Looking movie: Jonathan Groff, Russell Tovey, Murray Bartlett, more discuss wrap-up film in featurette

Jonathan Groff, Russell Tovey, and the rest of the Looking cast will soon say goodbye to the HBO series in a wrap-up film, premiering July 23 at 10 p.m. ET. Until then, they’re reflecting on their last hurrah in a new featurette.

“When I read the script, I just cried my eyes out at the end, and there’s some very exciting events that are happening ” says Tovey, who plays Kevin. “It’s beautifully written and it’s incredibly moving — and it’s real.”

As series creator Michael Lannan explains, Looking: The Movie picks up with the characters about nine months after we last saw them in the season 2 finale. Patrick (Groff) moved away from San Francisco during the time gap, and he’s now returning to the city for a friend’s wedding.

“He’s sort of our thread throughout the world, and we get to see all the other characters and check in with their stories and their lives riding on his shoulder,” Lannan says.

Also returning are Murray Bartlett, Frankie J. Alvarez, Raul Castillo, Lauren Weedman, Daniel Franzese, Bashir Salahuddin, Chris Perfetti, O.T. Fagbenle, and Jennifer Foster.

“It was such a labor of love for all of us,” Alvarez told EW on coming back for the film. “We’re all good friends. We all hang out in New York. To get one more go-around, it was such a blessing.”

Watch the featurette above.