Moises Arias, Nick Robinson and Gabriel Basso on How to be True Kings of Summer

One of our favorite experiences at Sundance this year was catching a charming coming-of-age dramedy called The Kings of Summer. It boasts a great cast including, among other Paste favorites, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, and Alison Brie. But the titular Kings themselves are played by Nick Offerman, Gabriel Basso, and a scene-stealing Moises Arias, and they’re fantastic. They all stopped by the Paste offices recently to give our readers advice on how to become kings of this particular summer.

Paste: What’s something you try to do every summer?
Nick Robinson: I don’t think I went last summer, but about every summer since I was like two, my family goes to Lake Champlain, Washington. So hopefully we’ll be able to get up there and do that but if not, there might be a Euro-trip in the works with my buddies from school, we’re all graduating.

Paste: Sounds like you need to make a documentary about that.
Robinson: No! No photos no nothing! I want no documentation (laughing).
Moises Arias: For me, it’s gonna be coming back home to Atlanta, spend some time at home. For at least a week or two. Not too long not too little.
Gabriel Basso: My parents and my siblings all go to a lakehouse in Michigan. And like
Nick, last summer I couldn’t do it because of this, but hopefully this summer I’ll be able to do it. And soccer, obviously.

Paste: What’s your classic summer soundtrack? Something you listen to every summer?
Arias: Bob Marley, almost every album. Right now I’m on Rastaman Vibrations. And just the Legend album, anything, it depends.
Basso: Pink Floyd, anything by Pink Floyd.
Robinson: I usually get down with a little Violent Femmes in the summer. You know, “Blister In The Sun.”

Paste: Anything new musically that you hear that you think will get you through the
summer this year?
Robinson: Radar Clan. They were at Coachella this year; they’re a new rap group that’s pretty good.
Arias: I can’t think of anything.
Basso: Yeah, me neither.

Paste: Well when you’re rocking Marley and Floyd it’s pretty hard to listen to anything else. Anyone have a favorite summer romance story they want to tell, or allude to, or speak mysteriously about?
Basso: No, I can’t really think of one.
Arias: I’ll keep the explicitness to myself.

Paste: Okay, moving on! What would your dream summer vacation be?
Robinson: I’m pretty down with just some all-inclusive resort in somewhere tropical. Or backpacking around Europe!
Arias: For me, I’d at least like to get a little work in, get some sort of job. You know, like last year with this. And then have two months to really go do stuff. I’d love to go
anywhere but the United States, but that’s because I’m nineteen. I think that answers its own question.
Basso: I think ideally I would want to go to Europe, try out for a soccer team, train up with them and start in the fall or winter.

Paste: Do you have a specific club that you would want to join?
Basso: Celtic or Liverpool.

Paste: Favorite way to beat the summer heat?
Robinson: The lake.
Arias: That -20 degree beach in Los Angeles California. It’s freezing. I mean the actual water is freezing.
Basso: Find a skating rink somewhere, I don’t know.

Paste: Alright, speed round! Best summer pie, apple, cherry, or lemon?
Arias: Apple.
Basso: Apple.
Robinson: Apple.

Paste: Wow, unanimous. Iron Man 3, Man of Steel, or Star Trek Into Darkness?
Robinson: Star Trek!
Arias: Iron Man 3.
Basso: Kings of Summer.

Paste: The point of that question was what’s going to be the second summer blockbuster after Kings of Summer, actually.
Gabriel: Oh, Iron Man 3. (laughing)

Paste: Surf trunks, shorts, or speedos?
All: Speedos!
Robinson: No I’m kidding, surf shorts for me.
Basso: What’s the difference between surf trunks and surf shorts?
Paste: Shorts are like down beneath your knees, and trunks are like above your knee.
Basso: I’d say surf trunks.
Arias: I’m gonna stick with speedos. I never wear ‘em but let’s make money.

Paste: Favorite summer Olympic sport?
Basso: I’m more of a Winter Olympics guy myself to be honest.
Arias: I don’t even know them!
Basso: What’s one of the funky ones though? Like there’s diving, and skeet.
Robinson: I like seeing those 300-pound women that toss those discus. I just feel like they’re so scary. It freaks me out a little bit to know that there are women like that.
Arias: I don’t know, I’ll pass on that one.

Paste: If any of you are baseball fans, do you have a favorite baseball team or player?
Basso: Cardinals.
Arias: I’m from Atlanta but I don’t watch baseball in any way, shape, or form so — Braves.
Robinson: I guess I’ll go with Mariners.

Paste: If I were going to choose one series to catch up on back episodes of, starring one of your costars, should it be Community, Parks and Rec, or Children’s Hospital?
All: Parks and Rec!
Robinson: Or Mad Men; Alison Brie is also in Mad Men.
Paste: I was going for comedies.
Robinson: Hannah Montana!
Arias: Ha.