Bad Genius, an American remake of the hit 2017 Thai film, is set to arrive in theaters on October 11. The new adaptation is directed by J.C. Lee, who previously served as supervising producer onLove, VictorandHow To Get Away With Murder, from a screenplay he co-wrote withCaptain America: Brave New World’s Julius Onah. The story closely mirrors its source material, following a bright young high school student who funds her future college tuition by starting a cheating ring for the higher-class, lower-intelligence kids in her class. But there is one major twist that setsBad Geniusapart from its predecessor, and that is the interplay of race in American society.
While the Thai film focuses on class struggles, theBad Geniusremake naturally incorporates the country’s diversity — an undercurrent that’s especially relevant in the wake of the Supreme Court reversing affirmative action. Callina Liang plays the pluck protagonist Lynn, an Asian American student with high scores and impeccable piano skills who nevertheless faces challenges going to college simply because of her financial status. Taylor Hickson and Samuel Braun play Grace and Sam, the white classmates who turn her onto the cheating idea, whileBel-Airstar Jabari Banksrounds out the main cast as Bank, the son of Nigerian immigrants who attends the school on scholarship.
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Screen Rantinterviewed Liang and Banks about their roles inBad Genius, and what they brushed up on or researched to play Lynn and Bank respectively. The duo also reflected on the themes in the movie and how they specifically speak to Gen Z viewers in the U.S.
Screen Rant: Incredible job on this film. It felt to me likeRisky BusinessmeetsOcean’s 11witha little bit ofThe Social Network— all for Gen Z. Callina, what drew you to the character of Lynn and how did you prepare for the role?
Callina Liang: I remember when I first read the script, it was 2am in the morning and I was like, “Hey, I’m just going to read a little bit, then go to bed.” I stayed up the entire night because not only was his story amazing, this Lynn character [had me] like, “Okay, she’s first of all a genius.”
Everything drew me to her, but I think we had a similar upbringing growing up. I had a lot of pressure from my dad, so seeing that in this story and seeing how she navigates this whole cheating scheme, I was like, “This is literally the coolest thing ever.” That was a done deal for me. I loved everything about her and everything about the film and every other character that was in it.
And to prepare? Man, I was just playing piano nonstop all day, every day. Thank God my dad forced me to learn piano when I was young. He wanted me to go to Juilliard — that’s the craziest thing. Wow. Literally, he forced me to learn piano since I was 3, then forced me to practice at least two hours per day until I was 10 or maybe 12. I had to play piano before I could go do anything I wanted, play with my friends or just chill. I was like, “Thank God for that, Dad.”
Yeah, to prepare, I was just playing a lot of piano and memorizing all those lines. She talks a lot and says a lot of smart stuff. I can’t relate to [that], so it was hard. [Laughs]
InBad Genius, Lynn’s father is played byDoctor Strangefan favorite, Benedict Wong.
Screen Rant: Jabari, every time I see you in something, you surprise me in such a great way. Tell us a little bit about Bank and what you wanted to bring to the role that went beyond the page.
Jabari Banks: I really wanted to take this character in a direction that was relatable to a lot of first-generation American citizens, and I hope that I did that in a beautiful way. That’s not an experience that I can relate to, but I have a lot of friends [who can], and so I did a lot of research with my friends and asked them a lot of questions about the pressures that they felt being in school and having to be the hope for their family in this way or get into a really good college so that their family can grow. I did a lot of research with a lot of my friends I actually grew up with who are Nigerian, and I definitely wanted to honor them in this role as well, so I hope I did that.
But it was really fun stepping into Bank’s shoes because we’re definitely polar opposites. I’m a pretty outgoing type of guy, while Bank is very internal and shy. When preparing for the role, me and J.C. talked a lot about the pressure cooker Bank is [in], and keeping those emotions in until the moments where they explode. I definitely hope that I portray that as well.
“I was thinking about… about how the mirror that this movie puts up to the class system in America.”
Screen Rant: Both of you knocked it out of the park in this. Callina, can you talk about your approach to the moral dilemma that Lynn faces throughout the film?
Callina Liang: Yeah, I think it was definitely tricky because there’s always going to be something to lose for both sides. But I feel like, for me, I just had to do what I thought was okay and good in that moment. And I had to keep reminding myself that this girl is a 16 or 17-year-old girl going through high school. She doesn’t have all the answers right now.
Obviously, I would think of it in a different way, but if you were to throw those situations at me with the pressure that I was getting from my family and how high the stakes were at that age? I mean, absolutely. I feel like she struggled a lot in the film already, but you see her going through the struggles and figuring it out in the film because that’s just real life. No one has the answers, especially at that age.
Screen Rant: Jabari, this film portrays the hustler ethos of Gen Z in such a great way. Can you talk about how Bank and Lynn embody this and how you brought your personal insight into the portrayal?
Jabari Banks: Yeah, that’s a great question. I think I was thinking about this a lot, coming into these interviews and [while] watching the movie again, about how the mirror that this movie puts up to the class system in America. It’s that hustler mindset of, “I have to do this and bring people up with me.” I think that’s something that Lynn is carrying a lot on her shoulders as a 16 or 17-year-old student, and Bank is as well in a whole different way.
They definitely thought outside the box instead of studying, learned how to play the piano, learned how to play Mozart or whatever. But I think that’s the natural disposition of Gen Z, especially with our parents being who they are and where they came from. And so, it devolves into these hustler mindsets with Gen Z. I’m Gen Z as well, and I guess I am a hustler in a way. Callina, would you say you’re a hustler?
Callina Liang: I hope so.
Jabari Banks: I feel like it was something that’s natural. Being as authentic as possible, knowing the kids that I know nowadays, I hope I put some of their heart and soul in the character. But that’s an interesting question. I never really thought about that and how that lives within these characters and in my portrayal of it.
Screen Rant: How do you think Lynn’s character evolves from the beginning of the film to the end?
Callina Liang: She goes on a journey. I feel like in the beginning she has her head down. She doesn’t know anything other than what she knows: her routine, getting into that good school… And I think the pivot starts when she gets this golden ticket to this really great school, and then Julliard becomes a possibility because that wasn’t even in my head. I think [that’s] when she starts to realize, “Wait a second, maybe I can live the life that I dreamt of instead of living the life that my dad wants me to live just to make him happy.”
That’s when her mindset changes. Especially when Grace, Bank, and Pat come into the picture proposing such enticing offers. She takes it — obviously because she wants to help her friends, but also because it’s this whole new door open for her. “It’s actually possible for me to live my dream,” because money was never [there]. It never even came to me because we don’t have anything. It was never an option, but then it was like, “Okay, this is possible. This is all new.”
She’s so young, and it’s like, “Oh, my God, let’s do it. Let’s do it.” Until she gets way too deep way in over her head, and then she kind of figures it out. But she definitely grows a lot throughout the film, and I think at the very end, she comes out on top as she always does.
Bad Genius is a gripping thriller that follows Lynn, a brilliant scholarship student, who devises an ingenious cheating scheme to help her friends ace their exams. As their underground cheating operation expands, Lynn finds herself at the center of a high-stakes game that tests her morals and pits her against the American education system.
Bad Genius
Cast
Bad Genius follows a gifted student who devises a scheme to assist wealthy classmates in cheating on exams, risking her future for financial gain. The film delves into the pressures of academic success and the moral dilemmas faced by a young scholar.
