As with any romantic comedy, the chemistry between the onscreen couple is of paramount importance. After the filmmakers cast Stiles, they went looking for their 'Prince' and found a young, relatively unknown British actor who captured their attention. "For a film like this, the most important thing is that the chemistry, the energy and the excitement between the two people is right. Julia and Luke not only look good together, but the electricity is there and it definitely comes across on screen," explains Coolidge.
I had the chance to speak one-on-one with the tired yet enthusiastic Luke Mably while he was touring the United States promoting "The Prince & Me." Here's what Mably had to say about starring in his first romantic comedy, working with Julia Stiles, cows, and racing lawnmowers. Yep, cows and lawnmowers.
INTERVIEW WITH LUKE MABLY:
You've been touring around promoting this movie. What’s the strangest question you’ve been asked so far?
The strangest question? I had to do this one where they wanted me to finish sentences. They’d say, “I’m in love with…” and I had to sort of finish the rest of the sentence. But I wasn’t any good at that so we gave up.
That sounds like a psychological test or something.
(Laughing) I know, that’s right. I felt like I was seeing a shrink or something!
On to the cow scene – first of all, I know you have to milk the cows and you didn’t want to do any training since your character isn’t supposed to know how to do it. But I like the part where you’re out running around with the cows. Did they just set you free and tell you to have fun?
That was all sort of improvised. What we basically did is we filmed it on a real farm – a real dairy farm, which was working as we were filming. We went out to a field and it was time for the cows to be brought in for milking. And they just set the camera up in the corner of the field and said, “Right. Go on and get the cows back into the barn.” And they filmed me doing it. But I had to, you know, my grandma used to have a farm and I kind of know what I’m doing. I don’t mind getting mucky. The idea is to make this character look as goofy as possible in that situation so I did trips up and tried to make him look silly.
It looked like you almost got run over by a cow…
Actually that wasn’t planned (laughing). I didn’t realize that a cow was charging towards me and it was looking the other way. I think it must have seen me at the last minute. But yeah, I nearly had the back end of a cow’s ass knock me out.
That’s kind of a bizarre thing to be doing in a romantic comedy.
I know. I got to learn lots of different skills when I took this role.
So speaking of different skills, did you drive a lawnmower?
I did drive a lawnmower, yeah. I had to work the stunts on that and they had to make sure I knew what I was doing. Also with the car chase scene and the horse riding, which I hadn’t done before. But yeah, the lawnmowers got to about 95 mph on the straight. There’s a whole kind of lawnmower association and they take it very seriously. They modify these things. So that whole scene in the film – that world – it does exist, that world. I enjoyed it. I thought it was fun. When I first read it in the script, I did laugh, you know? Racing lawnmowers? That seemed ridiculous but these guys take it very seriously. We had some of them on set with us so I did respect it. It’s a bit like go-carting.
I’m sure it takes some skills to do, but come on. Getting to race around on a lawnmower? That looks like it’d be a blast.
(Laughing) Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.
Were there a lot of outtakes from that? Are we going to see a lot of extras from the lawnmower races on the DVD?
Actually it’s funny you say that. I met up with Martha Coolidge, the director, recently. Just really at the press junket in LA and we had lunch together – and with Julia [Stiles]. And she was telling us that there’s quite a few outtakes and deleted scenes that she’s going to put on the DVD. So I don’t know exactly which ones but there are lots. I mean I fell off that thing a few times. We just have to wait and see what they put on.
PAGE 2: Luke Mably on Interesting Bandages, Royal Training, and Stunts
ADDITIONAL "THE PRINCE & ME" RESOURCES:
Interview with Julia Stiles
"The Prince & Me" Photo Gallery
"The Prince & Me" Credits, Trailer and Movie News
