foot, what person would you want Cailee to help introduce you to?

Oh my God, that’s such a good question. She knows so many cool people. I’m so excited for [Wake Up Dead Man], the new Knives Out movie she’s in. So I would love to hang out with her and celebrate her cast. I basically want to meet anyone in Cailee’s life. I also just watched The Last Showgirl and thought it was beautiful, so I’d love to meet the Coppola family too.

Cailee could certainly make that happen as well. Are you usually unfazed by celebrities?

It’s different every single time. I get shockingly starstruck sometimes, and then sometimes I’m like, “Well, I’m just going about my way, and you’re going about yours.”

I briefly touched on Willow moments ago. Were you pretty gutted by the way it was treated, especially knowing that season two was already written? 

Yeah, in the moment when the [cancellation and Disney+ removal] happened. But I just feel so much gratitude for that whole experience and all the people that I met while shooting it and for what Kit taught me and the way that people responded to Kit. People still reach out and say some of the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful things about what Kit brought to them.

[Willow] existed in its own little bubble of time and space, and it reached the people it needed to reach. Of course, I also feel conflicted about it. It brought so many people joy, and it taught me so many things. So it breaks my heart that people can’t watch it anymore, and I support people in wanting answers.

I don’t think it was the show’s fault. In the spring of 2022, before Willow even came out, Wall Street devalued streaming. So most of the industry immediately pumped the brakes on its streaming spend and output. Of course, it’s still disappointing, but it was much bigger than any one show.

​​Totally. In the end, I’m just grateful for everything it gave me. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and maybe it makes sense that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime watching experience as well. (Laughs.) So I’ve had to figure out my ways of coping. 

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The Threesome is now playing in movie theaters.