Editor’s note: This studio interview was originally published on January 29, 2025 at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Sony Pictures Classics will release the film in theaters on Friday, July 10.

No movie at Sundance was more fun to make than “Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass.” At least that’s the impression left by director David Wain and his cast, who couldn’t stop making each other laugh during their visit to the IndieWire Studio, presented by Dropbox.

Wain was joined by stars Ken Marino (who co-wrote the film), Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Sabrina Impacciatore, and Ben Wang to reminisce about making their unapologetically silly comedy.

“Ken Marino over there and I, we came up with the idea,” Wain said. “And the first thought we had was ‘What if we did a movie about Gail Daughtry? And what if she had a celebrity sex pass?”

The film sees Deutch play a naive bride-to-be from Kansas who travels to Los Angeles in pursuit of hooking up with Joh Hamm after her fiancee uses his “celebrity sex pass” to sleep with a famous crush of his own. She ends up taking a “Wizard of Oz”-esque journey with a crew of misfit friends who all have their own motives to meet the “Mad Men” star.

“I would describe it as ‘Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride,'” Slattery, who plays himself, said of the film. “There’s no Mr. Toad, but it is a wild ride.” 

The chemistry between the cast was apparent, with Deutch saying that “One thing I learned while making this movie is that John Slattery is actually the funniest person I’ve met in my life.” The conversation soon turned to funny stories from the set, with Wang recalling a video he took of Deutch and Slattery practicing a particularly graphic stunt.

“One of my favorite things I have on my phone is a candid of Zoey kicking John in the crotch over and over because he was testing his little crotch protecting device,” Wang said with a laugh.

“And if you want to see why her character kicks his character in the balls, you’re gonna have to see the movie!” Wain added.

Watch the complete conversation with the “Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass” team above.

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