Exclusive Interview
‘Maintenance Required’ Hunk Jacob Scipio on a Sequel, Playing a ‘Yearner’ & More
Jacob Scipio is driving full speed ahead into his rom-com era. The Pieces of Her actor stars alongside Riverdale‘s Madelaine Petsch in Prime Video’s new movie Maintenance Required, which premiered on October 8. Scipio plays Beau, who forms a connection with mechanic Charlie (Petsch) while communicating in an online forum, only to find out they’re business rivals.
“I was excited to finally act without a gun in my hand,” Scipio quipped to Swooon, who’s starred in action movies like Bad Boys for Life and Expend4bles. “I didn’t know if it was possible. It was like a safety blanket at times. But no, I switched the gun for a wrench in this one. It was a whole lot of fun getting to just play a regular dude.”
In this rivals-to-lovers rom-com, Beau is actually the “hopeless romantic” in the equation. “It was fun to step into that,” the actor said. “Obviously, a little different change of pace from what I’m used to, but kind of the closest, I suppose, to me personality-wise.”
Prime Video
He added, “It was nice to play a yearner.” Here at Swooon, we have our PhD in yearning.
Beau and Charlie do get their happy ending, but has Maintenance Required been parked for good? Scipio said he’s open to a sequel. “I love working with this cast, man. So whether it’s on this thing or something else, I’m so open to it. We had a brilliant time,” he told Swooon. Get Beau and Charlie on a road trip!
When asked about the most romantic scene of the movie, Scipio recalled a “beautiful moment” on location in Big Sur, California. “It was me and Madeleine in this vintage baby blue Ford Bronco that shut down like a mile stretch of the street on either side, so it was just us two,” he said. “We were just driving down the freeway there, and the wind was in our hair, and Madelaine was screaming at me to slow down. But I had the opportunity. I was putting my foot down, man. It was the open road.”
For Scipio, he loved the “beautiful simplicity” of Maintenance Required, which reminded him of classic rom-coms where it’s just “a guy and a girl trying to figure it out.”
Maintenance Required, Streaming Now, Prime Video
