The first thing that stood out to me was the relationship between the brothers; something that I can relate to…. Brad and Brett Land — this is based off Brad Land’s memoir — and it’s just an amazing story about masculinity and what it looks like today, and [my character’s] journey through fraternity culture and his experience with hazing which really got out of hand. I knew it was a role that would challenge me and help me grow and thankfully they cast me in it….
“I think that all of us were really conscious of making sure that we didn’t make a movie that was an indictment of fraternity culture, because there’s a lot of good things in it. Even in filming the movie, being around the other brothers, both the biological brothers and the brothers in the fraternity, you see that there are some things that can help you grow and become a better person, but a lot of things that make it challenging….
“What I saw, and I can only speak to my experience in making the movie… I didn’t have a traditional college experience… what I saw was when you get a bunch of young men together without any real consequences for their actions, it is kind of a battle to be alpha and be the best and bad things happen in that scenario. My little brother just started college this year and I said, ‘Look, man, before you decide to pledge in a fraternity, I’d love for you to see this movie, just as a bit of an educational tool: That’s the worst case scenario.”
Nick Jonas, in an interview with The Today Show’s Matt Lauer, discussing his role in the upcoming film Goat, a cautionary tale about college fraternities and testosterone run amok.
