Rob Lowe Says It’s ‘Criminal’ That L.A. Has Lost So Much Filming — and Reveals the Pettiest Thing Done to Him in Hollywood by Another Actor

Rob Lowe has been vocal about his disdain for the fact that film and television production has been leaving Los Angeles in favor of other, more financially affordable cities. Although the actor says the state of filming in Hollywood is “getting better,” Lowe feels it’s “still criminal that we’ve ceded this entire industry to other states; other countries.”

“This is going to sound incredibly self-serving, but a large part of the budget for tax credit is above the line,” Lowe says, referring to the salaries of actors, writers, directors and producers. “All of these other territories give you credit for above the line, and L.A. doesn’t. Until they do that, they’re never going to get any of the big shows back.”

Due to new tax incentives for independent features, Lowe was able to stay in Los Angeles to shoot his latest movie, “The Musical,” which premieres at the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday. Directed by Giselle Bonilla and written by Alexander Heller, the zany comedy follows a frustrated playwright and middle school teacher named Doug (Tony-winner Will Brill) who discovers that his ex-girlfriend (“Community” star Gillian Jacobs), a fellow educator, has started dating the principal of the school (Lowe) where they all work. Driven by spite, Doug stages a wildly inappropriate school musical in an effort to ruin the principal’s chances of winning a prestigious award for academic excellence.

“We thought a lot about ‘School of Rock’ if it were filmed like ‘Apocalypse Now.’ That guided us for a long time,” Heller said at the Variety Studio presented by Audible. 

There’s an adage in Hollywood: Never work with children or animals. “The Musical” cast pushed back on that notion, with Brill calling the inclusion of several young actors one of “the most audacious” aspects of the film. Added Lowe, “Most of us were kid actors ourselves and have experienced what the kids experience in the film of not getting the part [in the musical] that they’d like; I never made it out of the chorus. So getting to be around kids, when we were once those kids, is really fun and satisfying.”

In line with the theme of “The Musical” — being motivated by spite — the cast and creative team thought about the pettiest thing they’ve ever done or had happen to them.

“The list is long,” said Lowe, before bringing up a time he was accepting a trophy at an award ceremony. “There was a particular actor behind me who was trying to take off the bra strap of the other actress, grabbagging and pulling focus from my speech. I didn’t like it.” Lowe continued, “By the way, there’s no group pettier than actors, so it’s not surprising.”

Although he didn’t specify the incident, there’s a grainy YouTube video that seems to fit the description with Lowe accepting the drama ensemble prize at the 2002 SAG Awards on behalf of “The West Wing.” In the background, his co-star Bradley Whitford appears to be teasing and toying with Allison Janney, who then starts to giggle while Lowe is speaking at the podium.

As for Bonilla, an occasion where she admits she was the perpetrator of some pettiness ended up having an outsized (positive!) influence on her career.

“My high school boyfriend cheated on me with a mediocre film student who didn’t get into NYU. I submitted out of spite, and it’s the only film school I got into,” Bonilla said. “So that is why I stand before you today.”