In Splitsville, a dramedy that strips relationships down to their rawest and most ridiculous moments, the cast does not hold back — literally. From emotionally charged brawls to moments of full frontal vulnerability, actors Kyle Marvin and Michael Angelo Covino are baring more than just their characters’ insecurities on screen.
Speaking with Gayety, the duo behind the film opened up about the creative and physical challenges of shooting one of Splitsville’s most unforgettable sequences, a messy, cathartic fight between their two characters, sparked in part by unresolved tension over, yes, Dakota Johnson.
The film, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, is a comedic yet poignant exploration of love, jealousy, and personal unraveling. Co-written and co-directed by Covino and Marvin, Splitsville follows the fallout of a fractured marriage and the chaos that ensues when two former friends are forced back into each other’s lives. The twist? They are both in love with the same woman — played by Dakota Johnson.
“We were writing the movie, and I said, ‘Kyle, your character goes through a table,’” recalled Covino. “And he just looked at me like, ‘No way.’ But then we just kept pushing it, and it got more and more intense.”
What began as a joke between writers turned into a four and a half minute physically demanding sequence that was shot in one continuous take. Though edited into separate shots for the final cut, the scene was rehearsed and performed in full to capture the authentic exhaustion and emotional escalation.
“When we are out of breath, it is because we were three minutes into flipping each other and throwing punches,” Covino said. “We were beat up and completely out of breath — and that is what made it real.”
The scene, which visually and emotionally centers around the simmering rivalry between their characters, gains added weight thanks to one major factor: Dakota Johnson.
“She was there for some of the shooting days,” Covino said with a laugh. “We were definitely laughing behind the scenes, but yeah, maybe she was kind of in our heads. We were not literally fighting over Dakota, but in the story, her character definitely plays a role in the tension.”
While Johnson was not required to be present during the knockdown drag out sequences, her character’s presence lingers in the subtext — and perhaps in the bruises.
But it is not just fight choreography that left the actors exposed. Splitsville also opens with a jarring yet symbolic moment: full nudity.
“I think it taps into something primal,” Marvin said. “It is like that dream — you wake up and you are naked on stage in front of everyone. That is a universal fear, right? So when an audience sees someone completely exposed like that, it creates this weird vulnerability and empathy.”
According to Marvin and Covino, that vulnerability was intentional. The film follows a man whose world is falling apart emotionally, financially, and romantically. The nudity was not just shock value, but a storytelling tool.
“It is stripping the character down,” Covino explained. “Literally and figuratively. The whole framework of the film is that this guy is losing everything, and the visual metaphor in the opening scene makes that crystal clear. He is being reduced to nothing.”
For Marvin, throwing himself and his clothes into the role was part of the process.
“We said, ‘Let us put our characters through the ringer,’” he said. “And that is what we did. I just thought, okay, this is the experience. I am here to feel it all and go all the way. It was not about being comfortable, it was about being honest.”
While Splitsville may not be your typical relationship comedy, it is exactly that tension between absurdity and emotional truth that gives the film its edge. Whether it is a punch thrown over jealousy or an awkward moment of naked confrontation, the cast’s willingness to lay it all out is what makes the story hit home.
And if Dakota Johnson happens to be at the center of that chaos? Well, she seems to be just fine with it.
“She was laughing through it all,” Covino said. “I think that is the key. This whole thing is intense, but it is also ridiculous. That is life.”
