India, Jan. 29 -- Cooper Raiff is back in Sundance two years after Cha Cha Real Smooth, which premiered at the festival to glowing reviews and ultimately won the Audience Award. This time, he is here with Hal & Harper, a decades-spanning tale of a family grieving and learning to deal with life as it comes. This time also, Cooper takes on many hats. He not only stars as Hal but has also written, directed, edited and co-produced the eight-episode show. (Also read: Hal & Harper review: Lili Reinhart shines in Cooper Raiff's absorbing and intimate family portrait)

Ahead of the festival, Cooper sat down with HT for an exclusive chat about creating the show, his love for the characters, his journey as a filmmaker and why he cannot stand the sh...