The main award-winning cast and writer-director behind the new film THE LITTLE THINGS gathered for a virtual press conference and Desde Hollywood was there to bring you the highlights.

Read below some of the most interesting things that actors Denzel Washington, Jared Leto, Rami Malek, and filmmaker John Lee Hancock had to say about the mystery thriller.

THE LITTLE THINGS will be releasing in theaters and streaming exclusively on HBO Max on January 29.

John Lee Hancock on adapting his 28 years-old script, avoiding common places, and working with Washington.

“I look back and see a young writer. There’s some bravery in that, and lack of experience and execution, but I really liked it. There were a few things I wanted to clean up. And a contemporary piece became a period piece without the script changing. When I wrote it, we were pre-DNA, pre-cell phones for cops, and on and on. Also, it was before all the CSI cop investigation shows on TV every week.”

“It was subverting a genre. It seemed that all psychological thrillers, serial killer movies, and crime dramas had two interesting parts followed by a third with twists and misdirections. In the third act, you identify who the bad guy is and face off with him, usually in an action sequence, and the good guy dispatches the bad guy in a grisly way. […] These are men trying to do the right thing in all the wrong ways.”

“Just watching his mind work when he plays a complicated character is so interesting,” said Hancock. “We spent prep talking about everything, which served us both when shooting with the budget we had. We had to move quickly to answer as many questions as we can. Sometimes it was about the music from the radio, listening to love songs of the ’50s and ’60s that Joe Deacon would listen to.”

Denzel Washington on the quality of the script, and watching homicide detective reality series for research.

“You know a good read. This type of thing doesn’t happen that often, when you do want to star. It’s easy when it’s good.”

“You start wondering ‘What does this accumulation of cases do to a person?’ They seem to be so regular, going about their job. It made me realize, they laugh and joke all the time. They took their work seriously, but didn’t take themselves seriously.”

Jared Leto on using prosthetics and colored contact lenses to transform into a very challenging suspect.

“I looked at an opportunity to go on an adventure, and experiment a little, take some risks.”

Rami Malek on his character, and working with Washington and Leto.

“He is a departure from the things I usually do, a guy who does things by the numbers until he doesn’t. I like to see this crisp, clean, meticulous-looking guy start to unravel not only inside but out toward the end.”

“Jared brought unpredictability to every moment. These two guys are always in the moment.”

THE LITTLE THINGS will be releasing in theaters and streaming exclusively on HBO Max on January 29.

Two cops track down a serial killer.