Teen British actor Benjamin Evan Ainsworth chatted about starring in the new movie “Everything’s Going to Be Great.”
The synopsis is: There’s no business like show business — for Buddy Smart (Primetime Emmy winner Bryan Cranston) and Macy Smart (Oscar winner Allison Janney) that means an unpredictable life in regional theater while trying to raise their radically different sons, Lester and Derrick.
Through it all, Buddy pursues his unstoppable dreams, and Macy is left to pull it all together and keep the family afloat.
As the family grapples with identity and belonging, they share a humorous and heartfelt journey of self-discovery, learning the power of owning your spotlight, no matter what stage of life you’re in.
“Everything’s Going to Be Great” just had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
Playing Lester
On playing his character Lester, Ainsworth said, “Lester is so unique and so quirky. It was just amazing to explore him and his imagination in all of these scenes with these greats in theatre history. Just to bring that to life was such a joy.”
“To work with all of these amazing people was so great,” he exclaimed. “Even during the audition phase, Bryan Cranston basically took 50 minutes out of his own time to go through some of the scenes with me, line by line.”
“I basically got an acting masterclass from him. Bryan is such a lovely man and he is immensely talented,” he added.
The digital age
On being a part of the digital age, Ainsworth responded, “It’s a tricky question. As an actor, I am really interested in the time this was set, for it to be the ‘80s and the ‘90s, and I personally was interested to dive into that era and research.”
“On this project, I was really interested in researching the past more than the present,” he added.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Ainsworth revealed, “New Start.”
“I just finished my school exams, so it would be a ‘New Start’ or something like that,” he said. “I also have my Prom tonight.”
Advice for young and emerging actors
For young and aspiring actors, he said, “I would say to just keep going! The auditioning process — from an outside perspective — can be really hard and it can this thing that you just keep doing.”
“The main thing is that if you love it, then keep going with it, and trust yourself and try and enjoy auditions, and go into auditions confidently. If you enjoy it, then keep going,” he elaborated.
“The core themes of this film are to keep going, and to keep dreaming, in an effort to chase stardom,” he added.
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Ainsworth remarked, “Success, for me, is trying the hardest that you can. An example would be finishing exams, and no matter what happens, the success is in the work that you do.”
To learn more about Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, follow him on Instagram.
Read More: Jack Champion’s interview about “Everything’s Going to Be Great.”
