In Oh, Hi!, the audacious new romantic comedy from director Sophie Brooks, Logan Lerman trades Perks of Being a Wallflower sensitivity for something far more… restrictive. At a recent Los Angeles screening, the actor revealed the unexpected physical toll of filming his role as Isaac, a commitment-phobe who finds himself handcuffed to a bed—and silenced by a ball gag—after a disastrous hookup with Molly Gordon’s scorned Iris. “I would go all day with a ball gag in my mouth,” Lerman joked to Variety, before admitting, “It’s really hard on the jaw because it was a big ball, and I have a small mouth.”
The film, which Gordon co-wrote and produced, was born from real-life dating frustrations. “Sophie and I dated some wonderful men who didn’t want to have closure conversations,” Gordon explained, citing Misery as a darkly comedic touchstone for the premise—though with fewer sledgehammers and more awkward sexual negotiations. Brooks confirmed they rigorously tested ball gags in pre-production, ultimately letting Lerman choose his own (uncomfortable) adventure.
Gordon still marvels at convincing the typically serious Lerman to commit—both to the role and, on-screen, to a relationship. “I was like, How did I get this actor to do this movie for no money, shirtless, in a ball gag?” she laughed. For Lerman, the physical comedy proved its own reward—even if his jaw begged to differ. Oh, Hi! straps audiences in for a wild ride when it releases later this year.
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