Lionsgate's I Wish You All the Best follows Corey Fogelmanis as Ben, a high school junior who comes out as nonbinary to his parents, who have a drastic reaction to the news, kicking him out onto the streets. Ben turns to his sister, Hannah (Alexandra Daddario), who helps support him and introduces him to a new town and school, where he quickly starts to fall for his new friend Nathan (Miles Gutierrez-Riley).
The Direct spoke with the cast of the film in a series of interviews, where they talked about the importance of identity in the movie and how this story explores that in unique ways.
Alexandra Daddario, who also stars in Mayfair Witches, first explained that when someone's identity is "criticized or shot down," one's "confidence will be destroyed." She further explained how she thinks "that allowing someone to be who they are and help guide them, while also allowing them the freedom to be, is the best way to create a confident adult and to have a family and feel loved and feel connected."
On her character Hannah, and the unique sibling bond she has with Ben, the Daddario explained that "they've had shared experiences with their parents that bring them together," adding that "Hannah's innate sense of being a mother, that makes her really want to help him and bring him in and make him feel included in the family." The actress further elaborated that she feels "it's a crucial relationship for both of them."
Corey Fogelmanis explained that he feels that "[identity is] something that's shifting all the time," and how "just a willingness to listen and learn and be there for someone is kind of all we can do and hope for."
The Direct's Russ Milheim was also able to speak with Agatha All Along's Miles Gutierrez-Riley (who plays Nathan in I Wish You All the Best) and director Tommy Dorfman. More of the interview can be read and viewed below.
I Wish You All the Best hits theaters on November 7, 2025.
Alexandra Daddario on the Importance of Her Character and Their Sibling Relationship
"It's a Crucial Relationship for Both of Them."
- The Direct: "Hannah and Ben haven't seen each other in years, but you immediately become one of the most important figures in their life and where they are in the moment. Can you just talk about that unique sibling dynamic between the two and how crucial it is for them both?"
Alexandra Daddario: I think that even though they haven't seen each other in a long time, they've had shared experiences with their parents that bring them together. And I think it's also my character, Hannah's innate sense of being a mother, that makes her really want to help him and bring him in and make him feel included in the family. And it's something that she needs, which is to feel like she has family, because I think there was a period of time in her life when she didn't, so it's a crucial relationship for both of them.
- The Direct: "Did you and Corey do anything on and off set to help establish that sibling dynamic that you guys do have?"
Alexandra Daddario: No, I think he's such an open actor, and so am I. And actors in general tend to be have their guards down and be very open and connected. And I think there was an immediate connection, because it's a really beautiful thing, because people don't do it in everyday life, but it's wonderful to get to do with someone who's a stranger, where you really just get to know their heart immediately, and because everyone is so ready to connect, and you can just tell what a wonderful heart he has. And I think that really helped the two characters connect.
How 'I Wish You All the Best' Explores Identity In a Unique Way
"This Is About Being Who You Want to Be..."
- The Direct: "Identity is such a central theme and concept in this film. Can you talk about how this film explores that in a unique way?"
Alexandra Daddario: This is about being who you want to be, and I think our identity is, if your identity is sort of criticized or shot down, that your confidence will be destroyed and you won't know who you are, and that's not ever how you should raise a child. And I think that allowing someone to be who they are and help guide them, while also allowing them the freedom to be, is the best way to create a confident adult and to have a family and feel loved and feel connected, and those are the things that are important in life. And while their parents sort of bring chaos by not being accepting of identity, of his identity, that all changes when he goes and lives with me.
Corey Fogelmanis: I think [identity is] something that's shifting all the time, and it was really inspiring for me as an actor to see the ways that the people in Ben's life allow them to open themselves up and share different parts of themselves and feel more comfortable with who they are. And so I think if there's anything that I'm hoping that people take away from it is the importance of being an affirming force and willing to listen, even if you don't necessarily understand or get something right away. I think just a willingness to listen and learn and be there for someone is kind of all we can do and hope for.
Miles Gutierrez-Riley: I think identity is truly always shifting, like I know for myself, I'm not the same person I was when I shot the movie, or who I was in high school or who I'll be in three years from now. And as much as identity is something that comes from within, it's like, I think we see in this movie just how much it's shaped by the people and the love around you. So that's why I think we see so beautifully in this film, how many ways there are to love someone, no matter what their journey is, no matter if it's something you can relate to or not. Love is something personal that you can give in your very own way, and you never know how it's going to impact the person that you're giving it to, but it's shaping you regardless.
Tommy Dorfman: Sure, I think we're offering people a real, intimate, vulnerable, introspective experience through a non binary teenager in the south or Ben's lived experience, and with the specificity of that emotional unfurling and putting yourself back together and expanding into the person that you're supposed to be, at least at that time, we can open ourselves up and find universal I think emotional truths to like what heartbreak feels like, and rejection feels like, and reconnecting with family members feel like.
And I think part of that is part of the goal with it at the end of the day, is to humanize everybody and to have, hopefully an emotional resonance that you can't argue with, even if you don't agree with somebody's politics or someone's identity. Yeah, so it felt really integral. I think we see the whole point of, to me, of like making movies, and why I like to go see movies is to learn and grow and experience characters that I am not familiar with, and we just, there's not a movie that existed with a non binary character at the lead a bit in this way.
And I felt like that's a I have so many friends who are non binary. I myself was identifying as non binary before I transitioned. And it just felt really strange that we often, we so often have to come. Toward ourselves to fit into an expected model of gender or identity that were shown by Hollywood and movies and television.
And I wanted to offer the reverse of that experience a little bit more so that like cis people can see this and see themselves in all these different characters in myriad ways, in the way that I've had to sort of move myself emotionally and adapt to characters that I get to see on the screen.
All of the videos can be viewed below:
