Thomas Lennon can charm his way through just about any role. In Chosen Family, Heather Graham’s latest, he plays a restaurant owner and close friend to Graham's lead character—a yoga teacher with a chaotic love life and even more chaotic family. It's the second time Lennon has teamed up with Graham on one of her films, and he's more than happy to return to her orbit. “Heather’s projects are always funny, always full of heart,” he tells Kyle Meredith. “She’s just got this way of making people feel like they can take risks—and you end up with these scenes that surprise everyone, even the actors.”
Thomas is no stranger to unexpected roles, and his career is a testament to taking matters into his own hands. In fact, Lennon and Graham have a lot in common: both are familiar with the value of making your own luck. For Lennon, it’s a philosophy that goes back to his days on MTV's The State, where he and a group of friends spun absurd sketch comedy into a full-fledged career. “You can’t sit around waiting for permission to do something cool. No one’s going to give it to you—you just have to do it,” he says. That ethos has led to a career full of eclectic roles, from Reno 911! to writing films like Night at the Museum.
But there’s a smaller, indie undercurrent that runs through Chosen Family, which Lennon seems to embrace as much as his studio projects. “We shot this film on a shoestring budget, wore a lot of our own clothes, stayed in a hotel by the airport—there’s something awesome about that kind of production. It’s a film that feels real, not polished within an inch of its life,” he says, clearly relishing the opportunity to work on projects that feel like they could have come from the indie film explosion of the ‘90s.
Lennon’s also working on a horror script, a self-described “tiny movie” he’s eager to dive into. For him, the magic of smaller projects lies in their unpredictability and intimacy. “This isn’t the animated DreamWorks thing I’m working on. It's about as indie as it gets,” he laughs, but you can tell he’s all in for the thrill.
Before wrapping up, Lennon and Meredith dive into a playful back-and-forth on their shared musical obsessions, including why Lennon is fine never seeing a Smiths reunion. “Some bands just don’t need to be back together,” he says with a laugh, clearly reveling in the chaos that might accompany the Oasis reunion. For Lennon, music has always been a muse, even if he’s not quite ready to reunite himself with the kitchen for anything more complex than “a killer grilled cheese.”
Catch Thomas Lennon in Chosen Family, now streaming everywhere—preferably while you’re cranking up some Bowie or The Smiths.
Watch the full interview above and then check out the trailer below.
