Written by Rolemommy contributor, Kristin Flannery.
Ever wonder what it would be like to reconnect with your long, lost love? I have to say that this Rolemommy contributor found out but alas we figured out why it didn’t work in the first place. This wasn’t the case with Nicholas Spark’s THE BEST OF ME which opens in theaters on Friday October 17, 2014.
Rolemommy sat down with the films stars James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan to find out what it was like during filming and if they ever found their own lost loves.
This isn’t the first time that James Marsden has been in a Nicholas Sparks movie (he played the ditched fiance in The Notebook) so we were wondering if he was promised a happy ending…
James Marsden filled us in “Yes, he’s a sadistic, isn’t he? Oh, I have to be careful. You’re recording this. I didn’t mean that, Nick. Which is going to be a slow progression over the next 10 years, when I’m in the next Nicholas Sparks movie.Something else is going to happen right before I get the girl. No, I didn’t actually meet Nicholas until “The Notebook” premiere. So, he’s obviously is a presence in these movies. But, when we’re out there filming the scenes and working with Michael (director Michael , it’s pretty much just us.” Michelle Monaghan thinks “he is writing the next 10 books, basically, while we’re out shooting.”
We thought that this one was the most violent Nicholas Sparks movie, book, that we have seen yet so we wondered how was it on the set.
James Marsden confessed “It’s pretty intense. I mean, I know that Luke got the brunt of all of that, and dealt with that more than I did, except that I, you know, I’m sort of the product of that down the line. But, I think, there’s an edge to this movie. And his upbringing, love and someone defining that for him at a young age was very absent in his upbringing. And so, that’s what I think when he meets Amanda. It’s like he comes alive, you know. It’s the first time he’s ever felt these emotions for somebody else, and what it feels like to be cared for and to care for somebody else. It was a very serious thing that he was dealing with, and in having an abusive father.”
It’s a really nice story, I think, as somebody in middle age to see you come back and you have a second chance in there. And are there anything that you guys would want to have second chances at now in your life?
Michelle Monaghan believes “It’s funny because you can sort of look at your life and go, “Okay. Well, maybe I would have made a different decision,” or something like that. But, I guess regrets are kind of hard because every single one that I’ve made, whether they’ve been good or bad, they’ve informed my life in some way. So, I can’t say, “Oh, dear, that was maybe not the right thing to do.” But, I learned something from it, or I have grown from that. And I think that’s where people in general just grow.”
We wondered have you really been in this kind of love, like in this love, because it’s lovely to see these kind of movies, but thinking in real life?
James Marsden replies “Not everybody is lucky enough to find it. I like these characters so much in this movie because there’s so much goodness about them, and they’re so unselfish with the love that they give to one another and how they show it. And I think you can better your chances at maybe finding that by nurturing it as well. It’s not just like love at first sight, and the universe has these two people. And then, for some reason, just them, they’re the only ones allowed to experience it. I think that it’s what they do with their initial reaction to one another and how they treat one another that it’s that that love is then nurtured, and then it becomes that sort of timeless love, I think.
In closing we wondered if they found those emotional moments a lot when they were filming, where you were so drawn into it that you were off-set or on-set like–.
Michelle Monaghan believes “Yes. Well, I think that’s the beauty of these sorts of films, it’s like a privilege to be able to go there, because I think we’re so used to shooting a lot of films, like James was saying yesterday, there’s a lot of bells and whistles, and a lot of special effects and things like that. And this really is just about the emotion. And it’s about these scenes. So, you’re invested in these characters, and you really want to bring as much emotional truth as you can to it. And so, James and I, along with Michael, we really spent a lot of time in creating this emotional arc, and making sure that it made sense, and that it was truthful and based in reality, and it was grounded, and that the emotional responses were earned and deserved. There is joy behind heartache. That is so Nicholas Sparks. There really is joy behind heartache.”
Don’t miss Nicholas Sparks’ THE BEST OF ME in theaters October 17th and for more information follow them on twitter at #thebestofme.
Check out the special trailer here.
Who Knew Roku?
If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile now, you’ve probably figured out two things about me. I’m always dieting and I’m a couch potato. Which means even though I truly want to be fit and thin, it’s pretty hard to do when your ultimate goal at the end of the night is to curl up on the couch with your husband and kids so you can watch a movie that everyone will love (or maybe my daughter and I will love). And that brings me dear readers, to Roku.
Recently, I was asked if I’d be interested in giving Roku 3 a try. If you’ve never heard of Roku, then you don’t know what you’re missing. Roku is a video streaming device that enables you to choose the movies and TV shows that you want to see when you want to see them. And trust me, while I am a cable subscriber and we frequently hit channel 500 to find a movie we can play on demand, the selection pales in comparison to the offerings you can get on Roku. Over 150,000 titles are available at any given time. Which means in most instances, any movie that you have loved in your life (“Steel Magnolias,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “St. Elmo’s Fire”…yes I am trapped in the 80’s and 90’s) can potentially all be found on Roku.
But wait, there’s more. Now I feel like a game show host. Not only are there movies, TV shows and sporting events to be watched, there’s also games too like Angry Birds Space, Downhill Bowling, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune and Suduko. And, if you are a stalker obsessed with your friend’s Facebook photos and videos, you can see them right through your Roku too. Here’s the best part — a Roku 3 box is $99 and it gives you access to over 1000 channels. Can anyone say Couch Potato Heaven??? While Roku doesn’t charge a monthly fee for their services, you can choose from a host of services like Redbox Instant from Verizon where you can instantly stream great movies 24/7…although I wouldn’t recommend watching that much television unless you land a job where you’re paid to watch and write about the shows and movies you love all the time.
So how do you get your hands on a Roku 3 box? Simple – just visit their website for additional details. Just as the leaves are changing and that all too familiar fall chill is in the air, get ready to grab that cozy blanket, curl up on the couch and watch what you want all the time!
Disclosure: I was given a Roku 3 to try out for this review. However, all opinions (especially my love of classic 80’s and 90’s movies) are strictly my own.
Flashback Friday: Role Mommy’s Favorites from 1985
My daughter is currently a freshman in high school and she loves One Direction, Modern Family, and Urban Outfitters. I’ve been vicariously living through her, so I decided to take a ride in my time traveling DeLorean (let’s be real my Mazda 323) to remember what was popular during the prime of my high school life. Here are some of the things I came up with…
1) FAVORITE TV SHOW: FAMILY TIES
2) FAVORITE FOOD: TOFUTTI SOFTSERVE– Imagine my disappointment when I found out it wasn’t dietetic
3) FAVORITE MOVIE: THE BREAKFAST CLUB
4) FAVORITE FASHION: DEMI MOORE’S HAIRCUT IN “ABOUT LAST NIGHT” – If anyone is keeping score, this movie actually came out in 1986, but we had to give a shout out to Demi’s hair…it was and still is fabulous!
5) FAVORITE SONG: ST. ELMO’S FIRE BY JOHN PARR
What were some of your favorite things from 1985? Tweet @Rolemommy with some of your high school obsessions #1985.
Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters
20th Century Fox ‘s Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters comes to theaters on August 7th . Based on the publishing phenomenon, PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS continues the young demigod’s epic journey to fulfill his destiny. To save their world, Percy and his friends must find the fabled and powerfully magic Golden Fleece. Embarking on a treacherous odyssey into the uncharted waters of the Sea of Monsters (known to humans as the Bermuda Triangle), they battle terrifying creatures, an army of zombies, and the ultimate Evil. Starring Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel, Douglas Smith, Stanley Tucci. Rolemommy sat down with Director Thor Freudenthal and the stars of the movie Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson and Leven Rambin to find out what is in store for the second installment of everyone’s favorite book series.
Rolemommy: Since this is the second movie, we were wondering if you were signed up for the series or if the first film was so successful that they made the second one.
Alexandra Daddario (Clarisse) filled us in, “Well, I think speaking for me, Logan [Lerman] and Brandon [T. Jackson], we’re locked in for three movies. And I think there’s something really cool about that, because you know that you’re joining something that could potentially be around for a long time.”
Rolemommy: Is it more difficult to do an original film where you already have fans or sequel of the book where you have diehard fans?
Director Thor Freudenthal, “Well, I did do the first part of another book series. And doing the first part of something is kind of hard, because you’re navigating the tone and the feel of a movie. You’re casting it from the ground up, in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, it feels like it took forever to find the Wimpy Kid and establish how much comedy, how much emotion you do.”
“Chris Columbus kind of had already done that to an extent. So, he had done a lot of the footwork of explaining the world and introducing the main character to the world. Since he had already done it, it gives you a level of freedom just kind of using it as a jumping off point and having, in a way, more freedom to explore the world further and expand it and play with the tone a little bit. I felt that the book series, to me, was very irreverent and funny, kind of like tongue in cheek. And we wanted to bring a little bit more of that into this movie. So, that was fun for me to do.”
Rolemommy: Seeing as these kids have very prominent mythological parents (these teens are known as half-bloods) what would you say would be the underlying message with this particular film?
Thor Freudenthal believes “The underlying message is we have a bunch of young people who have parents who are larger than life and mostly inaccessible to them. The kids kind of doubt themselves for the most part. So, the central message in this movie, looking at Percy and how he starts out at the beginning of the movie not trusting himself, his abilities and so forth, and throughout the movie, and you’ve only seen a half hour of it. But, in the movie, through himself and his friends, he gains the confidence that he needs to succeed on his quest. And that’s what you can do in life. ”
Rolemommy: For the characters, you have so many children that look up to you. So, what’s some advice that you have for the children that adore you and adore your characters?
Logan Lerman (Percy) shared a personal story, “My father works at a children’s hospital, and he works with a lot of kids that are going through tough times. And they’re really excited about the fact that his son is Percy Jackson, and, now, every patient now brings their book. The movie makes them happy. And that goes for a lot of kids. So, it’s really cool, and that’s got to be one of the biggest benefits of doing a movie like this is. It’s a big movie and it’s a fun one to make. It is mainly for the kids, right? And it makes them happy, so it’s cool to be a part of a project like this in that way.”
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters comes to theaters on August 7th and Rolemommy will be bringing you more of our interviews with the stars this week.
Photo credit: Elise Derby
Behind the Scenes at “Safe Haven”
Last summer Rolemommy had the chance to fly to North Carolina to meet Nicholas Sparks and tour the set of his new movie SAFE HAVEN in theaters February 14, 2013. When I flew in to North Carolina, I was met by a local towncar driver who whisked me away (well, I was running late) and we started on the hour journey to get to the parade scene in the movie.
On our way I learned all about Southport, North Carolina’s history (in 2010 when it was announced that billionaire hedge fund manager, Louis Moore Bacon, bought this huge mansion called Orton Plantation), the other films that have shot in NC (Hunger Games, Iron Man 3 and soon to be released We’re The Millers) and his divorce and kids (what can I say, people tell me everything!). We already knew why Southport, NC was the perfect spot to film SAFE HAVEN but taking a walking tour with Nicholas Sparks was something we did not want to miss….
Mr. Nicholas Sparks: The really interesting thing about North Carolina, it’s one of the reasons why I set the stories here and why this particular place is perfect is that it’s a very unique state in that, unlike virtually every other state, the big cities are off the coast because of the hurricanes.
The entire eastern part of the state is dotted with small towns. Biggest town is Wilmington, about 150,000. And that’s huge. I mean, you know, Southport has a population of 1,500.
So here is something very typical of outdoor dining in these small towns. And it’s a great place where someone like Katie could wander in and, you know, there’s never going to be anyone from Boston that you’d ever happen to bump into here.
Mr. Nicholas Sparks: You’re at the mouth of the Cape Fear River here. Over there is Oak Island, where they were filming the parachuting scenes for Iron Man 3.
People here are watching fireworks and people diving from the sky over there. Poor little Southport, right? Southport is interesting. Wilmington was the last open port in the, as they say here, the war for Southern Independence.
Charleston had closed, and everything else had closed, New Orleans had closed. Southport was really the last place that everything came in. And this was the south port, hence the name that they change it to in about 1887. It was originally called Smithville. There’s your North Carolina history lesson.
Most people don’t know, but the last major battle of the Civil War was fought in North Carolina, it was fought after Robert E. Lee surrendered.
This is true, the Battle of Bentonville, which was fought by Joe Johnson because Robert E. Lee, he was just in charge of the armies of Northern Virginia, which was the main army, but you still had the North Carolina regimens–.
Rolemommy: I think this such an amazing experience -it’s fun to see the actual place your filming, and then to see it on the big screen, I know it will look so different.
Nicholas Sparks: yes, it always looks different when you frame things. That’s called movie magic.
We walked down the street to the set of “Ryan’s Port Market” which was fully built from scratch. *Plot spoiler alert* Unfortunately, the very cool-looking market did not stay there in keeping with the plot of Nicholas Sparks’ book they burnt it down.
Nicholas Sparks: The one side of the store is here. This is where they entered. Now it’s burned down, people were sad that it was gone. One of the great things about North Carolina are these live oaks. I love these trees, they are very interesting because they don’t shed like regular oak trees. They stay green year round, they shed three times per year.
And so, they’re always as beautiful as this. It’ll be this green throughout winter, these little leaves just fall all the time.
Normally when they grow let’s say, in Virginia, they don’t look like this because it’s not quite as wet and humid. It’s the moisture in the air that causes these trunks to twist and to spread out.
So if you buy a live oak in a nursery they won’t look the same. The sad thing they do now is they kind of force them to grow straight and spread.
Nicholas Sparks: So, the best way to get a live oak for your yard — that’ll look like this — if you live outside of North Carolina – is to go out to the forest, find someone with some forest land, and you dig up one that’s already kind of growing like this.
And then in about 60 years when you’re dead, you’ll have a fabulous tombstone there. And people say, “Man, that is a great tree.”
I mean, I think this is one of the most beautiful towns. Ten years ago, I was here for the filming of “A Walk to Remember.” I remember walking down here and I said, “I have to find a book for this place one day.”
So get ready for Nicholas Spark’s SAFE HAVEN in Theaters February 14, 2013
In the meantime, click here to see the trailer and the beauty of North Carolina….
LOL Mondays with Blog Talk Radio
Role Mommy on the Run radio is back and better than ever. We kicked off our first show of the new year today with our west coast host Kristin and we cover everything from must see movies, TV shows you can’t miss (can anyone say Downton Abbey), New Year’s resolutions, hilarious stories and much more. But don’t just read about it, listen in and laugh right along with us!
Listen to internet radio with Role Mommy on Blog Talk Radio