Dan Levy’s Crew Had the Most Unexpectedly “Generous” Advice While Filming Netflix’s Wildest Scene in Big Mistakes

Dan Levy has never done cocaine — but you’d never know that from watching Big Mistakes. And according to the man himself, that convincing performance came down to one very unconventional request he made to his film crew on the day of shooting.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Speaking at a Netflix FYSEE screening and Q&A event on Saturday night, the Schitt’s Creek alum and co-creator of the hit Netflix comedy opened up about bringing the show’s now-iconic Miami drug scene to life — and the story is exactly as chaotic and funny as you’d hope.

“Doing lines and lines of cocaine was really fun,” Levy joked to the crowd before clarifying the substance was actually icing sugar. But behind the laughs was a genuinely stressed actor trying to pull off one of his worst nightmares. “Actors doing bad drugs, looking like somebody who’s never done drugs before, is my worst nightmare as an actor,” he admitted. His instructions to the camera department were firm — film the entire line, no cutaways, no cheating the shot, over and over again until it looked completely real.

What happened next is the part Levy himself wasn’t sure he should admit — especially standing inside Netflix headquarters. Before rolling cameras, he quietly addressed his crew with an open invitation: “If anyone has dabbled in drugs, I’m not going to say your name. You don’t have to out yourself. This is a free space — but if you wanna wander over to the monitors and see if I’m doing this properly, pull me aside and offer some constructive criticism. I celebrate what you do on weekends.” Sure enough, a few crew members took him up on it, coaching him on the glassy-eyed aftermath with the kind of specific detail no acting class could ever teach. “We had an unbelievably generous crew,” Levy laughed. “Shout-out to the crew for their generosity.”

Co-created by Levy and Rachel Sennott, Big Mistakes follows two aimless siblings — Nicky (Levy) and Morgan (Taylor Ortega) — who get blackmailed into the world of organized crime. Season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix, and Levy is already deep into writing Season 2. His tease? “Bigger, bolder, sexier.” He added that his goal going forward is simple — to keep raising the bar for the show’s cast and to let “more and more warmth and love into the show as it’s earned.”