'Stranger Things' star Joe Keery's latest 'Spree' shows him as a ride-share driver turn internet sensation
'Stranger Things' star Joe Keery's latest big role couldn't be more different from his role on the show as Steve Harrington. In his new movie 'Spree', which premiered on January 24 at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Keery plays a rideshare driver named Kurt Kunkle who aspires to social media fame.
Keery himself has over seven million followers on Instagram and has become a sensation on social media ever since his breakout role on 'Stranger Things'. In an exclusive interview with MEAWW (MEA World Wide) on the sidelines of Sundance 2020, the 27-year-old actor and musician spoke about how he had to adjust to the role instead of drawing from his own experiences.
"Well, I kind of had the exact opposite reaction where I kinda got a bunch of people on social media and sort of felt like I could be less myself in it," he said while comparing his own life to his character's. "It was kind of more daunting, you just because there are millions of strangers that I've never met, maybe judging or picking apart something that is supposed to, you know, I use mostly just as fun beforehand, whereas Kurt doesn't have anything."
"He started from the bottom," Keery continued. "He has nothing, and he's seeking that attention and he wants that, he wants the viewership. So, you know, I couldn't actually really, I could sort of draw from my own experience, but I guess not directly from my own, my own rise of, you know, whatever."
Here's the synopsis for the movie, according to the Sundance Institute's official website: "Meet Kurt, from @KurtsWorld96. He dreams of one day sitting atop a social media empire, but he’s not there yet. He currently drives for the rideshare company Spree, which is cool for him because he gets to hang with so many dope people all day long. Fortunately, Kurt has come up with the perfect way to go viral: #TheLesson. He’s decked out his car with cameras for a nonstop livestream full of killer entertainment. In the middle of all this madness, a stand-up comedian with her own viral agenda, Jessie Adams, crosses Kurt’s path and becomes our only hope to put a stop to his misguided carnage."
