After making a vow with her best friend to never fall in love, Halley finds herself in a dilemma: Does she fall for her dreamy friend Macon (Trent Ford) or stand true to her conviction that love doesn’t exist?
Mandy Moore loved the idea of playing someone whose beliefs were so different from her own. While Halley rejects love, Moore believes in falling in love and considers herself a romantic person.
On casting Moore in the role of Halley Martin, director Clare Kilner says, “Halley is an investigator who’s curious about people. She sees beauty in the mundane and is a great observer of life. Mandy has that quality as well. She is fascinated by people and loves to watch them. She approaches her work with honesty, simplicity and a real passion.”
Was there any awkwardness while shooting the love scenes?
Well, Trent [Ford's] a pretty confident guy. I'm a pretty shy, modest girl in many ways, so it's always awkward doing a scene. Especially because at that point in time, you've become friends and you're friends with everyone on the crew. It's just an awkward time for everyone because the crew guys don't just want to watch you and the director doesn't want to have to give you direction like, "Um, don't kiss for that long" or "Are you adding tongue?"
There are just so many weird elements that go into being romantic on screen and it's so choreographed. People don't realize [that] it's like my cheek has to be in this position, his head has to be tilting this way, [and] we have to linger a couple inches apart before we actually kiss, so it completely takes any sort of romance... any of that is long out of the way before you actually get to do it.
Do you have any time for a real life romance?
I do. I have a romance. I have a boyfriend and I'm very happy. I think as a young woman, for me, I have to make time for that. I have to have time to have a personal life and spend time with my family and my friends. It's important to get away from everything.
Have you learned anything from dating in the industry?
No, not necessarily. I wouldn't say I've learned from dating people in the industry. [He] just happens to not be in the industry. It's kind of cool because in a sense we've had parallel lives but we have a lot to learn from each other. We both did something so different with our lives.
How did you meet?
He's a tennis player and I met him at a tennis tournament while I was filming "How to Deal" in Toronto. His name is Andy Roddick. People know we're dating, but it's not a big deal. It's cool because I'm allowed to have a personal life without people caring too much. No one really pries into my life and I like it that way. I get to do what I love but at the same time, I'm very much left alone.
How do you keep the serious drama in this movie from coming across as fake or hokey?
I think in every film, whether it be comedy or drama, you have to bring some truth to it. You have to be as genuine as possible. I think at the end of the day, that makes it not hokey. But we obviously, at times, had to keep it pretty lighthearted on the set because there's no point to the movie if you're just like, "Oh, gosh, it's so down."
