The King of Staten Island, the new comedy directed by super-producer Judd Apatow and written and starring SNL’s Pete Davidson, hits VOD this June. Davidson has been a lightning rod for gossip magazine coverage, thanks to his highly publicized relationships and his struggles with mental health. Judging by a new behind-the-scenes clip, The King of Staten Island looks like Davidson is responding to the unfair scrutiny he’s received by sharing a deeply honest look into his life. It’s a surprisingly personal film that stops just short of being a literal autobiography.

In the clip, appropriately titled Who Is Pete?, Davidson’s cast and crew share their thoughts about working on the film and helping Davidson tell his story. Apatow describes the film as being a slightly fictionalized version of Davidson’s actual life, if he hadn’t found a career in comedy. Davidson plays Scott, a young man who still hasn’t emotionally recovered from the death of his firefighter father many years earlier (Davidson’s real-life father was a firefighter who was killed in 9/11). He’s half-heartedly pursuing a dream of becoming a tattoo artist, but is threatened when his mother (Marisa Tomei) starts dating another firefighter, Ray (Bill Burr). Ray’s appearance forces Scott to actually begin taking steps to begin healing and move forward in life

As someone who was only mildly interested in The King of Staten Island, I have to admit I was captivated by how much of himself Davidson is putting into the project. The cast includes some of his real-life family and friends, and you can feel the love and support from every member of the crew, including Apatow, who has had a major hand in pushing some of the biggest comedy stars of the past two decades. Davidson seems poised to enter that upper echelon of superstars, with a film that looks both funny and relatable for anyone who has grappled with mental health issues. Check out the clip below. The King of Staten Island hits VOD June 12th.

via Collider