Combining big adventure, outrageous comedy, and genuine warmth is a winning formula for heartfelt storytelling. The new action-driven family holiday comedy ‘Double Trouble’ delivers on all three. It shows how two sisters’ courage and unbreakable bond are put to the test as they fight to protect not only themselves but their parents as well.
Shaun Paul Piccinino directed the film, which was written by John Ducey. Madeleine McGraw, Violet McGraw, Azizi Donnelly, Jack Griffo and Andrew Koji star in the movie. The comedy is now playing in theaters, courtesy of SX Entertainment.
‘Double Trouble’ follows two quick-witted sisters who suddenly find themselves entangled in a full-blown jewelry heist in Las Vegas. As a result, they must recruit a jaded security guard, survive bumbling henchmen and thwart the mastermind behind it, all before their parents realize they’re missing.
Piccinino generously took the time recently to talk about helming ‘Double Trouble’ recently during an exclusive interview over Zoom. Among other things, the director discussed the McGraw sisters’ natural chemistry, Koji’s action sequences and Las Vegas’ vibrant visual appeal. He also reflected on the collaborative efforts of the cast and crew, the importance of improvisation in creating the film’s outrageous humor and his excitement about bringing a fun, heartfelt story to audiences in theaters.
Film Factual (FF): You directed the new family holiday comedy, ‘Double Trouble.’ How did you become involved in helming the film? How did you approach your directorial duties on set?
Shaun Paul Piccinino (SPP): With the production company ESX Entertainment, I’ve done quite a few movies over the years. I’ve now directed 10 films with them, their founder Ali Afshar and our partners at Warner Bros.
I was there for the genesis of this project, which was really about wanting to do a fun, action-adventure holiday movie with the McGrath sisters. ESX Entertainment had worked with the sisters before and wanted to do something with them again.
We started brainstorming with the girls, who are executive producers on the film. We landed on setting it in Vegas, with a heist and the girls thwarting international thieves alongside a security guard played by Andrew Koji. I was involved from the very beginning, developing the project, brainstorming with the girls and bringing on our writer, John Ducey, to write it.
I was on board the minute we said, “Let’s do a fun action comedy with the McGrath sisters.” I was like, “Yes, please.”
FF: Speaking about the McGraw sisters, how did you collaborate with Madeleine and Violet to further developing the story with them while filming?
SPP: They’re so lovely and easy to work with, and truly as professional as you can imagine. They’re really good and very smart, so I rarely had to give them direction. When I did, they instantly understood it and rolled with it.
Their dynamic as sisters really came through, and they got to play. Most of my direction involved encouraging them to play up that dynamic. I’d say things like, “Don’t let your sister get away with that,” or, “Maybe you could play a prank on her here.” It was about having fun with the energy and dynamic they already naturally have and turning it up a notch because our movie is pretty over-the-top and silly.
FF: Beyond the comedy, how did you approach the action-driven elements of the story?
SPP: Once we knew Andrew Koji had signed on to the project, we had to step up and bring some really fun and exciting action.
Given the nature of the movie, which is like ‘Home Alone’ meets ‘Ocean’s Eleven,’ another natural idea was that Jackie Chan-style action would be really cool. We had an actor in Andrew who was excited to do his own action, so we ran with it.
I brought on an amazing martial artist, stunt coordinator and fight choreographer, Arnold Chon, who is also based in Vegas. He signed on and started designing some really cool fight sequences. We knew we wanted to do one in a kitchen and use every tool in the kitchen as a weapon.
We let him and his team loose on designing the sequence alongside Andrew. We also brought in an amazing action actor, Jesse La Flair, to fight with him. Jesse is a world-class freerunner and parkour performer, as well as an accomplished movie action performer. We wanted to bring in really good, so-called dance partners for the action sequences.
We did the same with the other stunt performers who came in to bring the action to life.
FF: You mentioned that the story is set in Las Vegas. How did that experience influence the movie’s storytelling and visual design?
SPP: Vegas and its casinos are like characters in the film. Anywhere you point a camera, there’s so much going on: blinking lights, screens and sounds everywhere. It’s a living, breathing setting that truly becomes a character in the film.
Even going out to film different scenarios and establishing shots on the Las Vegas Strip is exciting. It’s always a feast for the eyes, so as a filmmaker, it’s exciting to capture all of it. I really enjoyed it.
FF: How did the cinematography also help create the film’s visual style? What was the creative collaboration with your director of photography, Brad Rushing, like throughout filming?
SPP: I think we both felt like kids in a candy store. We got excited about going out and exploring. Even on our days off, we were looking for the best angle on the Bellagio water fountains and things like that. We explored to come up with new ideas and find the best views of the Las Vegas Strip.
Luckily, we found Ghostbar, which we used as an actual location. It has one of the best views of the Las Vegas Strip, so we were excited to take it all in with a panoramic view.
We had a blast coming up with the different visuals we wanted to include in the project.
FF: Did filming on location, especially in the casinos, lead to improvisation or changes in the script during the shoot?
SPP: We had a really funny script written by John Ducey, but our actors were also inherently funny, from the sisters to Andrew Koji. Even though Andrew is an action guy and plays his character very straight, he delivered some brilliantly funny ad-libs.
Our thieves and bad-guy goons were also doing amazing, fun things off the cuff. I always encourage that, especially in a comedy like this. I encourage the actors to bring everything they’ve got. We can always dial it back, so I told them to go to 11.
They were all happy to do that and created some wonderful, surprising moments. I think the casinos and the environments they were in inspired them to have that freedom and play.
FF: You mentioned producer Ali Afshar, along with John Ducey and the McGrath sisters, who also helped bring ‘Double Trouble’ to life as producers. How did that collaboration shape the filmmaking process?
SPP: It’s such a great team. I have a great rapport with my entire film family at ESX. We’ve worked on so many projects together that it’s always a dream scenario.
Of course, you always wish you had more time and money. It’s never enough. But working with the team is a wonderful process, and that’s why I keep coming back. I’m grateful that they keep wanting me to come back. I’ve now directed 10 movies with the same core team.
FF: Chance LaSalle served as the editor on the movie. How did you work together to put the final version of the film together?
SPP: Luckily, working on these films with this team means we’ve had a lot of the same post-production crew. On the current film I’m working on, Brett Hedlund has edited at least eight of my movies, so we have a great rapport.
Chance, who edited ‘Double Trouble,’ had also worked with us on previous ESX projects. Having that great core team, including the people who work on visual effects, sound and color, makes a difference. We’ve worked with many of these artists before.
You see this with other filmmakers all the time. They find people they enjoy collaborating with creatively and want to keep making films together. Think of Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Martin Scorsese, who all work with familiar teams.
We’ve found great partnerships with amazing artists. We continue working with them to do our best to make entertaining, fun and heartfelt films.
FF: ‘Double Trouble’ (is now playing) in theaters. How did you decide on the film’s theatrical release, and what does that mean to you?
SPP: That’s something our partners and wonderful friends at Warner Bros. help us with, along with the marketing teams and everyone involved. Some of it is above my pay grade, but I’m very excited and happy to have this film in theaters.
Making movies for the big screen is a huge dream of mine. I’m a huge fan of films and going to the movies. I love the shared experience with perfect strangers, all coming together for a common purpose and escaping for a couple of hours.
It’s a dream come true for me. I couldn’t be happier or more grateful to our partners and friends at Warner Bros.
