Playing with Fire
dally with Firestars John Cena as the no - nonsense drawing card of a team of smokejumpers , California deliverance workers who fight fire and hold open sprightliness . His calling - tailor ambitions are turned upside down when he and his team end up having to take care of three mysterious children after deliver them from a ardour . Family - friendly kineticcomedy and heartwarming bonding ensues .
Directed by Andy Fickman ( Reefer Madness , Paul Blart : Mall Cop 2),Playing with Fire ’s precocious humor is bolstered bystandout performances from John Cena , Keegan - Michael Key , John Leguizamo , and Judy Greer . However , the unfeigned affectionateness and soul of the flick can be see with Brianna Hildebrand , a teenager who finds herself an unprepared materfamilias who is nonetheless determined to keep her class together at all costs . It ’s a hard performance from theDeadpoolactor , and helps to elevatePlaying with Fireabove other " tike movies " of its ilk .
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At a New York City press Clarence Day forPlaying with Fire , Screen Rant sat down with Fickman and Hildebrand , who discussed working on the celluloid , including Hildebrand ’s position as an on - mark " great sister " to her younger atomic number 27 - star , as well as getting to work with with John Cena ; despite his intimidating physical height , he was a " happy puppy " who got along with everybody on exercise set .
This flick is , like , the most lovely thing I ’ve see this year .
Andy Fickman : Aww , thank you !
It ’s just non - block , so much fun , and John Cena being so jolly , and you ( to Brianna ) being so heartwarming . You ’re a boastful babe to these trivial minor . Did you get any on - set , having to be the big sister , or was it like , in between takes they went to their parents ?
Brianna Hildebrand : Oh yeah , we all hung out in the same country between scene . We really got to know each other well . ( Laughs ) We did a lot of artistic production and crafts together , yeah !
Andy Fickman : She was outstanding with those tiddler , on camera and off camera . Every meter you ’d face over in between scene , you ’d see her bring with them and hold a great clock time . They were lucky to have her .
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Is that super helpful as a director ? I mean , there ’s the Jackie Gleason logical argument , of " I ’ll never work on with kids or brute ! " Does having someone there to be the big sister , a " kid wrangler , " does that help ?
Andy Fickman : Oh , certain ! Because we also bestow fire to that , component of things not to process with ! For grownup , it ’s work , and you want to have playfulness while you ’re at work . But for kids , they ’re still kids . You do n’t want it to feel , to them , like they ’re in " work work " fashion . Having Brianna there was somebody who was a self-aggrandizing sister . For a director , have that opportunity on exercise set to see , you could secern how quickly that was going to pay off in the movie . And you ’re also attempt to form a bond . You do n’t get to shoot a movie in order . Seldom does that ever happen . So you ’re taking three people who do n’t know each other and taste to imprint a adhesion as a family . And that role that Brianna plays on filmdom is a role she was able to flirt in actual sprightliness . So the off photographic camera stuff really facilitate build the trust . There ’s here and now in the film where Finley just reaches up and grab Brianna ’s hired hand , and it ’s just an instinctual thing . And I have a go at it all that in editorial , because I recognize it was n’t needfully a direction from me as much as it was a bond that the three of them had .
So , the big star in this flick , John Cena , the closest that human race has made to , like , a human tank . Is there an intimidation factor when you ’re working with him ? How does he break the ice ? Is he like , " I am mammoth , but also friendly ! "
Andy Fickman : He literally breaks the trash with his brow . Once you see that go on , you ’re like , I get it ! You ’re tough ! You ’re John Cena ! ( Laughs ) Well , I obviously share a similar workout regime , so that was something that I think we bonded over … He ’s a liberal teddy bear on set with everybody .
Brianna Hildebrand : He ’s such a peach . I think I was promise him to be a trivial more stone - faced . But meet him , he was just like , " Hi , I ’m John ! " And it was just like , " Oh … What ’s up ? "
Andy Fickman : Like a well-chosen puppy .
Brianna Hildebrand : Yeah .
Andy Fickman : After a while , we were like , " We get it , John . Just back off , okay ? We ’ll call you when we need you . "
So when he introduced himself , you were like , " Okay , the door are open , now I can prank this guy . "
Brianna Hildebrand : Yeah , I gauge , essentially ! I never pranked him , which I ’m realize now was a drop opportunity . ( To Andy ) Did you prank him ?
Andy Fickman : Uh , I mean , we would have fun every twenty-four hours on stage set . He ’s an well-fixed one that you could make play of . He would , sort of , apace go with that .
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