An interview with Luke Kelly-Clyne, producer and co-head of Hartbeat Independent
Julia Lester (left) and Antonia Gentry
Prom Dates is an energetic new entry into the teen comedy genre. Released on May 3 on Hulu, the film follows the adventures of long-time best friends Jess and Hannah who at the age of 13 made a pact to have the perfect senior prom. Their plans are upended when they have a falling out with their dates the night before the prom and are forced to find new partners for the dance. Although outwardly a comedy, the film also addresses the importance of having a good friend to help navigate a personal crisis.
The experienced ensemble cast includes Julia Lester (High School Musical:The Musical: The Series) as Hannah, and Antonia Gentry (Ginny & Georgia) as Jess. The film was written by D.J. Mausner (Max and the Midknights) and is the feature film directorial debut of noted TV director Kim O. Nguyen (Never Have I Ever, Brooklyn Nine-Nine). The film was produced by a consortium of production companies including American High and Hartbeat. American High is a film studio based in Syracuse, New York which specializes in high school comedies. Its production facility is actually a former high school.
After a recent screening of Prom Dates in Los Angeles, I spoke with Luke Kelly-Clyne, producer and co-head of Hartbeat Independent, an entertainment company founded by Kevin Hart. Luke's career in the entertainment industry includes being a former writer for Saturday Night Live.
I asked Luke what particularly interested him in the script of Prom Dates. "The friendship. It was always about the friendship. D.J.'s team sent it over to me peak Covid 2021 - really right in the middle of it. It was a time when I think we all wanted to feel that connection to the people we cared about the most... It was a time when it was hard to remember having fun... The Jess and Hannah partnership was so powerful and whenever you see that kind of a dynamic in a movie like this you know that everything is possible. Everything is going to build from that. And then the ensemble made it perfect." Luke also mentioned that there was a certain serendipitous quality in how few thoughts he had for revisions of the initial script and how quickly Nguyen came on board as director.
In response to a question if Prom Dates was influenced in any way by the iconic teen films of John Hughes (Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles), Clyne replied, "Absolutely. John Hughes is synonymous with teen comedy. It's difficult to extricate any of what makes his library great from teen movies today. We are so influenced by them, of course. I think what makes this one special is a couple things. First, the American High ecosystem that they built in Syracuse and allowing the Hartbeat team into that ecosystem and championing these new voices was extraordinarily powerful for us... American High has this amazing facility in Syracuse. They have cracked the code on how to make teen movies and how to bring them back into the public consciousness...And then D.J. said let me put my own spin on your formula..."
I wrapped up our conversation by asking Luke what he wanted audiences to take away from the film. "I think the big takeaway from this is there are a lot of ups and downs not only in high school but in life that follows. And if you have even one friend who is going to be your proverbial 'ride or die,' hold on to that person like your life depends on it. And cherish those relationships because we know from experience, being well past high school, those are the ones that last."
-Interview conducted and edited by Paul Hansen