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How the Real-Life Siblings Behind Nutcrackers Went From Ballet-Dancing Farm Kids to Ben Stiller’s Co-Stars

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How the Real-Life Siblings Behind Nutcrackers Went From Ballet-Dancing Farm Kids to Ben Stiller’s Co-Stars

As a film enthusiast who has had the privilege of witnessing the magic unfold behind the scenes, I must say that David Gordon Green’s latest venture, “Nutcrackers,” is nothing short of remarkable. The story, born from Green’s profound connection with real-life siblings Atlas, Arlo, Ulysses, and Homer Janson, breathes a fresh, authentic air into the genre of family comedies.

When director David Gordon Green embarked on making “Nutcrackers”, a family comedy starring Ben Stiller that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival yesterday, he didn’t need to look far for his four main child actors. The kids play the rowdy brothers who pester their Uncle Michael, represented by Stiller as a real estate developer, who is tasked with arranging their care following the demise of their parents.

Instead, the central focus of the movie revolved around Green’s connection with the four actual siblings: Atlas, Arlo, Ulysses, and Homer Janson, who ranged from 8 to 13 years old (Arlo and Atlas were twins). Their mother, Karey Williams, was a fellow film school student of Green.

Following some film projects with her, she returned to her family’s farm in Ohio, where they had four handsome sons. Over the years, watching them grow, I was consistently amazed by their charisma and charm. Each visit felt like there was a potential movie waiting to be made if we merely brought a camera along.” (Phone interview the morning after the premiere)

The film titled “Nutcrackers” is moving beyond the festival circuit, marking Jerry Stiller’s return to leading acting roles after seven years. During this time, he’s been busy directing television shows such as the critically-acclaimed Apple TV+ series “Severance.” Interestingly, it’s not Stiller who drives the narrative, but the Jansons. Their story was the catalyst for Green to revisit his independent filmmaking roots.

In a surprising turn of events, the orphaned boys, who lost both their parents, find themselves on their family farm. Their uncle intends to sign some papers to send them away to a foster home, but he soon learns that finding suitable guardians will be more challenging than anticipated – it’s close to Christmas time. As a result, the uncle unwillingly becomes their caretaker, dealing with mischievous boys who don disguises as bunny masks and hurl baseballs at him, while also managing the farm animals roaming inside their home. The eldest boy, Justice (portrayed by Homer), is particularly keen on jumping his uncle’s yellow Porsche over a homemade ramp.

In the end, just as you’d guess from such a heartwarming comedy, Michael forms a delightful bond with the boys, who surprisingly possess great talent. Their on-screen mom was a ballet instructor, making them all graceful dancers. The movie reaches its climax with their unique take on The Nutcracker, featuring a samurai and a Rambo look-alike.

According to Homer, when Williams informed his sons that their acquaintance Green planned to create a film involving them, they showed great enthusiasm for the project.

Initially, I assumed it was just a prank or some sort of jest, but it turned out to be genuine. Instantly, we switched gears and thought, “We’ve got to make an impression on David.” We attempted to maintain our professional demeanor when Green and writer Leland Douglas came to the farm to draft the script, but that pretense faded away when we wanted to let loose and splash around in the pond.

In the movie, scenes were genuinely filmed at the Janson family’s farm, and most of the animals depicted, apart from the snake that the children pranked Michael with by putting it in the bathroom, are actually their pets. Tragically, the film concludes with a touching memorial to one of their dogs who has passed away, which is shown on screen.

Green aimed for the scenes to appear as ‘natural’ or ‘untouched’ as possible and sought the Jansons’ suggestions. When it came to staging the Kicklighters’ adaptation of the renowned ballet, he asked Ulysses, their middle child, to describe his interpretation of the story. This led to the unique title for their production, “The Nutcracker’s Mustache.

Their performance skills are not a fluke, though. All of the Jansons are trained ballet dancers. Homer says he’s been taking lessons for seven years, and some scenes were shot at their actual dance studio. The day before they flew into Toronto, they had private classes because they are preparing for a performance of the actual Nutcracker in a couple of months. (“Honestly, I prefer Uly’s,” Homer says.) 

Homer mentions that ballet could be another possible career path for them, and they all express an openness to professional acting. He enjoys the playfulness of throwing cheese balls at Stiller during filming, but he also appreciates the unique experience of having a film crew in his home.

“We saw the trucks rolling in and were like, ‘Wow, this is actually happening,” he says. 

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2024-09-07 01:06

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