00:00Hey, I'm Laura Marano and I'm in studio with The Hollywood Reporter.
00:07Before we jump in, I have the utmost important question for you.
00:10Give it to me.
00:11Are you ready?
00:12I'm really excited. Anticipation.
00:14So, your favorite flavor of ice cream is not vanilla like Celia's, correct?
00:20Or is it?
00:21Well, like actually, yeah!
00:23Is it? Oh my gosh!
00:24So chocolate and vanilla are my two favorites.
00:26Okay.
00:27And typically, like, this is really random on my favorite.
00:30Is that why it was in the...
00:31No!
00:32Oh, that's so crazy!
00:33I know, it was super...
00:34I remember watching it with my sister.
00:36And my sister just started laughing during that part because she's like,
00:39that really is you.
00:41And I'm like, I know! I do like it.
00:43So, like my favorite Haagen-Dazs flavor is vanilla.
00:46Okay.
00:47It's really special.
00:48If you haven't had it, I recommend it.
00:50I don't know if we can plug brands here, but Ben & Jerry's Mint Oreo is the way to go.
00:54And by the way, I'm not connected with them at all.
00:56Like...
00:57Sponsored.
00:58Totally.
00:59Well, speaking of that then, what kind of other ways are you like Celia?
01:02And what stood out to you most about her?
01:04It's so funny.
01:05So, every character I play, I always bring a little bit of myself to the character.
01:08Celia, I was so attracted to her because she's, you know, just this unlikely female heroine for a rom-com.
01:17She's sarcastic and bitter and kind of dark and really fun to play and embody and not something that you see in most rom-coms.
01:26You know, I think she definitely has a bit more darkness and bitterness than I have.
01:31But I definitely have a sarcastic sense of humor that I feel like probably more my family gets to see than people who know me in different ways or know me through my work.
01:42So, that was really fun to kind of bring out Celia because I never get to do that.
01:46She's super cool.
01:47She's super cool.
01:48Yeah.
01:49She's just awesome.
01:50And I like to think that I'm like her, but I got to say, some people on my team saw the movie and they were like,
01:55wow, I don't know how you played her, you're so different.
01:57I'm like, whoa, that's offensive.
02:00Because she's awesome.
02:01Yeah.
02:02No, she's great.
02:03Now, obviously you're being reunited with Noah Centineo.
02:05Yeah.
02:06Who you worked with on Austin and Ally.
02:08What were some of your favorite memories from working with him then and kind of your favorite memories this time around?
02:14You know, we had such a good time both on Austin and Ally and this movie.
02:19And it was different.
02:20Like we, you know, did Austin and Ally when I was 16, he was 15.
02:24Versus 21 and 22, right?
02:27So you mature, you grow.
02:29And I think the biggest difference probably this time around is that we were able to have like some pretty deep mature conversations.
02:38Off set.
02:40Yeah.
02:41Which just kind of like brought us closer and I think helped with our chemistry and helped with, you know, just the bond overall in the movie.
02:48We also like love to rehearse, like the whole cast.
02:51Yeah.
02:52And we were constantly kind of working as hard as we can to make this as awesome as possible.
02:56But I think overall the biggest difference was not just Noah and I, but Odysseus and Cammy, Camila Mendez as well.
03:04We were able to really get close on a really pretty like deep level right away.
03:09Yeah.
03:10And, you know, the movie obviously is like a pretty light movie, but I think having that trust with your cast and having that trust with any sort of partner in art, like does make the process a little bit easier.
03:21Yeah.
03:22Yeah.
03:23You know?
03:24No.
03:25Are you more similar to Celia, would you say?
03:26Or Shelby?
03:27I mean, you don't really see that much of Shelby.
03:29Yeah.
03:30It's funny.
03:31Cammy actually had such a long, great conversation about it because, you know, the movie's a little bit from Brooks' eyes, right?
03:38Brooks' perspective.
03:39So with that, it's, of course, Shelby, who isn't like this, but seems more kind of two-dimensional because that's how Brooks sees that world.
03:49Sees her, yeah.
03:50And that's, and even like how.
03:51And she's not really.
03:52And how he's attracted to the idea of her and the idea of that world is so two-dimensional.
03:57So there's a lot of things that I feel like were in the script that you don't necessarily get on screen that Cammy talked about that.
04:04Shelby's actually pretty awesome.
04:05She's great.
04:06She's also kind of not your typical, the other girl or the popular girl.
04:10Well, she tells him about that and she says, I don't like you because you're not rich.
04:13I don't like you because you're a liar.
04:14Yeah.
04:15Yeah, totally.
04:16Where you're just like, damn, girl.
04:17Yes.
04:18And she's ambitious.
04:19And, you know, I obviously feel more connected and more similar to Celia because I've lived within her.
04:26So I feel those similarities.
04:28And Celia obviously slaps Noah's character, Brooks.
04:32Yes.
04:33In a moment like you felt really bad for her after what he was saying to her.
04:37Totally.
04:38And I felt really bad for Noah when I slapped him.
04:40How many takes did those take?
04:41Totally.
04:42Oh, it took a few takes.
04:44And I was, I was giving it.
04:46Like, I think I was a little less in the first few takes.
04:49And then Noah was like, no, like just lay it on.
04:51Give it to me.
04:52Like, really did.
04:53And Noah was a little bit like, okay, so when are we done?
04:57Like, it was.
04:58Did you get it?
04:59Like, I'm, gave him a mark.
05:00Oh my gosh.
05:01Like, it was, it was pretty intense.
05:02I felt really bad.
05:03Yeah.
05:04Um, I, yeah.
05:05Like, it was, I don't enjoy hitting people.
05:08But it was deserved in terms of the character.
05:10Totally.
05:11It was, Brooks totally deserved it.
05:12Noah didn't really.
05:13Now, in the app that Brooks creates, they make it very clear that this is a legal app.
05:18What were those conversations like to kind of get that point across?
05:20Totally.
05:21This is a stand in and this wasn't, it wasn't a prostitute.
05:24This was a legal thing.
05:25Yeah, totally.
05:26Sex isn't happening.
05:27Um, yeah, that was in like.
05:28Cause they make it clear.
05:29They make it very clear.
05:30Which is very, very important.
05:31For sure.
05:32There's like been a few drafts of the script.
05:33And in every draft it was pretty clear.
05:34But I think every new draft it was like even more clear.
05:37More clear.
05:38Like even, I think we all wanted to put out, and by we, you know.
05:42I include myself, but it's really the writers and producers and the director, right.
05:46Wanted to make sure that it was very clear that it's not any sort of prostitution.
05:52Or even, I mean, we don't go into it.
05:54But it doesn't seem like any kind of physical situation is part of the app.
05:59It's just more about lying to yourself for the night and having your perfect date.
06:04Was there any of the characters that he kind of played or had to like be that stood out to you the most?
06:09Oh man, they're also good.
06:10And they're also good.
06:11I think I kind of love the weird like New York Italian gangster he does.
06:17Oh, the douchebag one.
06:18Yeah, yeah.
06:19Cause when I read it in the script, I didn't see it as the way he portrayed it.
06:24And how he portrayed it is like so much funnier and so much better than I could have imagined.
06:29I don't know how I viewed it, but like it's, that's one of my favorite parts is when you read a script and then you see it come to life and hopefully it's even better than you imagine it.
06:37But that part in particular was so good.
06:40Now, if you could create an app, what would that look like?
06:42Oh man.
06:43Yeah, I don't know.
06:44I think there's so many, in some ways there's so many different options, like depending on how crazy your imagination is.
06:50But in other ways I feel like everything quite literally has been created.
06:54Has something.
06:55Yeah.
06:56Like you look at something and you're kind of like, oh, that would make a cool app.
06:59And then you're like, oh.
07:00Oh, it exists.
07:01It already exists.
07:02I love, I love the like emoji apps.
07:05Okay.
07:06Any ones that are like include new emojis I think are so fun.
07:09Do you do like the bitmoji and like the talking animal?
07:12Oh, I love it.
07:13I love every, oh my God, I'm like so obnoxious and I love every minute of it.
07:18Netflix obviously has brought back kind of the rom-com genre lately.
07:21What do you think they're getting right with these films?
07:24And what do you think is standing out about them?
07:26I think everyone loves rom-coms.
07:28Yeah.
07:29It's funny because I don't think the rom-com ever went away.
07:31Yeah.
07:32I just think the.
07:33It's been into a newer audience I guess.
07:34Yeah, and I think the act of consuming it has changed, right?
07:37Yeah.
07:38So it's not really kind of a go to theater release sort of thing anymore.
07:42And maybe it still could be.
07:43But the idea of, I mean, it's my dream of just being in my house and consuming all the
07:50rom-coms that I would like to consume.
07:54It's kind of what we all want to do.
07:56Yeah.
07:57There's something about rom-coms that they just make you feel good.
07:59And I think nowadays we like to have films that make us feel good.
08:03Yeah.
08:04Going off that Never Been Kissed celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.
08:06True.
08:07What are some of your favorite rom-coms?
08:08Love anyone with Drew Barrymore.
08:1210 Things I Hate About You is such a good one.
08:15That also actually had an anniversary.
08:17Really?
08:18Last month, I think.
08:19I think I saw that too.
08:20I watched it like literally a few nights ago and I was just like, oh, this is so good.
08:24She's All That, Miss Congeniality.
08:27I mean, Clueless, like I'm actually kind of the biggest rom-com fan.
08:32So this is so great.
08:33Do you have any favorite quotes that you can share from your favorite rom-com?
08:39Okay.
08:40What's the one from 10 Things I Hate About You?
08:42It's not like necessarily that rom-com-y, but that Bianca is saying to Gabrielle Union's
08:49character where Gabrielle Union's like, you know, I know you can be overwhelmed and underwhelmed,
08:56but can you just be whelmed?
08:58And then Bianca's like, I think you can in Europe or something like that.
09:02And that is so good.
09:04Um, Brooks actually quotes Seinfeld in the movie.
09:08Yes.
09:09I think that kind of might go over some people's heads.
09:11Oh, for sure.
09:12Like the younger audiences, do you see that happening?
09:14Oh, 100%.
09:15But that's, again, what's kind of fun about this age of consuming television and film
09:20is like people will watch it again and again.
09:22And when I'm sure some of the younger people get into Seinfeld as it is bound to happen,
09:28they'll rewatch and be like, oh, that's hilarious.
09:30Oh, you're a Seinfeld fan.
09:31Yeah.
09:32I am.
09:33Yes.
09:34I'm like, I love multicam stuff.
09:35So like Seinfeld, Friends, Cheers.
09:38Actually, Three's Company and Cheers are actually kind of like my top two.
09:41Yeah.
09:42And one that I was thinking too when watching the film, I feel like it could have been done
09:45as a TV series because there is so much you could do with it.
09:48Especially with the stand-in thing and like the relationship.
09:50Totally.
09:51Well, the app in general I think is so funny.
09:53Yeah.
09:54And like I...
09:55Ridiculous.
09:56Ridiculous.
09:57But I kind of love that our film feels so 2019 in that way.
10:00Oh, yeah.
10:01No, of course.
10:02Yeah, definitely.
10:03Because it's like the whole synopsis is around an app.
10:05Yeah.
10:06Your music is in the film.
10:07You have your EP out, Me.
10:08Yes.
10:09What excited you most about this body of work?
10:11Oh, man.
10:12It's the first time I've ever put out a body of work for my music, which was so exciting
10:17to me.
10:18It's something I've always wanted to do.
10:19You know, we're in such an interesting time with film and television and with music
10:23when it comes to consuming.
10:25And obviously in music it's a little bit more of like a singles-based economy almost,
10:31but there's still something so special about having a body of work that's cohesive
10:35and there's a story there.
10:37And so this, you know, bit of music has been music I've been working on for a little bit.
10:42And my whole point, there's a lot of points with it, but my main point is really hopefully
10:48showing that every side of yourself and every side of me and every side of all of us is
10:52as significant as the other.
10:54I'll stand on my feet, but not today.
10:59I'll hit on me, throw it all away.
11:03With the ending of the film, it's kind of very happily ever after, would you say?
11:09Yeah, I mean we...
11:10What do you think happens after their little dance?
11:14Do they go off and dance together at college or...?
11:16Yeah, I mean I think it's going to be interesting because we'll see how they do long distance.
11:20Yeah, Michigan and UConn.
11:22Yeah, and UConn are quite...
11:25They're not that far, but they're kind of far.
11:28Yeah, I think they both kind of are okay with being in the moment a little bit
11:33and not stressing too much about what each are expecting of each other,
11:38what's expected of them and what the future holds, which is kind of nice.
11:42Do you think it's kind of a close-ended ending though or would you want to...
11:46What would that kind of look like if there was a sequel?
11:48Oh man, it's so funny.
11:49Because you know everyone's going to be asking what ending comes out.
11:50No, I know.
11:51Oh my gosh.
11:52I don't know.
11:53Yeah, I don't know.
11:54I'm so a person that loves like beginning, middle, ends and like that's it.
12:01And watching those things over and over again.
12:03I like watching the same movie over and over again.
12:05Yeah, totally same.
12:06Yeah, when some of my favorite rom-coms have like different sequels
12:09and one was kind of like, well maybe.
12:11But I mean, I think everyone's story doesn't just end like at high school.
12:18Obviously like college is a whole other situation.
12:20So I definitely imagine there's more to their story but I like how it ends.
12:25Well thank you so much for being here.
12:26This was so much fun.
12:28Make sure to have the perfect date night by watching the perfect date.
12:31Yes!
12:32Now on Netflix.
12:33Yes!
12:34Bye guys.
12:35Bye.
Comments