Interview: D’Arcy Carden on phone sex with ‘Ride the Eagle’ co-star Jake Johnson and filming ‘A League of Their Own’

For D’Arcy Carden, the process of filming “Ride the Eagle” was a lesson in intimacy. 

As Audrey, Carden’s performance happens almost exclusively on the phone, talking to estranged ex-boyfriend Leif, played by Jake Johnson, who also co-wrote the movie. There was difficulty and freedom in the subtle scope of the film itself, but also in the process.

Carden, the Emmy-nominated star of The Good Place and Amazon’s upcoming A League of Their Own series, reveled in the personal aspect of filming, which included an attempted phone sex scene with Johnson that, well, goes like most phone sex does.

Daniel Trainor spoke with Carden about what she learned from the movie, her hopes for the future of improv comedy and what to expect from A League of Their Own.

Ride the Eagle, which also co-stars Susan Sarandon and J.K. Simmons, is available in theaters, On Demand and digitally on July 30th.

Daniel Trainor: Hi D’Arcy! I know you’re a busy lady at the moment, so I appreciate you taking the time.

D’Arcy Carden: Oh, who isn’t?!

Trainor: Listen, I can only hope to have the same amount of chemistry with you on the phone as you did with Jake Johnson.

Carden: (laughs) That’s great. That’s so true, right? It was all phone calls!

Trainor: Have you and Jake actually met before?

Carden: That’s a great question. We met years ago at an awards show for, like, five or ten minutes. He worked with my husband for years, but weirdly, I never met him then. I’m a big fan of his and we have a bunch of friends in common. We just never met. He doesn’t go to a lot of things. He’s a family man. He’s usually at home. Trent O’Donnell, who co-wrote and directed the movie, is a great mutual friend. He was always wanting to put us together. He knew it would work. It’s a funny thing, though. For this movie, we would do a bunch of Zoom rehearsals and we would text each other all the time. I came on the project before there was a script and we were like “who are these characters?” So, I kind of can’t believe that we’ve never met each other than at that awards show. But now we can’t ever be in the same place. 

Trainor: You’ve come this far!

Carden: Yes! Even on the day when we had to do all of the phone stuff, I guess he could have been there on set, but we said “we can’t do this.” We cannot be in the same room. Something bad will happen.

Trainor: I have this theory that phone acting is actually far more difficult than talking to somebody who is in the room. 

Carden: Thank you, Daniel.

Trainor: Did you find that to be true?

Carden: I think the answer is yes. When you’re acting with another human being, things come really naturally. You can’t help but react. It’s a more natural way of acting. Luckily, I got to be on the phone with Jake throughout all of those scenes. He could have just been like “leave space for my lines, I’ll see you when I see you,” but he was very available. Whenever we were ready to shoot, I just called him. On the flip side, he was up in Yosemite when they filmed his side of it and there was no reception there! So, he did have to do it by himself. They might have played my voice back or something. But that’s hard! 

Trainor: I was curious if he was on the phone with you. That had to have made it a lot easier.

Carden: It made it so much easier. I can’t even tell you. Jake felt like he didn’t do much and I said “I don’t know if I could have done that without you.” 

Trainor: I have another theory for you. I have this assumption that having phone sex is maybe even more awkward on set than an actual sex scene. Can you confirm?

Carden: (laughs) You’re so right. The thing is, this one actually wasn’t terrible. I think it was because it was such a small crew. And I mean really small. It was like five or seven people. Nobody was trying to make me feel uncomfortable. If you’re going to have to do a phone sex scene, I had the best version of it. But yes, I think you’re totally right. You’re really, truly alone. But this was really about trying to make each other laugh. We did a bunch of takes where we were way drunker or more sober, just to figure out what the right vibe was. They were so collaborative and let me improvise. Early on, I think Jake, Trent and I realized that our relationship is really about making fun of each other. That’s a fun way to be on set.

Trainor: Now, wait a second. You said “this one” wasn’t terrible. How many sex scenes have you been forced to do, D’Arcy?

Carden: Okay hold on, hold on. Let me take that back. (laughs) I actually can’t even think of a phone sex scene in a movie. Or wait, there was one with Drew Barrymore and Justin Long [in 2010’s Going The Distance]. You know what, let me tell you something funny. I agreed to do this movie before there was a script. Trent said “all of your stuff will be on the phone.” When I hung up, I remember talking to my husband and saying “this will be fun and easy and, wait a second, I hope there’s not a phone sex scene.”

Trainor: Uh-oh!

Carden: I know. But of course when we talked it through and I saw what they wrote I was like “oh, this is brilliant.” The fact that we are bad at it is such a funny idea. 

Trainor: The movie itself is very intimate. You mentioned the small crew. You’re obviously well-versed in big productions, in both TV and film. What was the experience like being in something so small?

Carden: I loved it. I really loved it. A lot of that has to do with Trent, Jake and the people that they surround themselves with. There were no strangers, really. The small crew that they had were people they had worked with for years. It felt old school, like when I was coming up in comedy. You put together a web series or a sketch or something and you’re like “okay, you hold this, but also you have to do her hair.” It was that kind of vibe, which is so comfortable to me. It’s what my foundation is. When you’re with the right people doing that, it can be so fun and joyous. It also brings you back to what you love about all of this. The whole process was beautiful. We did all of these unnecessary rehearsals, but we were loving it. None of us could get enough. We were texting each other like “okay, what if she said this?” and “what if this is his thing?” Trent, Jake and I have a text thread that is miles long filled with dumb ideas that we didn’t use. We were all just jumping at the chance to dive all the way in. I mean, we haven’t even spoken about Susan Sarandon and J.K. Simmons! They are incredible!

Trainor: Did I cry? Of course I cried.

Carden: I know! When J.K. Simmons gets those big ol’ tears in his eyes? Come on!

Trainor: It’s fun to hear you talk about your improv background. I’ve seen you perform at UCB in Los Angeles many times. 

Carden: Whoa!

Trainor: Remember live comedy?

Carden: Remember that?

Trainor: On that note, though, are you concerned about the future of live comedy, and improv in particular?

Carden: Ultimately, no. Maybe I’m being too optimistic. I hope that things will start to settle down. We’ve already seen certain shows open and concerts come back. I know we’re going through a little setback right now. But I really, really have to believe that, and I don’t know if it’s in a few months or a few years, that things will go back to normal. People will be desperate for things like live comedy shows and concerts. I know I am. The idea of sitting in an audience and watching a musical could make me cry right now. It will be weird to go back to it. Personally, I know going back and doing an improv show will be clunky for a while. I just think that things have a way of settling back down. I know this is such an unprecedented time, but I really have to believe that we’ll look back at this time and be like “remember that?”

Trainor: I hope so. I think I’ve learned how quickly I’m able to adapt to things.

Carden: Me too.

Trainor: Right? I can only hope the adjustment back to normalcy will be like riding a weird bike.

Carden: Yeah. The first few times will be awkward, whatever it is. Being in a restaurant or going to a concert or whatever. But then it just becomes the new normal. You’re right. We, as a people, did adapt and we’ll do it again.

Trainor: I went to my first big outdoor concert in forever at the Hollywood Bowl the other night…

Carden: To see Christina Aguilera?!

Trainor: Of course, D’Arcy!

Carden: Amazing!

Trainor: It was life-changing. 

Carden: Oh my gosh, I’m so happy for you. 

Trainor: To pivot, I must ask about A League of Their Own. I’m so excited about this. You’re currently filming in Pittsburgh, right?

Carden: That is correct!

Trainor: I’m always curious about a location shoot like that. You’re there with such an amazing group of people. Is it kind of like summer camp?

Carden: It is. It definitely has a summer camp vibe. A lot of us are living in this big loft together in separate little places. It feels like adult dorms or cabins or whatever. I do think there’s something special about filming on location where you’re like “oh, we’re in this together.” When you’re in L.A. or you’re in New York, you still do your regular life things. You go to the doctor, you go to your grocery store, you do all the normal things. The magic of shooting on location is how close the cast can become. It’s super fun.

Trainor: I don’t want to beg for secrets, but what can you tell me about the process of filming the show and what can we expect from the finished product?

Carden: It’s beautiful. The scripts have been so good. It’s really about expanding the story. These are new characters, but it’s the same time period and everything. A League of Their Own, the movie, is a piece of art. It is beautiful and wonderful and perfect. But there’s only so much you can do in two hours, you know what I mean? This really gets into the small bits of the things they couldn’t get into in the movie. I’m so happy and proud of it. It looks incredible and the actors are mind-blowing. I’m loving it. I mean, we play baseball!

Trainor: Have your skills improved?

Carden: Yes, they have. But I wasn’t so bad before, okay? Sorry to brag. 

Trainor: I’ve heard you talk about this before! I know you are quite the athlete.

Carden: That’s just a fact. I can’t hide it. That’s just who I am. I mean, I played softball and this is baseball. There’s a little bit of a difference. We’re also trying to play in the style of the 1940’s. We have these incredible coaches. You realize that when you’re a kid playing baseball, your coach is just some kid’s dad. We have professional coaches who are like “actually if you move your foot an inch to the right, everything is going to change.” It’s great.

Trainor: Well, I can’t wait for the show and I can’t wait for people to check out this movie. Congratulations on everything.

Carden: Thank you, Daniel! It was so nice to talk to you.