Neighborhood Watch stars Jack Quaid and Jeffrey Dean Morgan dive into their dynamic in the gritty (and surprisingly funny) indie mystery film. The pair play Simon and Ed, an unlikely pair who find themselves working together to investigate an apparent kidnapping that Simon witnessed. Still dealing with schizophrenia and the doubts of others because of his delusions, Simon is forced to recruit the forcibly retired security guard Ed to figure out the truth.

Neighborhood Watch is at its best when it’s exploring the same delicate balancing act that many Coen Brothers films find between dark mysteries, intense characters, and absurd but grounded comedy. The key to the film’s success is the pairing of Quaid and Morgan, who bounce off each other expertly to dramatic, comedic, and surprisingly emotional effect. During an interview with Screen Rant, the pair discussed the independent nature of Neighborhood Watch, the unique elements of their characters, and looked ahead to new seasons of The Walking ᴅᴇᴀᴅ: ᴅᴇᴀᴅ City and The Boys.

The Down And Dirty Approach To Neighborhood Watch

“I Had Not Done Anything Like [This Role] Before, It Was Too Good To Pᴀss Up.”

Neighborhood Watch was an exciting prospect for both actors, with Jeffrey Dean Morgan noting that “Jack is one that originally sent the script to me.” Having been a fan of Duncan Skiles’ previous film The Clovehitch Killer, Morgan admitted he expected something akin to that project. “It just wasn’t that. It was kind of a throwback to… Midnight Run, which I loved. That was just a different kind of deal for me.“

Jack also expressed his fandom for The Clovehitch Killer, revealing he had reached out to Skiles’ reps to set up a meeting with him. “We met up in LA, he was so nice. Years pᴀssed by, and the script for Neighborhood Watch came in, and the tone was so specific and cool. I really loved [Simon and Ed]. I love movies about unlikely friendships.” That central bond is the key dynamic of the film, giving the pair (who had appeared together in The Boys but didn’t really interact) plenty of time to bounce off one another on set.

“I’m so happy that I got to take this journey with Jeffrey, that was the highlight of the whole thing. Getting to work with him every day and figure this thing out was incredible.” Jeffrey shared Jack’s respect for his co-star, noting that “the key for me was Mr. Quaid. When he sent the script, the opportunity to do a two-hander with Jack… I had not done anything like [this role] before, it was too good to pᴀss up.” It helped that the indie circumstances of the film meant the pair were often adapting to a unique filmmaking experience.

“It was a very low-budget movie,” Jack explained, “and we had to figure out a lot of things on the fly. It was a little anxiety-inducing, but when you pull it off, it feels so great… I think Duncan did a great job, despite all of the elements being against him at times. The weather, the location, our prop truck got stolen at one point!” Jeffrey shared that sentiment, comparing the experience to a student film in the best way possible.

“Everybody was wearing different hats,” Morgan explained. “I’ve never seen a smaller crew in all my life do a feature film. I’m amazed that anybody was able to pull it off, much less us. We’re just a bunch of goofballs! I don’t think Duncan slept the entire three weeks we sH๏τ the film, because there was always some emergency.”

While explaining how he and Jack would sometimes help wrap up cables on set during the shoot, Jeffrey gave nothing but compliments to Duncan Skiles and Cinematographer Luke McCoubrey’s work on the film. “I remember [Jack] and I having a conversation about pitching in our own money to get a second cameraman,” Jeffrey recalled. “Duncan was kind of fighting us on it. We were like, why wouldn’t you want a second camera? Well, because he had Luke, and Luke can use one camera like most people use three. He’s a superhero.”

What They Liked About Each Other And These Archetypes

“That Kind Of Terrified Me. All Of What I Just Terrified Me… That’s When I Was Like, ‘I Have To Do This.'”

Simon and Ed are an unlikely pair in Neighborhood Watch, united through desperation more than anything else. With no one else to turn to when he sees a woman seemingly taken against her will, Simon recruits his neighbor Ed to help him figure out the truth. Jeffrey was delighted by the layers he discovered with Ed, noting that he was a bit of a different character than the typical bravado he gets to play with in characters like Joe Kessler or Negan.

“We have this old grumpy guy who’s lost in his life. Ed is someone who always needs a purpose, so losing his job as a security guard was a big thing for him. Then this kid comes along… as soon as Ed opens up the door [an inch], it gives him a purpose. Then it goes well beyond the purpose, and becomes this friendship where they save each other in a lot of different ways. I loved that, and I think they did a really good job capturing it on the page.

“Having the opportunity to go with Jack and play a really great game of tennis where we’re just hitting the ball back and forth, I couldn’t have asked for a better deal.” For Jack, Simon proved an intriguing character. “There are so many parts of him. There are parts of him that I knew I could do because they are elements I’ve played before. But so much of it was new for me.

“The biggest challenge was figuring out, above all else, being respectful to those with mental illnesses like Simon. I wanted to make sure it felt real. I read several books on it, I created a very elaborate backstory. I work a lot with backstory, and a lot of this had to do with Simon’s upbringing, but also what his delusions are. What are the rules that he goes by, that the rest of the world does not?”

“I think a good shortcut I found was making sure that I had a very specific physicality. It reflected how there of moments of clarity where he’s less anxious and less agitated and not having an episode. And then there are moments where the episode is front and center, and he is swept up in it. Charting that per scene and making sure that through all of that, you still felt that there was a person underneath that… who would Simon be without the schizophrenia? I didn’t want to just play the illness, I wanted to play the man.”

“That kind of terrified me. All of what I just said terrified me [Laughter] That’s when I was like, ‘I have to do this.’ That was a good kind of fear.” In this sense, the specific circumstances of the indie filmmaking approach proved to be a boon. With less pressure on the scope of the filmmaking and a тιԍнтer focus on the performances amid a тιԍнтer setting, Quaid revealed that “it allowed a certain freedom. If an instinct hit me, I could find a way of making it work.

“Especially bouncing all of that off Jeffrey, who’s one of the best scene partners you can ever, anytime one of us would throw something into the mix, the way the other character would react was so fun. I have this distinct memory, we were doing a scene in a kitchen, Duncan is hidden around a corner, sitting at a monitor, and we can hear him laughing… I never expected this movie to be kind of funny. Not that we’re making fun of these characters, I think we’re very much with them, but their dynamic was kind of funny at times.”

Looking Ahead To The Boys And Walking ᴅᴇᴀᴅ: ᴅᴇᴀᴅ City

“That’s Been Really Interesting, And I Think Fans Are Going To Get A Kick Out Of It.”

Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jack Quaid have had strong careers lately, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change anytime soon. Morgan reprises his role as Negan in the brutal The Walking ᴅᴇᴀᴅ: ᴅᴇᴀᴅ City, bringing the former villain back into the headspace that once defined him as a monster. Looking ahead to the upcoming second season, Morgan admitted that “I don’t know that it’s the last year at all,”, but that he’s excited for audiences to see the further “forming of this character that, when we first met, was the worst person in the world.

“As time has gone by, we see a different side of him. Jack kind of plays characters that on the outside are really good, and then he’s got this dark side, and I’m the exact opposite. I always come out of the box really fu–ing dark, and then you find out there’s another side to him. I think this year we’ll see yet another side of Negan and how that works with Maggie. The story continues, and it’s going to be a fun year.”

For Jack, the ending of The Boys is somewhat bittersweet. Starring in the show for five seasons as Hughie “changed my life in so many ways,” Quaid explained, “and I’m very grateful for all of it. I’m so grateful to Eric Kripke for changing everything for the better. I wouldn’t have been able to do this movie with Jeffrey, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything if it wasn’t for The Boys.. I’m so grateful for all these people who are in my life now.“

Looking ahead to Hughie’s arc in the final stretch of the superhero satire, Quaid explained that “it has been really satisfying to play a character for five seasons and see a full arc through. I’ve never done that before. The only show I’d done before this lasted a season, not to mention a few pilots that never got picked up. I’ve never played a character for this long before, that’s so rewarding. This season, I’ve really tried to make sure you can track Hughie’s growth.”

“In the first season, he’s like a baby. In the second season, he’s like a kid learning about everything. In the third season, he’s a teenager who’s kind of rebelling. In the fourth season, he’s really maturing and growing, because a huge thing happens to him. This season, he’s a full-blown man. It’s really interesting to play the character from a place of confidence that I don’t think has really happened before. That’s been really interesting, and I think fans will get a kick out of it.”