Cristin Milioti and Topher Grace Team Up for Sundance's Sleeper Hit That's Pure Nightmare Fuel

6 days ago 12

Published Feb 5, 2026, 7:00 AM EST

Summary

Steve Weintraub sits with the team behind Buddy, including director Casper Kelly and cast members Cristin Milioti, Topher Grace, and Delaney Quinn.
The film unravels a deranged mystery around a Barney-like childhood icon.
The cast and crew talk about working on a uniquely Kelly project and what inspired the premise of Buddy.

Over a decade ago, filmmaker Casper Kelly first shocked audiences with an 11-minute short on Adult Swim that parodied TV sitcoms. That is, until that short spiraled into the territory of unhinged and pure horror. Too Many Cooks would set the deranged tone of many of Kelly's later projects, including Adult Swim's first live-action horror feature, Adult Swim Yule Log, and the "Fun Size" segment of V/H/S/ Halloween. So, it's no surprise that Kelly would make his directorial feature debut, Buddy, just as giddily twisted, premiering at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

The film opens with a '90s kid's TV show set in the vein of Barney & Friends or Pee-Wee's Playhouse, but instead of a friendly purple dinosaur, we are introduced to an orange unicorn. Like your typical kids' show, Buddy teaches children about chores and kindness, until one day, a child disappears from the set. He tells the young cast that the missing child simply went to "Diamond City," but one child, Freddy (Delaney Quinn), can't quite let the absence go. While the situation on the set gradually progresses into something dire and admittedly hysterical, a parallel suburban mystery also plays out involving a mother (Cristin Milioti) whose child is missing, and a husband (Topher Grace) who doesn't quite believe her.

At Sundance 2026, Kelly, Quinn, Milioti, and Grace sat down with Collider's Steve Weintraub at the Arby's Cinema Center to discuss how such a terrifying devolution of a childhood icon came to be. The cast members shine a light on why they are fans of Kelly's work, ones that frequently indulge in a surreal, berserk kind of horror that encapsulates what Grace describes as his "unique voice." Meanwhile, Kelly expands on his rationale behind the piece, posing the unsettling question of: "What would happen if someone, a kid, threw a tantrum on the show Barney?"

Casper Kelly Was Inspired by His Own Kids in Creating 'Buddy'

"I decided to show them the 1970s Bad News Bears, where those kids act crazy."

Buddy was inspired by the idea of there being an element of propaganda in children's entertainment and by Kelly's own children, where he says in the interview:

"This is something that just popped into my head. I haven't said this in any interview, but I have kids, and when they were 12 or 13, I decided to show them the 1970s Bad News Bears, where those kids act crazy. They're riding around on motorcycles, smoking cigarettes, going on dates, and it blew my kids’ minds. They're used to shows that are designed for kids of that age, where those kids are well-behaved, usually. Especially in a show like Barney or something, those kids are well-behaved. It just made me curious about what would happen if someone, a kid, threw a tantrum in the show Barney, how would the reaction be? That's kind of how it grew, from there."

When first presented with the script, the cast members were immediately drawn to how unique and absurd the story was, while emotional currents surged beneath. When asked about what drew her to the script, Milioti said:

"Similar to what you're saying, I had never read anything like it. I had no idea where it was going. Every page turn, I was like, “Wow, this is really wild!” And I'm such a fan of Casper's. Also, I was looking for something lighter, and if you can believe it, I found this storyline to be light because it is about love, even though it's really executed in a demented way. I was really moved by the relationship between a parent and a child. Casper and I talked a lot about it. It felt very Spielbergian, even though it's in an extremely sick vessel."

Additionally, the cast were also fans of Kelly's previous work, and in response to the same question, Grace said:

"For me, it was Too Many Cooks, which is a masterpiece. Anyone who's not familiar, press pause on this video that you're watching on the internet, go to YouTube, and type in Too Many Cooks. It's something Casper made about a decade ago. Then, when I heard he was going to make a film, I thought, “Oh my gosh, if there's a chance I could be a part of it…” because he has such a unique voice. Also, it felt like something I like. We're all looking, as actors, for directors who have a unique voice. But then ,on top of it, I just really like making fun of media, especially having been a part of it a little bit. And also the cast."

Watch the full conversation in the video above, with a time index below, where the crew and cast talk about what drew them to the absurd and disturbing idea behind Buddy.

00:25 - How Bad News Bears Inspired Buddy
02:38 - The Cast on Joining This “Demented” Barney
05:45 - Working With Practical Sets and Puppets
08:24 - What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie?
08:48 - The Buddy Team Play Collider’s Bracket Challenge!
10:47 - The Crew Discuss Their Favorite Films
15:00 - Get to Know the Buddy Cast and Crew!

Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Arby’s, for making the Collider Studio happen at the Arby’s Cinema Center and keeping us all fed with their selection of curly fries, mozzarella sticks, and tastes of their new Italian Beef Dip, a new limited-time sandwich that brings Chicago-style flavors to its menu. In addition, thanks to our supporting partners, including Hendrick’s Gin, Sommsation - The Wine Company, Peroni USA, neau water, Bernier, and our producing partner Twenty35 Agency.