Obsession hit digital platforms this week, and if you haven’t seen the viral horror-thriller yet, rectify that immediately. To celebrate the digital release, we sat down with star Cooper Tomlinson, who plays Ian in the film and serves as writer/director Curry Barker’s long-time creative partner.
Just two months ago, it was revealed that Barker and Tomlinson had secretly wrapped production on their highly anticipated follow-up film starring Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), titled Anything But Ghosts. In a bizarre Hollywood anomaly, casting announcements for the new project dropped after the movie was already completely shot.
However, Tomlinson insists they weren’t trying to pull a fast one on the industry.
“It wasn’t a secret shoot,” Tomlinson tells us. “People knew about it. The timing just worked out, and I literally can’t believe we wrote it and shot it before Obsession came out. It was the ride of my life. Literally the last two years have just been the best years of my life.”
Because their team operated as a lean, independent unit before Obsession exploded into the cultural spotlight, they managed to fly completely under the radar. Tomlinson also teased that Anything But Ghosts pivots to a very different tone, leaning heavily into the duo’s sharp comedic roots.
From Viral YouTube Sketches to Feature Film Sets
Long-time fans know the duo from their wildly popular YouTube comedy sketches under the banner That’s A Bad Idea. In fact, their commitment to their online audience was so fierce that they were actively filming internet shorts on weekends during the grueling production schedule of Obsession.
“We actually shot a couple because we had to on the weekends,” Tomlinson says. “But you know, we got into doing sketches as a way to show, ‘Hey, we can do this.’ And so when the opportunity came—and is here right now—we’re editing another movie. That’s why we haven’t shot anything lately. We’re really enjoying this moment. We always love creating. It’s great to get in front of the camera and behind the camera and play around with comedy all the time. But we’re making movies right now, and that’s what we’re here to do.”
If you’re worried that their transition to feature films means the end of their online sketches, Tomlinson has reassuring news for the fanbase:
“Yes, 100%. We’ll get back to the sketches every once in a while. But right now, the comments have been saying, ‘Get these guys a movie, get them on TV.’ And guess what, guys? We’ve been reading those comments and we’re doing it. So thank you for being patient is what I’ll say.”
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