In this interview, Wilson Cruz discusses his new film, Mother of the Bride, as well as if he would return for a possible My So Called Life reboot or special.
Mother of the Bride, a new Netflix film, stars Wilson Cruz and tells the story of a destination wedding with some unexpected surprises — like when the mother of the bride discovers that the father of the groom is the love of her life that broke her heart.
We caught up with Wilson Cruz, who also stars in the film, to discuss the fun that was had behind the scenes, the strong messaging about family and that age doesn’t mean you can’t have fun or fall in love, and of course, a potential My So Called Life reboot or special.
Wilson Cruz Talks Mother Of The Bride
What was it that drew you to want to be a part of Mother of the Bride?
Wilson Cruz: Oh, two names. Brooke Shields, Benjamin Bratt, icons of mine since I was a young person. Benjamin Bratt is the Latino Clark Gable as I keep telling people, so I wanted to pick up a few tips. Brooke Shields is the hardest working woman in the industry. And she’s hilarious. And she proved to be the hardest working woman on this movie. If you know it took place in Thailand, Phuket. I’ve never been to Asia, it was fantastic. It was beautiful. After five seasons of saving the universe on Star Trek Discovery, it was nice to have lower stakes, if you will.
Like just playing pickelball. I love the pickleball scene because you are slowly just stopping to even try.
Wilson Cruz: What is the point? They clearly have a thing going here. So I will drink and enjoy my cocktail.
It was great because I love the sublety you bring to that moment. Did you guys really play any pickleball?
Wilson Cruz: I’d never played pickleball before this. So we had to get the swing of it. And you know, Benjamin is a bit competitive. I found out. So it got real there for a minute. And then we got to rolling and stuff. But it was fun. I actually like playing pickleball. Yeah, we had to look like we knew what we were doing.
I just turned 40 this year so I really appreciated the messaging about how you can still have fun, and even fall in love, no matter your age.
Wilson Cruz: I hope so. I just turned 50. So don’t make me feel too old. I have to believe that there’s still love out there as well. But you know, that’s what I love about this movie, is you have these two generational love stories happening side by side. And you would think that it would get easier as you get older. But as you can see in the film, there’s just as much anxiety and vulnerability and insecurity involved. As you get older, you think you’ve worked out all those kinks by the time we got into our 50s. But alas, no.
Did the cast have a lot of fun together behind the scenes?
Wilson Cruz: Well, I mean, we’re all in Thailand together. It’t not like we know anybody else. We ate together, we sat on beach chairs together, there were long hours. It wasn’t always a day at the beach. It was there was it was a lot involved. And so much of it took place outdoors. And so we were slaves to the weather and the climate and it got a little brutal. I’m not gonna lie. But you know, we did get pretty tight. And we actually really like each other. I would hang out with these people even in my free time. I actually ran into Brooke in the village just a few weeks ago and we had a couple of tequila shots at her house.
I have to ask about My So Called Life because I am a big fan. There have been a lot of reboots lately, would you come back?
Wilson Cruz: Would I? Yes. There has been no question about whether or not I would ever be involved with a reboot or seeing where they are now. I love that idea. But it’s not just up to me, right. I think we’ve all agreed that the only way that that would ever happen is if everyone agreed to do it. No pressure, y’all.
Mother of the Bride is streaming now on Netflix.
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About Mother of the Bride
Lana’s daughter Emma returns from abroad and drops a bombshell: she’s getting married. In Thailand. In a month! Things only get worse when Lana learns that the man who captured Emma’s heart is the son of the man who broke hers years ago.
Mother of the Bride starts streaming on Netflix May 9th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.