INTERVIEW WITH SEAN FARIS ('Steve'):
You are ‘the guy’ in this movie. How does it feel to be ‘the guy’?
I’m flattered. I really enjoy it and I’m having a lot of fun with it.
I saw the movie and I couldn’t help thinking how much you look like Tom Cruise in “Risky Business.” Do people tell you that?
Yeah, I’ve been getting that since I was about 12. It’s funny, since I’ve been getting it since I was so young I was just like ‘whatever’ with it and I didn’t really get it until I saw the cover of “All the Right Moves.” I was looking at the cover of my new show and I was like, “Now I get it.” I went to my manager’s office and said, “Watch this and then watch this and you’ll see exactly what people are talking about.” Now I get it.
Wouldn’t you love to have a career that matches Cruise’s?
Oh man. That would be a dream come true.
When you were in school, were you one of the cool kids or one of the dorks?
I was just a regular guy. I was in the middle. I wasn’t cool, I wasn’t uncool. I was just sort of there. I spent most of high school just dying to get out. It wasn’t my glory years. I spent high school waiting to go to California to become an actor.
Where did you go to high school?
I went to high school in Padua Franciscan High School in Cleveland, Ohio. I could not wait to leave high school, let me tell you.
Did you always know you wanted to be an actor?
I didn’t realize it was what I really wanted to do until I was about 17. I ended up doing an independent film and I just absolutely loved it. If I could get paid to do that and travel around the world, why not?
And you’ve got a new TV series coming up. What can you tell me about that?
I’ve got a new show coming up on ABC. It’s called “Life As We Know It.” It’ll be out this fall, Thursday night at 9pm. It’s a one hour dramedy. It’s a coming-of-age story about three guys who are best friends in high school, and how your friends become your family. You have a problem, you don’t call mom. You call your friends and you work things out. The coolest part about it is not only do you see the image of these guys in high school, but you get to know them on the inside whenever they have private moments to camera.
My character, Dino, he’s like the cool guy. All the girls in school want him and everybody thinks that’s all there is to him. But really and truly, he’s just really insecure. And he thinks that that’s the only thing he’s got to live off of is that image.
INTERVIEW WITH EVAN PETERS ('Russell'):
How would you describe your character?
He’s nuts but he likes to chase around the girls. He’s a nice guy all around.
So is that you? Are you nuts and a nice guy?
Yeah, a little bit. He’s a different guy. Russell’s probably the extreme side of that. He’s a little out there.
And you’re also a skater in this movie, right?
Yes.
Do you skate in real life?
I suck really bad. They actually had to hire a guy named Stacey Lowery who is a professional skateboarder to come and try and teach me how to skateboard.
How did that go?
Good, it went alright. I could actually ride it a little bit.
What was the worst accident you suffered while learning to skateboard?
Oh man, it was during a take in the movie. I was skateboarding up and I just completely ate it right in the middle of the take. It hurt, but you bounce back.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a series in Vancouver called “The Days.”
Do you prefer TV or movies?
Movies.
In your opinion, what’s the biggest difference between the two?
The attention to detail is slightly lost in a series, as opposed to a movie.
What was your school experience like – were you a dork or would you sit at the cool table?
In high school? Right now I’m doing the independent study deal. But I remember regular school and that was…fun.
Would you be the one sitting next to the trashcans, like the kids in this movie?
We never really had assigned lunch spots. Except for, I remember in grade school we had to pick our tables, so that type of thing wouldn’t happen. I went to a Catholic grade school and they’d be like, “Okay, pick a card and then you get to draw your number and go sit at a table.” Then you’re stuck in that spot the rest of the year.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Interviews from the World Premiere of “Sleepover:” Mika Boorem & Brie Larson / Jane Lynch / Kallie Flynn Childress & Ryan Slattery / Scout Taylor-Compton & Sara Paxton / Director Joe Nussbaum
Interview with Alexa Vega on the Set of “Sleepover”
