Editor's note: This interview was originally published on June 9, 2026, at the Tribeca Film Festival. "Never Change!" is now available to stream on Hulu.
John Reynolds is a multifaceted personality. He's an actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and Screen Actors Guild Award winner (for his work on Stranger Things). But most importantly, he's a Midwesterner, a trait that's particularly evident during our conversation about his upcoming film, Never Change!.
This comedy, about a group of millennials forced to return to high school for two weeks due to a legal loophole, is Reynolds's first feature film as a writer and producer, and his close friend Marty Shawsbaugh, who helped develop the story, directed the film. However, when I ask Reynolds about co-directing the project with Shawsbaugh, he gives a typically Midwestern answer.
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«"Of course, I felt a lot of pressure," he told IndieWire, "just because I wanted everyone to have a good time, and I was so grateful for everyone being there. I wanted everyone to have a good time, and that was the most important thing.".
If you asked Hollywood producers about the "most important" thing that happens on set, I doubt many would say they hope everyone has a good time. But as a Midwestern millennial, I understand the desire to please everyone.
«"As an actor," Reynolds said, "you can tune out what's going on. If a problem arises, you think, 'It's not my problem. I'm just going to be the good guy today.' But as a writer/producer, it's a whole other level of responsibility. You have to monitor every take, be at the monitor, and make sure everyone's comfortable.".
Perhaps Reynolds's Midwestern charm is especially evident ahead of the Tribeca premiere of Never Change! because it speaks so much to his high school years. Reynolds attended Madison West High School in Madison, Wisconsin, where he played sports, performed theater, and performed improv comedy.
«"In a lot of movies, there's this stereotype of art students and athletes, and everything is so segregated," he said. "In my experience, it wasn't like that. We didn't have a social hierarchy." (Very Midwestern, to be honest.)
The idea for Never Change! didn't come from Reynolds' high school days, but rather from watching high school-themed films like Can't Hardly Wait. He and Shawsbaugh, who met while working as comedians in Chicago, got together to work on another script and lamented how old they were to make a high school comedy. That's when the idea struck. What if they weren't too old after all? What if thirty-somethings were invited back to high school?
The idea was originally conceived as a television series, but Hulu requested a feature-length film instead. Reynolds pared the script down to a feature-length version while retaining iconic elements of the genre, such as prom, the school play, final exams, and the graduation ceremony.
From the very beginning, Reynolds and Shawsbaugh planned to cast fellow comedians. Reynolds wrote roles for Carmen Christopher and Gary Richardson, whom he met in Chicago at 18 and lived with for many years. He also invited such well-known New York comedians as Matt Baratz, Patti Harrison, Micah Sterenberg, and Joe Firestone, with whom he performed.
«"Jo is absolutely incredible," he enthused. "She's so touching and funny in all her scenes, and I was so lucky she said yes. I kept asking, 'Are you sure you want to do this?' 'Do you still want to do this?' We got her, and it was a huge success." (Again, there's that typical Midwestern energy here.)
Reynolds also cast his longtime Search Party co-star John Early in a small role. The independent comedy, which premiered ten years ago in 2016 on TBS, became a hit, launching the careers of not only Reynolds and Early, but also Alia Shawkat, Meredith Hagner, and Cole Escola.
«"I'm not surprised," Reynolds said of his co-stars' success. "Search Party was a very complex series tonally. You had to be funny, and then in the next scene you're burying a corpse, a murder occurs, or you're having a dramatic argument with your co-star. You could see firsthand how talented they are as comedic actors.".
In the film "Never Change!", Reynolds plays a dimwitted athlete named Sonny Football. "I just thought it would be funny if his name was so overt and silly," Reynolds said. "I hope people like it. We want the absurdity to be immediately apparent so people can relax.".
While Reynolds had no trouble writing funny parts for his friends, he struggled to create a character for himself. "I come from an Irish Catholic family in the Midwest," he said, "so you don't talk about yourself or work on yourself, so the idea of talking about yourself or writing for yourself is still evolving for me.".
Ultimately, Reynolds decided to create a character for himself that was a little more inspiring. "I get cast in roles because [a film or series] needs conflict," he said. "My characters are very intense, and I tend to play intense people, so [in Never Change!] I just wanted to have a good time and be a carefree guy. Of course, there are elements from On a Sunny Day that I'd love to play.".
Even though directing a film can be nerve-wracking, bringing together a multitude of friends from different periods of his career helped Reynolds realize he belonged in the industry. "Meeting people from different periods of your life creates a more comfortable environment on set, and you have less impostor syndrome," he said. "When I first moved to New York and started acting, I was terrified, but now I'm less afraid.".
Although Reynolds, in true Midwestern style, is quick to downplay his talents and career, his IMDb page boasts numerous credits on such interesting projects as Miracle Workers, Coeds, Yellowjackets, and Grown Ups. He also starred in Stranger Things from its very first season, before the franchise became incredibly popular.
«"When I got the job, I literally had $74," he said. "I was having a full-blown panic attack, and then they called me and said, 'You're going to be on this show. It's filming in Atlanta. You're leaving in a week.' I was like, 'What is this?' And then I remembered I'd auditioned.".
«"I'd worked with dramatic actors like David Harbour, so seeing his approach was new to me, because I'd only known comedians," he continues. "When people asked me what kind of show it was, I'd say, 'I think it's some kind of sci-fi.' Then the show came out and became a huge hit, and people were like, 'Is this what you were talking about?' It was crazy. It didn't change my life much, but the people around me, the actors, did.".
Despite his past success, Reynolds said the thought of releasing "Never Change!" was "terrifying." "You spend so much time creating it, and you really hope people connect with it and enjoy it," he said.
Luckily, his family, Irish Catholics from the Midwest, will be in town for the premiere. "My family always helps me stay sane," he said with a laugh. "They quickly bring me back to reality.".
The play "Never Change!" premiered at the Tribeca Festival in 2026.