Director Gren Well’s brings Tourette syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) center stage in THE ROAD WITHIN. Her writing is raw and honest, her directing brilliantly empathic, and her casting spot-on. As the story unfolds, actor Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) faces many challenges as OCD-ridden Alex. I interviewed him before the film’s world premiere at the LA Film Festival in 2014.

How Patel Got the Role

TANYA FEKE: What kind of research did you do to find out about OCD? Which characteristics did you try to incorporate into the role?

DEV PATEL: As a doctor, you can tell me if I am stepping out of line now.

*Laughter*

PATEL: First of all, when the script came to me, I was terrified. I was in awe at how well she (Gren Wells) wrote the script. She dealt with such real subject and such dark subject matter, you could say with such lightness and humor. I like that because there is something entertaining about it but also something so coming of age by the way she wrote it. I told my manager I can’t do this because … (it) is an awful lot of research and a big responsibility to get it right. I have a knack for talking myself out of good films.

FEKE: Don’t do that. We want to see you in the good films.

PATEL: They kept calling and calling my agent, telling they have to get me through with him, telling them he’s perfect for it and I finally sat down and was completely blown away. The one thing I was worried about in the script, he is a kind of black and white “that guy” or the annoying third wheel. Although it adds to the road trip dynamic and acts like a conflict to what’s going on in the relationship and stuff, I wanted to give him a heart and soul. We got on the phone with lots of people suffering with OCD and went and met with some doctors that help rehabilitate these guys.

Learning About Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

FEKE: OCD has a wide spectrum of symptoms.

PATEL: It is such an infliction, it is so consuming. It forces me to stop. I would say “I am so OCD” or hear people drop it around me and now I know that is so irresponsible. If you actually understand what these poor people go through. Going to a meeting for a job interview, going out the door can take you 7 hours. Every small thing that happens can escalate a chain reaction of thoughts that can lead to something that can be life endangering in this person’s head who suffers from OCD.

FEKE: The public often does not understand the disabling impact OCD can have on a person.

Living with Mental Illness

PATEL: My character checked himself into this clinic. He is the only character who intentionally wanted to be there so he doesn’t need to deal with the outside world. He doesn’t need to shake people’s hands or talk to them or wear his gloves. And then Robbie’s character comes into it, this kid with Tourette’s. Kyra Sedgwick, what she does is runs the clinic and makes us stay together as a behavioral exercise.

FEKE: This is a roommate dynamic but not a buddy-buddy relationship. How did you develop a rapport with each other during filming to deliver that to the audience?

PATEL: Me and Robbie really got along. It is really fun to do a movie with two other actors who are your age. They inspire you and we have a great sense of humor. Gren really let Robbie go off and say whatever came into his mind. Normally when there is improvisation, it is in the line of the story and the motivation of the scene. With Tourette’s, Robbie could say whatever the hell popped out of his head. A lot of time we would burst out laughing. In this film, we really go at it with each other. I am not going to hurt him because he’s got thick skin and I’ve got thick skin and we like each other. It is intense and exhausting.

FEKE: What was your favorite scene to shoot?

PATEL: There is a scene where Robbie comes first in my room and he locks himself in my bathroom and I am worried he is doing all sorts of things in there. I start to freak out outside the door, smacking my head on the door trying to get him out. He makes an awful sound with his mouth replicating a fart or something and it makes me go berserk. It is so sad and painful but hilarious.

Looking to Real Life

FEKE: You mentioned improvisation as part of the filming process. During your research for OCD, what kind of things did you find yourself incorporating into your character on screen?

PATEL: I would never say I’ve got OCD. I am a very particular human being. A clean freak. I have embraced all those flamboyances I have about making sure the gas is okay and everything is neat. It was my choice to cut my hair really short … In my mind and this character’s thinking, it could get less dirty. Tiny things like that embody the character and I wanted to make sure it was simple and showed the need to do the routines.

For the record, I saw the world premiere of The Road Within that evening and adored the film. It made me laugh and grow along with the characters. I approached Dev Patel after the show to tell him he had no need to worry. His performance was quintessential OCD and he was not “stepping out of line”. He got this doctor’s endorsement.