Filming Jesse Armstrong’s *Mountainhead* presented a range of distinctive challenges for Jason Schwartzman. The film’s production schedule was particularly tight: shooting wrapped up in April, and it premiered on May 31 on HBO and HBO Max.

“I didn’t realize they meant this year’s May 31,” Schwartzman revealed to Mashable. “It was wild, but it was so enjoyable because everyone put in great effort to bring this to life for Jesse.”

Another novel experience for Schwartzman was acting with a phone. *Mountainhead* revolves around four tech entrepreneurs—played by Schwartzman, Steve Carell, Ramy Youssef, and Cory Michael Smith—at a remote mountain getaway during a global crisis. A significant portion of the film features them observing world events on their phones, leading to dramatic doomscrolling moments.

“I hadn’t engaged in much phone acting until this film,” Schwartzman mentioned to Mashable.

Considering Armstrong’s background with *Succession*, where characters often receive notifications on their phones, Schwartzman couldn’t have selected a more fitting film to begin phone acting. He pointed out that all the footage displayed on phones was shot practically and in real-time, rather than being inserted in post-production.

This method blurred the boundaries between reality and the film’s universe, as *Mountainhead*’s news alerts regarding hyper-realistic AI closely resemble actual events. “Sometimes I’d receive notifications on my personal phone and think, ‘Is this my actual phone?'” Schwartzman noted. “It was a little surreal.”

For more details about Schwartzman’s role in *Mountainhead*, including his views on the shooting location, check out the complete interview above.

*Mountainhead* is currently available for streaming on HBO Max.