The Appeal of The Last Kiss: “I had seen Garden State and I had respected Zach [Braff] so much, and thought he did such an amazing job. He is so talented. I knew Tony [Goldwyn] was attached and I heard more names being thrown around, and I thought it was a great project. The original was such a beautiful movie that I thought I’d be lucky if I were able to be a part of this.”
Bilson can point to one specific moment in her audition that won her the role. “Tony and Zach have told me now, just recently actually, that there was a beat I took in one of the scenes that I did differently than every other girl. Which, when you go to an audition, you really don’t think you’re doing something no one else would do. You’re like, ‘Oh, this girl probably sees it that way too.’ Or, ‘How can anyone not see it this way?’ So that was really interesting to me.
It was a beat in the scene where I’m sort of seducing him in the car, and he keeps saying no. And then I’m like ‘Okay, bye.’ I remember that exact beat. It’s just how I read it and it’s how I think a girl would do it. She’s 19, she’s like, ‘Okay, fine.’ But I guess I was the only one who did it that way, so I thought that was really interesting. I thought it was cool.”
Creating Her Character in The Last Kiss: “It’s always hard… There’s a lot of things that go into playing the other woman. You never want to be the ‘bad guy’ really. I think I showed her in a different light in the sense that she’s very likable and a little naïve. It’s a little more forgivable, I think in a way, which helps because you don’t always want that big of a ‘bad guy’ and you hate the character by the end of the movie. I don’t think that was the case here, or the point that was trying to be made.”
Was she tempted to play it the way the actress did in the original Italian film? Bilson said she wasn’t. “No… The character that I played, I wanted to make her more likeable, more of a person, and the other girl kind of just symbolized that other woman. I really felt like she didn’t come across as likeable in a way.”
On Dating Tricks: Her character would, but in real life would Bilson actually give a mix tape to a guy she likes? “Yeah, I think so. I always did that growing up and it was a mix tape back then. Nowadays it’s CDs, MP3s and all that stuff. But yeah, when you really like someone… I remember even with guys I’ve dated recently, in the past five years, I still make them CDs. It’s kind of a way of expressing yourself, showing off who you are, and showing off a little bit.”
How Did Bilson Feel About Her Love Scene?: “Well, that’s always an awkward question. How did I feel about it? For me, it was my first time and I’m happy it was with Zach because he was very respectful and made me feel very comfortable. You just do it. Once it’s done, it’s a bigger deal to watch or think about than it actually was to do, I think.”
Working with Director Tony Goldwyn: “It was so helpful, especially going into my first film with all these veterans that are just amazing actors and amazing people, including Tony. He was really supportive and so attentive and really great with all of us. He was such an actor’s director. I thought that was a real treat for me, for my first experience, to have.”
Transitioning from TV to Film: Bilson described the process of going from The OC to The Last Kiss. “I was definitely patient. I had auditioned for a few things, but I was really waiting for the right thing to come along because it’s so important to do the right kind of movie – especially coming from a teen drama like I’m on now. And in order to be taken seriously, and maybe respected a little bit more in the film community, I thought it was important to wait for the right one. I really wanted the part and I auditioned, and I happened to get it.”
