Rifan Muazin
Editor’s note: This interview was originally conducted on June 9, 2026, during the Tribeca Festival. “Never Change!” is now available to stream on Hulu.
John Reynolds occupies a singular space in the modern entertainment landscape. To the casual viewer, he is a recognizable face from prestige dramas and viral comedies alike—a SAG Award winner for his pivotal work on the cultural phenomenon Stranger Things, and a standout talent in series ranging from Search Party to The Sex Lives of College Girls. To his peers, he is a writer, producer, and a foundational figure in the New York and Chicago comedy scenes.
But if you ask Reynolds to define himself, he leans into his roots. He is a Midwesterner—a descriptor he wears not just as a badge of origin, but as a guiding philosophy for his creative process. As we sat down to discuss his debut feature film as a writer and producer, Never Change!, that characteristic humility and collaborative spirit were front and center.
A Legal Loophole and the Return to High School
The premise of Never Change! is as absurd as it is relatable: a group of millennials find themselves thrust back into the halls of their high school for two weeks due to a bizarre, unforeseen legal loophole. It is a premise that allows for both raucous comedy and a poignant interrogation of the generational baggage that never quite stays in the past.
The project, directed by Reynolds’ longtime friend and collaborator Marty Schousboe, represents a significant evolution in Reynolds’ career. While he has spent years acting in other people’s visions, Never Change! marks his first major swing as a primary architect of a feature film.
When asked about the pressures of leading a production, Reynolds provides an answer that feels quintessentially Midwestern. “I felt a lot of pressure, obviously,” he tells me. “Just because I wanted everyone to have a good time, and I felt so grateful for them being there. I wanted it to be a fun time, and that was the most important thing.”
In an industry where the word “producer” is often synonymous with fiscal bottom lines and cutthroat logistics, Reynolds’ focus on the collective joy of his cast and crew is refreshing. It is a sentiment that underscores his approach to the craft: that the quality of the work is inextricably linked to the environment in which it is made.
From Chicago Improv to Feature Film
The genesis of Never Change! dates back to the creative partnership Reynolds forged with Schousboe while both were cutting their teeth in the Chicago comedy scene. The duo often found themselves lamenting the tropes of high school cinema—specifically, the feeling that they had aged out of the genre.
“In a lot of movies, they have these tropes where there’s the art kids and the jocks, and everything is so separate,” Reynolds explains, reflecting on his own upbringing at Madison West High School in Madison, Wisconsin. “In my experience, it wasn’t really like that. We didn’t have social hierarchies.”
The transition from a high school student in Wisconsin to a filmmaker in New York was a long road. The idea for Never Change! actually began as a potential television series. It was only after discussions with Hulu that the concept was reimagined as a feature film. Reynolds took on the arduous task of distilling the narrative, ensuring that despite the condensed runtime, the pillars of the genre—the school play, the high-stakes finals, and the inevitable prom—remained intact, serving as the backdrop for his thirtysomething characters’ mid-life crisis.
Casting the Comedy Ecosystem
One of the most striking aspects of Never Change! is its cast. The film serves as a reunion for some of the most influential comedic voices in the contemporary scene. Reynolds filled the script with collaborators he has known for nearly two decades, including Carmen Christopher and Gary Richardson, with whom he lived in his early days in Chicago.
The film also features a roster of New York comedy staples, including Matt Barats, Patti Harrison, Micah Sterenberg, and the singular Jo Firestone. “Jo is just incredible,” Reynolds says. “She’s heartbreaking and funny in all her scenes, and I was really lucky she said ‘yes’ to doing it. I would check in a lot, like, ‘Are you sure you want to do it?’ ‘Still want to do it?’ We got her, which was huge.”
This reliance on a close-knit circle of friends highlights a recurring theme in Reynolds’ career: the strength of the community he built in the trenches of indie comedy. This includes a reunion with his Search Party co-star John Early. Reflecting on the legacy of Search Party, which premiered a decade ago in 2016, Reynolds is quick to praise his former castmates.
“I’m not surprised by their success,” he says. “Search Party was such a difficult show tonally. You had to be funny, and then the next scene, you’re burying a body, there’s a murder, or you’re having a dramatic fight with your partner. You could see firsthand just how skilled they were.”
The Challenge of Playing ‘Sonny Football’
Writing for others proved to be a natural extension of his collaborative spirit, but writing for himself was a different hurdle. In the film, Reynolds plays “Sonny Football,” a character whose name is a nod to the tropes he grew up watching.
“I just thought it was funny if his name was so overt and stupid,” Reynolds says. “I hope people get on board with that. We want the absurdity to come through immediately, so people can relax.”
Yet, the process of self-insertion was difficult. “I come from an Irish Catholic family in the Midwest,” he notes. “So you don’t talk about yourself, and you don’t do work on yourself, so the idea of trying to talk about yourself or write for yourself is still a work in progress for me.”
Ultimately, he chose to play a character that was aspirational—a "happy-go-lucky" guy who stands in stark contrast to the high-stress roles he is usually cast in. It is a performance that allows him to break the cycle of playing the perpetually anxious protagonist.
Implications and Reflections
As he looks back on a career that includes credits like Miracle Workers, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Yellowjackets, and the massive success of Stranger Things, Reynolds maintains a grounded perspective. He recalls the day he landed his Stranger Things role—a moment when he had only $74 in his bank account and was suffering from a full-blown panic attack.
“I was working with dramatic actors like David Harbour, so getting to see his process was new to me, because I had only known comedians at that point,” he says. “When people asked me what the show was in general, I was like, ‘I think it’s like a sci-fi thing.’ Then the show came out, and it was this massive hit, and people were like, ‘This is what you were talking about?!’ It was bananas.”
The success of Stranger Things changed the lives of his castmates, but for Reynolds, it was a moment of professional validation that didn’t fundamentally shift his identity. He remains the same person who finds “imposter syndrome” lessened only when surrounded by the people who have known him through every era of his life.
Bringing Never Change! to the world is “terrifying,” he admits. It is a vulnerable act to put a labor of love into the hands of the audience. But he is bolstered by the presence of his family, who will be in attendance for the premiere. “My family is always grounding,” he says with a laugh. “They bring me to reality quick.”
In an era of cinema often defined by cynical reboots and bloated franchises, Never Change! offers something different: a genuine, funny, and deeply collaborative project rooted in the enduring power of friendship. John Reynolds may have moved to the coasts, but he brought the best of the Midwest with him—and it seems to be working out just fine.
Iffa Jayyana
Nana Muazin
