Bryan Greenberg’s inspiration for his new movie, Junction, came from a personal struggle.
“I went in for routine surgery and I got prescribed OxyContin and I became somewhat addicted, and it was really hard getting off of them,” Greenberg, 45, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 23, while promoting Junction. “I don’t know, it made me question how a system got put in place to make addicts out of innocent people like myself.”
Greenberg explained that he never struggled with any kind of addiction before taking the prescription, noting that he considers himself an ally to the cause. He decided to address the struggles of the crisis in Junction by tackling the different perspectives of the CEO of a pharmaceutical company, a doctor and a patient. (In addition to starring in and directing the project, Greenberg also wrote the screenplay.)
“I just wanted to understand why seemingly good people would do these terrible things. I was really interested in the characters more than the opioid part of it,” he told Us. “It was the people that I was more interested in, set in that opioid world.”
Greenberg stars as a patient named Michael who gets hooked on the medication. Michael’s wife, played by Sophia Bush, helps him as he struggles with the addiction. Ashley Madekwe portrays a doctor who has several patients who are struggling to cope with their pain and ultimately become reliant on opioids. Griffin Dunne plays the pharmaceutical CEO who produced the drug.
While Greenberg was creating the different personalities, he got a better understanding of his characters.
“I really wanted to look into that and explore that, why you do the wrong thing for the right reasons. The doctor who prescribed [the pills] doesn’t want to see her patients suffer anymore. That’s a genuine, real problem,” he said. “And pain is subjective, and your pain level is different than my pain level. So, if someone says they’re at a 10 and she wants to prescribe them, she doesn’t want to see her patients suffer.”
After making his directorial debut, Greenberg is hopeful that he can continue to work behind the camera while also acting.
“I wanted to direct to see if I was good at it and to see if I would like it. And turns out I’m hooked,” he shared. “So, I hope I get a chance to do more of it. I really enjoy the process. It was so fulfilling.”
Junction premieres in theaters and on-demand Friday, January 26.
With reporting by Travis Cronin
