VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Johnny Knoxville & Director Lije Sarki On Their New Movie ‘Sweet Dreams,’ Life After Drinking

Actor Johnny Knoxville and director Lije Sarki reflected on the meaning of their new movie, Sweet Dreams, in their new uInterview.

Sweet Dreams follows a father (Knoxville) forced into rehab as he coaches a softball team of unconventional men in recovery.

When asked what drew him to the role, Knoxville told uInterview founder Erik Meers, “My dad was an alcoholic, a lot of my friends are in recovery. There’s been many times in my life where I distracted with this or that, so there was a lot of time of preparation for this role.”

Sarki, who wrote the movie inspired by his own experience with alcoholism, remembered one of his favorite scenes.

“Where they’re in the circle upstairs in the attic of the house, he talks about the FRAG meeting, you know, Fear, Resentment, Acceptance, Gratitude – that was really really powerful,” he recalled. “Both that scene and the one at the beginning when he’s like, ‘I’m not sure if I’m an alcoholic.’ Those were very personal scenes for myself. [Knoxville] was just so powerful in those, and it really affects me when I watch them.” 

Sarki continued, “It’s the most accurate depiction of what that’s like [to be in recovery] that I’ve seen.”

Knoxville remembered a particularly emotional part of his experience on set, “My oldest daughter worked on the movie, and whenever I had lines with my movie daughter, my real daughter would read the lines, and it would just break me every time. I was divorced from her mom around the same age as the little girl in the movie, so it was a lot to try and get through those scenes.” 

Sarki said that he wanted the primary takeaway from the film to be, “Getting sober doesn’t have to suck.” 

“I didn’t know how to do anything without alcohol that was terrifying, but I have way more fun today than I ever had [before I was sober],” he said. “I have more community and friends and family and connection than I ever had before, and that’s what I wanted to give a taste of, for anybody else sitting out there like,’ F— man, I can’t get sober, my life’s over.’ It’s so not, it’s the opposite.”

Knoxville added, “It takes a hell of a lot of work, but something great is on the other side.”

Sweet Dreams opens at theaters nationally today.