Being forced to consider life from a different perspective during a challenging time can often lead people to gain a renewed sense of purpose in their lives. That’s certainly the case for the protagonist and the people closest to him in his life in the new SXSW romantic comedy, ‘Switch Up.’

The movie was co-written and directed by Tara Pirnia. She also served as a producer on the film with Elizabeth Avellán, who she previously worked with on ‘Deadland;’ the duo also served as producers together on the thriller, which had its World Premiere at last year’s SXSW.

‘Switch Up’ stars Cristian de la Fuente, Sal Velez Jr., Larry Krask, Julieth Restrepo, Jeff Fahey, Shondrella Avery, R. Brandon Johnson, Temple Baker, Donnell Rawlings, Alicia Witt, Manuel Uriza and Felice Heather Monteith, the latter of whom also served as a co-writer. Velez, Krask and Fahey also served as executive producers on the comedy.

‘Switch Up’ chronicles the success, and subsequent fall, of Ricardo de la Cruz (de la Fuente)) has it all. His success as a talk show host has given him every perk life could offer.

However, when Ricardo’s ratings drop, he suddenly finds himself broadcasting from South Texas at a homeless shelter run by Cassie Harris ((Restrepo) to show his charitable side. Scandal erupts as Ricardo is falsely accused for running a ponzi scheme. He loses everything and is now stranded in South Texas.

So Cassie and her family decide to bring Ricardo into the shelter. With the assistance of a homeless vet named Charlie (Fahey), Cassie’s family and his producer Marie (Avery), Ricardo regains his throne.

However, the life Ricardo once had has lost its shine. He finds a way to win Cassie’s heart and gains a renewed sense of purpose in his life.

‘Switch Up’ had its World Premiere earlier this month, on March 10, in the Narrative Spotlight screening section at this year’s SXSW. Velez and Krask generously took the time after the movie’s premiere to talk about starring in, and producing, the project during an exclusive interview.

The conversation began with the filmmakers explaining what influenced them to work on ‘Switch Up.’ “I actually heard about the film from Sal,” Krask shared. “He asked me about investing in a movie. I said, ‘I’m just liking for the right one.’

“So he introduced me to Tara, the director, and we had some Zoom meetings. She sent me the script, and I really enjoyed the storyline,” the executive producer continued.

“I then spoke with my wife and said ‘Yes, let’s do this.’ I then got back in touch with Tara, and she said, ‘I’ve also got this little part for you, too.’ I said, ‘That’s a bonus, and I’m not going to turn it down,’” Krask continued.

“So that’s how it came about through Sal. I’m very appreciative of what he’s done in introducing me to this world,” the filmmaker added with a laugh.

Velez then chimed in on what convinced him to take part in making the film. “At the time, I had a minimum of five scripts to choose from. Larry and I had known each other for some time, and we talked about getting together and producing a couple of movies together. So we were just looking for the right project at that time,” he shared.

“When ‘Switch Up’ came, I thought, this has a good story. It’s a comedy, and we’re both improvisers from Second City. We’re Chicagoans, so being in Second City was big for us,” the actor divulged.

“We went through the script and went back-and-forth. I gave things to him and asked, ‘What do you think?’ He then gave things back to me and said, ‘This is what I think.’ So we tossed things back-and-forth, and finally we said, ‘Let’s pull the trigger,’” Velez continued.

“We needed to have a good rapport with Tara and the other writers and producers on the project. It’s very important that you have a good relationship from the beginning because it’s like you’re going to marry these strangers,” the filmmaker pointed out.

“We were very fortunate to pull the trigger on ‘Switch Up.’ We watched it for the first time” at its premiere screening at SXSW, which Velez called a “beautiful experience. It’s a great film.”

Krask agreed with his co-star and fellow producer by calling the filmmaking process “a beautiful journey. We really enjoyed it.”

Further speaking about watching ‘Switch Up’ during its SXSW screening, the duo gushed about the experience. “For me, it was like being star-struck,” Krask gushed about the premiere. The Austin-based event was “my first official festival. So seeing everything as I went into the theater was amazing. Everyone there had a common interest, even though everyone were strangers. But we were all there to see this wonderful film, and that was really inspiring.

“To also see everyone who worked on the film go into the theater to watch it together was amazing. That was really special – I really enjoyed that,” the filmmaker added.

Velez agreed with Krask about the experience they shared at the film’s premiere. “We were really fortunate to screen at SXSW. Sundance, Cannes and all of these L.A.-based festivals are also amazing. Whenever you make a movie, you just want a little bit of recognition.

“We were accepted into, and invited to attend, this festival, and this is our first time coming to SXSW. Austin’s a beautiful place, and everyone here is really warm and welcoming. There were all of these crazy events going on – it was like Mardi Gras!,” the filmmaker added with a laugh.

“But with the screening itself, we had a packed house. We had our World Premiere at the Paramount Theatre, and I think there were over 1,000 people in the house. People were crying and laughing,” Velez shared.

“That’s the one thing that you could want as a filmmaker – everyone going through all of the emotions. Are they laughing? Are they happy? Are they sad? Are they mad? When you see that, you think, we might have something here,” the filmmaker pointed out.

“Everyone got absorbed into the story, which was part of the whole experience of watching a film. You think, wow, I’m really involved in this. You’re laughing and crying, which was neat about this film,” Krask added.

Also going back to their experience improvising on the comedy’s set, the duo expressed their appreciation of being able to add their own ideas to the story and their characters. Velez noted once again that he’s “a Second City guy from Chicago. I was in the touring company for six years. So improvising became like oxygen to me.”

The actor admitted that as a result, “a lot of writers and directors can’t stand me! They’re like, ‘Holy smokes, you did the page and about five more.’ Usually that’s what happens, and you can only hope that the director gives you the rein to do that.

“Me, as a storyteller, I’m like, ‘Just leave those cameras on and rolling! Don’t turn that audio off!,” the performer added.

“I try to tell the story that’s on the page, but I also don’t want to throw off my other actors, as not everyone’s an improviser,” Velez divulged. “If I’m going into a scene with someone who can go there, great. But if I’m working with a method actor who’s not ready to get thrown off page like that, or if they’re studying Meisner or a similar technique, I’ll stick more to the script.

“So I have to be mindful of that, especially on a storyline like this one. In this film, I was trying to create a character who’s more supportive to another character, and be mindful of their needs,” the actor added.

While Velez had some more humorous moments in ‘Switch Up,’ Krask didn’t have as much of an opportunity to contribute to the story’s comedy. “I really didn’t have a comedic moment in the movie. I was arresting people, as I play an FBI agent, so I couldn’t be too comedic with my part. But I would have welcomed it.

“But what I did like is that there was a scene that we had to re-write, and Tara asked my opinion on what I would do as an FBI agent. I thought that was really nice of her to include me in that,” the performer divulged.

“I do have some experience playing cops and FBI agents, so she asked my advice. I thought that it was great that she was open to that, and I pretty much stuck to the original script,” Krask divulged. “But Sal had a bigger part.”

“That’s the thing about the world of improv and comedy itself,” Velez chimed in. “Playing the truth of the moment is just as funny.

“That’s probably why I still enjoy watching Alan Arkin do his dry comedy – this guy’s funny, but he’s not trying to be funny. He’s low-key at it…we know that a funny moment’s coming, but he’s so low-key and dead-pan about it, and it worked,” the actor noted.

“That’s why when Larry’s character comes in, you know what’s going to happen, and it’s like, here we go; here comes the FBI,” Velez pointed out.

“I’ve got a big mouth!,” Krask chimed in with a laugh

The performer added that he was able to easily relate to, and prepare for, his character in ‘Switch Up’ because “I play a cop a lot. So I’ve kind of got the vernacular of the attitude down. So I basically just go in and do my thing, and most directors say, ‘That was good that was perfect.’

“But the first time I worked with Tara, she said ‘Don’t be so loud.’ So I had to tone it down a little bit, as we didn’t want to announce that I was there right away,” Krask admitted. He added with a laugh, “So the preparation for this role was pretty simple because I get to play a cop a lot.”

Velez then chimed in that he decided that he would infuse his “character of Ty with the feeling of being exhausted, but still needing a little bit of energy to get through a moment.

“He’s seen everything, but he still has to have a little bit left in the tank to deal with what’s going to walk in the door. It could be a broken family. It can be a homeless or drug situation, or someone who’s at rock bottom,” the actor shared.

“Even though he’s seen it before, he still has to find a way to say, come on in, we’re good. We’ll find a plate of food for you. He has to do that in an endearing way to what the characters are going through in this movie…but since the movie is a comedy, we also had to keep that tone going,” Velez pointed out.

As the director, Pirnia helped guide that sentimental but equally humorous tone on the set throughout the production. “My experience with Tara was all positive,” Krask shared.

“Like I said, she asked for my advice on what I came to say as my character. We initially spoke over Zoom. Then when we arrived on the set, after she would cut a scene, she would come up to me and give me a hug. I thought that was really kind and compassionate on her part,” the performer divulged.

“As the director, she had a lot of things going on. Yet she still took a minute or two to walk over and acknowledge me. I thought, wow, that was cool. So I felt very comfortable on set,” Krask added.

Velez also shared what his experiences was like of working with Pirnia throughout the movie’s production. “Going back to what I said earlier, being in the improv world, you can drive a director crazy. A lot of times I don’t even realize I’m doing it because it’s second nature.

“I’ve found in my career that sometimes the best dialogue is no dialogue; sometimes it’s better to just look into the camera or share an expression with somebody. But if they give me words, I’m running with it,” the performer shared with a hint of a laugh.

“I know at times Tara was like, ‘Holy smokes, Sal.’ I would hear her laughing, and we would have to call a couple of cuts and do re-takes because she’d be the one laughing,” Velez divulged.

“But again, she gave me the permission to do such. It doesn’t work until everyone supports it. Tara was not only supportive of my performance, but everyone’s performances on set,” the actor revealed. “When you’re a director, you’re also almost like a counselor, dealing with all these people.”

Further speaking about creating their characters’ facial expressions and overall physicality, Krask noted that he was able to be “very physical because I arrest Cristian. That was fun because I was able to put my cop skills to work. I was also running around the warehouse. So the physicality allowed us to be in the moment, like Sal said. So we were like, ‘Okay, let’s do this.’ So I had a lot of fun with that.”

Velez agreed with his co-star, saying “I believe the eyes are everything. We can often take for granted the fact that we watch movies with our eyes. There’s nothing more beautiful than watching the eyes of another individual telling a story to another individual. How they view the world is everything.

“So when I take a character like this on, I really try to stay in the moment, so that I can see what’s happening within the story. Obviously, behind the camera, there’s a crew of 30 people, and that’s really what you’re seeing,” the performer pointed out. “So for the audiences, we, as performers, have to keep making connections with our eyes.”

Besides connecting to ‘Switch Up’s story as performers, the duo also embraced the project as producers. They then chimed in on how also producing the film helped them truly bond with the story, and why they decided to also work behind the scenes.

Krask shared that he owns a restaurant in L.A., the ‘49er Saloon, and admitted that a result, his “producing was limited to making phone calls and things of that nature. I wasn’t on set very long, but I liked the vibe while I was there.

“I wanted everyone to be happy because I think you get the best vibe from people when they’re happy,” the producer divulged. “So my producing came from that…and my wallet!,” he added with a laugh.

Velez then chimed in that he thinks “producing is a funny animal. I would say acting’s much easier because you can just go out there and tell a story, and then go home. You can either be supportive of, or be, the lead.

“But with producing, you’re always working. I think Larry and I have a lot in common in that sense. We’re very blue collar about it…and we just want to see fairness and equality. We want to see everyone being treated with equally and respect,” the filmmaker pointed out.

“We also want to see everyone come in and do a good day’s work; we don’t want to see anyone slacking. That’s a big thing in the film world – people can sometimes start slacking when they start making millions of dollars,” Krask noted.

“Then there’s the disparity of people who are making peanuts, and there’s nothing in between. That can cause a huge circus of emotions for a lot of people,” the producer pointed out.

“So as a producer who sees things in fairness and equality, it’s important to squeeze that middle ground, and bring the two groups closer,” Krask continued. “It’s important to let the smallest person on set know they’re just as important as the biggest person.”

The duo embraced the experience of shooting ‘Switch Up’ on location in SXSW’s state of Texas. “For me, it was real locations, which was great. I got to fly out and spend some time on South Padre Island. They had everything set up, and it was fun,” Velez shared.

The actor’s character “was walking into a TV show, busting a guy. You have the cameras on you that are filming TV show, and then you have the real cameras that are filming the movie. So it was kind of fun to come onto the set and kind of take over with my big mouth and presence – I like to do that.”

Krask chimed in that “When you’re operating on an independent budget for an independent movie, location is everything. You want everything to be as authentic as possible, from the supporting and background cast to all the buildings that you’re working on.

“We had set designers (Rebecca Bertot and Megan Rickmers) who were very dedicated to trying to create the look and atmosphere for every scene. Our lead set designer, Rebecca, did an amazing job, trying to dress every scene,” the filmmaker shared.

“That was super important because we were working on a shoe-string budget; it’s not like we were working on a big Universal Studios picture,” Krask emphasized with a laugh. “So working with them, and everyone else on the set, was amazing,” he concluded.