Lucy Boynton and Justin H. Min Talk Musical Inspiration and Tough Scenes To Film In The Greatest Hits

After the loss of her long term boyfriend (David Corenswet), Harriet (Lucy Boynton) discovers that certain songs can transport her back in time in The Greatest Hits. As she relives memories of her late boyfriend, her past begins to collide with a budding new love in the present (Justin H. Min). As she journeys through time with a connection between music and memory, she wonders, even if she could change the past… would she? Should she?

The soundtrack for the film features a variety of hits and lesser known tunes including “To Turn You On (Disco Pusher Remix)” by Roxy, “Loud Places” by Jamie xx featuring Romy, “Say Yes To Heaven” by Lana Del Rey, “I’m Like A Bird” by Nelly Furtado, and a Phoebe Bridgers cover of “Friday I’m In Love.” It’s an eclectic mix, no doubt, that works flawlessly on screen.

Justin H. Min shared how director Ned Benson helped them get into character through music. “Before we started filming, Ned helped us curate specific playlists for each of our characters which was great because you had something to go back to if you wanted to,” he said. “There was a lot of Leon Bridges for me, who's also featured in our movie. I love his music personally, and it felt like a right fit for David as well so I listen to a lot of him.”

For a movie that relies so heavily on the soundtrack as a storytelling mechanism, Lucy Boynton shares how the songs listed in the script informed her character. “I was always listening to the songs that were listed in the script specific to the scene. You were always in that mind frame and tone of the scene. The Bon Iver and The Nationals song ‘Weird Goodbyes’ was my soundtrack to this whole filming experience,” she told me. “I dipped into the soundtrack Ned had chosen, but the through line was always this one song that I had on an unhealthy level of repeat.”

In The Greatest Hits, Harriet is transported back in time by songs she heard with her ex for the first time. “Oh my God! What a great question,” Boynton exclaimed when asked what song she hopes others associate with her. “I wish I could say something niche and cool but it's probably The Beatles’ ‘Lucy in the Sky.’ So unoriginal.”

One of the most iconic scenes in the film is when David and Harriet are driving in a convertible and “I’m Like A Bird” by Nelly Furtado comes on the radio and the two break out singing. For such a sweet moment, it was one of the more difficult scenes to film, but not for what you’d expect. “I loved the driving round singing ‘I'm Like A Bird.’ We did a loop around and around the same area and there was a small group of people who clocked who was in the car,” laughed Boynton. “There were Justin H. Min fans and there would be this blood curdling scream every 20 minutes. We'd have to stop recording sound. It was just great, such great memories.”

“That was a nightmare for me. I'm glad that was a great memory for you,” shared Min. “I would say the silent disco scene was one of my favorite days of filming. It was just such a beautiful night. You could see all of downtown Los Angeles. The temperature was just right, people were dancing. Everyone was having a good time. It just felt magical.”

The Greatest Hits is streaming on Hulu.