Unraveling Tangled: A Virtual Q&A with Cast & Creatives

In this never-before-released Q&A session recorded in December 2022, the cast and crew of Passionflix's film adaptation of 'Tangled' come together for a virtual premiere discussion. The participants include Lauren (Director of Development), Ali (Director of Marketing and PR), Tosca (Founder and CEO of Passionflix), Emma Chase, the author of 'Tangled,' Traci Hays (Director), and cast members Josh Plasse, Katherine Hughes, Cameron Jebo, Katherine Barber and Ruben Caballero. Emma shares the inspiration behind her book and the transition from writing to the male perspective, while Traci and the cast discuss the challenges and highlights of bringing the story to screen. The cast members reflect on their favorite scenes, the challenges of intimate scenes, and the camaraderie on set. The episode wraps up with fan questions and the announcement of the film's release.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Introductions
• 1:35 Emma's Inspiration Behind 'Tangled'
• 5:06 Directing Tangled: Traci's Journey
• 10:37 Cast Reflections: Joining 'Tangled'
• 17:04 Josh and Katherine on Their Characters
• 20:03 Favorite Moments on Set
• 24:10 Reflecting on a Memorable Day
• 25:11 Sibling Dynamics and Character Insights
• 27:29 Ruben's Musical Journey
• 36:44 Challenging Scenes and Intimate Moments
• 40:01 Fan Questions and Fun Facts
• 43:41 Wrapping Up

Transcript

Ali: Hi, everybody. 

Tosca: Hi. 

Ali: Hello. How is everybody feeling? 

Katherine H.: Good? Yeah. Feeling ready to talk about Tangled?

Lauren: And so welcome everybody to the q and a for Tangled for our virtual premiere. We have the lovely cast and director and author with us. We can go around and make some quick introductions. I'm Lauren and I'm the Director of Development here at Passionflix.

And then Ali, wanna go? 

Ali: Oh, I'm Ali. I'm the Director of Marketing and PR. 

Tosca: I'm Tosca and I'm the Founder and CEO of Passionflix and I EP'd the movie, along with our wonderful author.

Emma: I'm Emma. Hi. I'm the author.

Traci: I'm Traci hays, I'm the Director.

Cameron: I'm Cameron Jebo and I'm just with her. No, I'm, I play Matthew

Lauren: josh, wanna,

Josh: I'm Josh and I Drew Evans 

Cameron: Drew freaking Evans.

Katherine H.: I'm Katherine Hughes. I play Kate. 

Lauren: Amazing. Yep. And our other Katherine. 

Katherine B.: Yeah. I didn't know which one. I'm Katherine Barber and I play Alexandra.

Ruben: I'm Ruben Caballero and I play Billy. 

Lauren: And we might have a Sailor who plays Dee-Dee joining us in a little bit. But to start it off, I thought I would just ask Emma we wouldn't be here tonight without your book and your words, and I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about the inspiration behind Tangled for those who may not know.

Emma: So I. Had been a stay-at-home mom. My kids were at school full-time. I'd always enjoyed writing and I had taken a creative writing course at the local college just to stay busy and tangled. I, I just I had the idea about this, a guy. I actually had a. A vision of a guy walking across the bar.

And he had this really great life and he, was good at his job and he was handsome and he was smart and he was charming and he was funny. And I, and he meet a girl in a bar and I just really loved the idea of what happens if that girl turns all those parts upside down. And it just went from there.

And originally when I started writing it. It was actually in third person, so it was like he said, she said, but it felt really dry and really slow. So almost as like character study. I started writing the scene where Drew and Kate meet in the bar from his point of view and just all the asides and like the advice and kind of everything that's ever been. Told me by all my guy friends in high school, it just all came out and came into this character and it was so fun. And it was just so fun to be in the head of a character who could literally say anything and you would still like him anyway. And so I just kept going. I was having so much fun with it that I just kept going with it.

And I wrote the whole story from his point of view and. 

Lauren: And I think that fun is what a lot of fans ended up loving the most is that they just had a great time reading it. And also when the book came out, it was one of the first to have the male perspective as a romance, which is pretty cool. Yeah. And I remember when I read it to then pitch it to Tosca to bring it to Passionflix, I was like, this is just too fun.

We have to get this. 

Tosca: Yeah. Absolute. We hadn't really done a male. We hadn't really seen that many male point of views. And this is like the epitome of the, that romance story, which is great. And of course, Emma and I had a longer relationship because we are also working on Royally Screwed.

And and so the idea of being able to do Tangled, which was I believe it's your first, right? It's your first book. 

Emma: Very first book. Yeah. You know what I mean? It just how it worked out that this was also the first movie. 

Tosca: Yeah. 

Emma: Worked out. 

Tosca: So it was just really an honor to be able to, I guess now we have two of her books, which is super awesome. But to be able to do Tangled first is really great. 

Emma: Yeah. And I really think, I grew up reading historical romances and historical romances.

I didn't know when time was published that it being written from the guy's point of view was a different thing or an unusual thing. But I think what really, what I also really loved about being in his head was in historical romances. There's not a lot of grovel. Like usually, it's the guy's, sorry and he says he is sorry and that's it.

And you get your coffee every after. And I wanted the grovel, I wanted to feel the regret and see it play out. And I think that's pretty obvious if you read the story or see the movie that it was just so delicious to be in his head as he's experiencing, this regret and tries to.

Lauren: It starts out with him, seeped in regret. He's sick with the flu from it. He's not working. It's so great. And now Traci, our lovely director fans know you from being our production designer on quite a few Passionflix films. You do amazing work with that. And then you've also directed two of our quickies, and this is your directorial debut into features, which is very exciting.

And what was it like getting to direct a movie on the scale and then this story in particular? 

Traci: Oh yeah. I mean it's been a journey, it feels like it's been, six months. It's crazy. In Atlanta in July of last year, popping this movie, it flew by and then it feels like it's been a long time because there's been.

So much growth and so many great memories and stories and connections. I think to start, I remember when Tosca, emailed me the script like over a year ago, and I had read a, I was familiar with the other, obviously I had production design, a lot of the films, and that was my entry into romance novel world.

Like I wasn't. I wasn't really aware of the community, to be frankly, honest, prior to working with the company, I think six years ago. And so I started to read them and, they're all different, some of them are, crazy and, I'm like, oh my gosh. So then when I read Tangled, I was like, I don't know I really I laughed a lot and I remember thinking it felt more like a classic rom-com than like.

It almost was aware of itself, like it was, like some romances novels are very serious and obviously there's a certain, audience for that. But it was really nice to see the more. Something that could be more of a broader audience, and the kinds of people we could attract to a project like this that had more of a mainstream like rom-com vibe to it.

So I immediately was like, yes, I'd love to do this. Like, just coming off of another comedy that we did for Hooked was really fun. And to be able to laugh and be, in an environment where we. I love doing dramatic stuff, I think we were, I think frankly we're all tired of just, everyone needs our outcome right now down and like, we need something to make us laugh and, so I immediately was just like, I just went full into it and, I am trying to remember the second part of your question, Lauren. Now I'm, so, you asked how I got in, what was it? 

Lauren: What yeah, and what was it like to direct this story in particular? It was just like, it was, like you're saying it was just nice to do a rocom. Yeah. I think you hit all of that. Yeah.

Traci: No, I I, it really came down to the people that were involved. I, me, I remember meeting Emma. I actually, it was really great. I gotta meet Emma in person in New York to actually. Beginning filming, which was really special. It was it was a. Talk. And I remember she like brought in a forced, like a stack of romance novels to lunch. Like such a baller, like here's my book. And we just sat down and talked and I was like, this is gonna be so fun. Like we have a great rapport. And then it was off for the races. So it was a it huge journey.

And I'm sure we'll get into more the nitty gritties about behind the scenes. But yeah, so now we're now we're here, but Emma and I got a chance to really work closely on the script too, which was important to me. It reflected, it's terrifying turning a book into a movie and not pissing people off that you didn't do it right.

It's a lot, it's a lot of pressure. 

Tosca: Yes. It is. 

Traci: And you're like, ah, I hope I didn't forget any detail. And like, are they gonna kill me? Because, like some detail isn't exactly, like, but because really trusted, with the story and. Letting me just get in there. I felt like I, I feel like everybody honored.

Tosca: I think there've been enough movies in the past I think for five years or whatever, that you've, as you've production designed them. Traci has literally come to me at times with like post-it notes in the book going, oh no. The walls are tope, let's choose a tope that matches. And I'm like, oh, okay.

Yeah. Okay. Tote walls that go with a brown cap. We've gone through all of this so many times. Oh no. The walls are, and the. What are their favorite sports are and then those things are just peppered in the room. Yeah. And it's like, it's every single thing. 'cause you go to the book and you find out what the history of these characters are and what their rooms look like.

And so yeah. So that's what Traci has brought to life with us as well in so many movies. 

Lauren: I'm obsessed with her attention to detail. And the days I got to come to set were, when we were doing the office location, which is the majority of the movie there in the office, pretty much. You never a fan said it earlier, or maybe Emma said it earlier.

You never got bored while watching the different office scenes because you just have so much detail in there and so many different. Parts of the, it's just great. It was fun, even walking by the desks. There were like little post-it notes for each person that detailed, like to mom or like random stuff.

Traci: We I'll give, I, I can't take all the credit. I would be a li I would be lying to say it was not all me. I definitely had a great group of women behind me. Mindy Smith and Karen Novak, who aren't with us today, but they poured their heart and souls into making the world come to life, and without them, we wouldn't have this beautiful looking movie that took place in New York.

Yeah, 

Tosca: and Tindy has worked on a number of passion fix movies before, and Karen also worked with us on Dirty, sexy Saint. 

Lauren: Oh yeah. 

Tosca: She's So, it is really nice to be able to, yeah, to bring some of these people back to work on the movies. And again, people that have. Drunk the Kool-Aid and know what we're making.

Lauren: Don't mind coming back to a Patrick film. Yeah. And so, to our lovely cast, we would love to know what drew each of you to the project. So let's start with you Josh. 

Josh: Alright. Comedy a hundred percent. I was sitting right here when I read the script, I told Traci this, I think the day afterwards.

It was the first time in all honesty that I had read a script all the way through past 10 o'clock. Wow. Reading. Yeah, I know. Which doesn't seem that late, but I'm an old man in my heart. And I just thought it was absolutely hilarious. I loved it. It was human, it was different. I've read a lot of these before.

I like the genre. I'm a total cheese ball for it, but, I just, I thought it was different. I thought it was fun, and if it can make me laugh out loud, then I know it's moving me. 

Lauren: There you go. Awesome. And Ms. Katherine Hughes. 

Katherine H.: Yeah, I I think every, I grew up on, I loved watching Julia Roberts and, like every rom com, Rachel McAdams, every romcom queen, and when I started acting when I was younger, I was like, man I saw them falling off in general, like rom-coms weren't really made anymore in the same capacity. And then as I got older I was like, man, it would've been nice to do one of those. And then, I read this script and I was like, this literally feels like one of those movies I grew up on.

And I also liked that, she's super smart, she's super independent. Like I love that she had, she was in control of her choices and even though she did fall in love with a guy and she did have a fiance and all this, all these things, those are still things that she had agency over.

And yeah, scripts are hard to be funny and I found it, Emma's writing is so funny and coming from Drew's mouth is just like, had me laughing. So I was super excited to do it. And after I talked, I read the script and I met with Tracy. And Traci was just so cool.

And her work that I had seen, like online was so, so beautiful. And yeah. So it was it was exciting to like sign on and fly over to Atlanta to do. 

Lauren: I love that. And Mr. Ruben, what drew you to the role? 

Ruben: I was really excited to be able to sing and yeah. 

Tosca: And you were awesome. Amazing. 

Ruben: Thank you. 

Tosca: Actually, both of you guys, Katherine, both you guys were amazing, Katherine and Ruben! 

Lauren: We'll talk about that. We'll talk about that later. 

Tosca: Okay. Sorry I jumped ahead. It was fantastic. Look, yeah. 

Ruben: No I thought that was, I thought that was really awesome. I got into acting through musical theater.

Tosca: Ah. 

Ruben: And that was just a few years ago. This is a new venture for me, but but yeah, I got to mix both of those things together for this. So that was, dream come true. Absolutely. 

Lauren: Oh, that's cool. Awesome. And Cameron. 

Cameron: It was purely Traci. She called me one day and she was like, Hey, I'm directing a movie.

Do you wanna do a movie with me? And I said, yes. I didn't really know what it was or anything. We 

Traci: To be fair, we had never worked together. 

Cameron: Look, we had never worked together. And she, her sister is married to my brother, and so I thought. Got it. Of course, I like, I have to do this with her and I said yes without knowing much about it and she was just like, it's a romcom and it's gonna be great.

And I was like, okay. So, and then I read the script and I gotta be honest, I wasn't quite sure how well I would get into the character. I honestly didn't even really know what she wanted outta the character or how, or really how Emma had written the character. And so I was really nervous and I just still get it because of her.

And then when we got to Atlanta and we started talking more about Matthew and we started, we got a few of those shots off. I really settled in nicely and she was like, you be, you get to be funny. Like you're so funny. So please be funny. And I haven't done, I haven't gotten to do comedy in a long time and she gave me the freedom to be a very funny version of Matthew and I.

I feel like it worked, and I also just, I credit her for all of that. And so it was purely Tracy that brought me into the, brought me into this movie for sure. 

Ali: Oh, you were great. Kathy wanted to say that you were adorable and she loved Matthew in the movie. I just saw come in one of our, one of our founding members.

I'm watching the comments come in. 

Cameron: Well, thank you Kathy 

Lauren: and Ms. Katherine Barber. What drew you to the role? 

Katherine B.: This genre, you think of the damsel in distress and with the characters, the female characters in this book, they were all so like badass and strong, and I loved that. Like, the boys were crying, the girls were the ones that were, I just thought that was so cool and so different from like, yeah.

You think of that genre as these, you. You picture the women on the cover of the ma of the book, with the hair flowing.

Tosca: I had lunch with Fabio, just to be honest, we're talking about, 

Katherine B.: so that was really fun. That was really fun to play someone that's so strong and confident. 

Lauren: She is pretty badass. Yeah, she's young. I love that. The intro to you in the film is you getting him off his ass and 

Katherine B.: fabulous. It was so cute. 

Katherine H.: I think my favorite dynamic is just like the three guys at the office and there's like, they're just brash talk and then the minute they're with women, they're just like, thank you Emma. Just like I'm in love, like, I dunno. 

Emma: And it's so funny that you mentioned like the nineties rom-coms because I feel like films have such an influence on my writing. All those movies that I grew up with, like singles and Boomerang and even Heathers and I think, you can see all of them.

In the way that I write, and particularly in this story, it very much feels, now that we've seen the film, it very much feels like one of those throwback kind of nineties romcoms, which I love. And I like the fact, yes, like all the women in all the female characters are completely badass.

And I love that because, like, like Matthew's trying to get Drew out of his apartment for like a week now and he doesn't open the door. Yeah. So that, that, that dynamic is a lot of fun. And all of the actors in this movie just, hit it outta the park with character. Yeah, 

Lauren: I agree. Yeah. Really did. And so Josh drew is one of the most beloved book boyfriends as they're called. Oh, from the romance world. He's arrogant, but also incredibly lovable.

How did you prepare to play this role, and did you see any of Drew in yourself? 

Ali: Oh, good question. Think about that, Josh. 

Josh: Yeah. Think before you speak. I if that's true. Yeah. Not a quality of truth. One thing that stuck out to me is actually something that I think Emma was alluding to earlier.

For me, when I read this and I read the book, one thing that stands out to me with literature is that you can you can forgive things that are said because you're imagining the perfect caricature of someone in your mind when you actually see them on screen and their flaws. Sometimes some of the things that Drew might say wouldn't fly.

So I I just really felt like, I needed to be careful and always. Stay on the side of vulnerability and likability as opposed to just Mr. Macho. So I definitely brought a lot of that into my prep, into watching more vulnerable characters and lean into that side because I just felt like that was the only way it was gonna be different and authentic and hopefully likable.

So that would be my prep thing. And then in the, what I see of myself and of Drew, definitely competitiveness.

Yeah, so that, that's what I would say. I would say his competitiveness, his drive and just his, and to use Traci's words, his cheekiness. 

Ali: Definitely. You pulled it off so well. 

Lauren: Yeah, really did. It was great. Thank you. I love that. And so, and Katherine, we loved watching you bring Kate to life. She's smart, strong, doesn't take any bs, but she also has her vulnerable moments. What is your process for getting into character when going through these emotions? Like from strong to more vulnerable? 

Katherine H.: Yeah. I think it's just being true to the text and like, I, I read the book a few times before I came out to shoot it and it's just.

I love journaling as my character and I texted Traci a lot before we started shooting and I was like, well, what is this? And I think Traci, Emma, and I all had a back and forth of like, what does this mean? And like, where why did her parents do this?

And, just trying to answer some questions just so I understood her a little bit more. And then I think like. One of the most fun things to play is like falling in love, like meeting, meeting someone and being intrigued by them and falling for. Why does your character, why is your character attracted to this person and why?

It's fun to when your character's seen with different people. 'cause they're diff they're a different person with different people, she's a different person with Deedee than she is with Billy than she is with Drew. And yeah, so, but I definitely, I use the book a ton, like the book.

Is so full of like life and fun and cool moments and backstory.

Lauren: Yeah. Books can be helpful like that for actors I imagine, because it's so helpful. Yeah. Really cool to have. That's awesome. And so Katherine and Josh speaking of competitiveness Josh, drew and Kate get up to some pretty competitive antics in this film.

Do you each have a favorite moment from when you were filming those scenes? 

Josh: I've got two , Katherine. 

Katherine H.: Oh two. No, like the montage. 

Lauren: Yeah, the montage of just any of the scenes where you guys are butting heads. What were your favorite ones? 

Katherine H.: You go first, I wanna hear yours. 

Josh: Definitely. Definitely recruiting the band.

That was hilarious. 

Katherine H.: Oh, come on. Oh, we couldn't stop the day we shot the scene where I'm like. Bursting in his office. Oh my God. And I'm just like, God, how dare you. And then the band comes behind. We have like four takes where I just couldn't deal. 'cause I just felt them behind me. And I feel like there was so much glass in the place that I could see other people in the glass, like trying not to laugh.

I just couldn't do it 

Lauren: the way that Traci, that is awesome. Ended up, the way that Tracy ended up blocking that was that you came into the room and then they, the door shut, but then they peaked. The door, the glass. It was such a genius blocking of that because it was hilarious. They weren't there and then suddenly they were over your shoulder.

Yeah. 

Traci: That, that took a lot. But that was more like, like that took a lot of of choreography. Get that on the specific line. On the specific line. When, like eighties, I Peggy for an eighties girl and you see each one kind of,

Katherine H.: I also like. When, no, that whole sequence is so fun. Just like when we're stealing the books from each other and then when we're in the library and then you're running up the stairs. 

Lauren: Yeah, it's good. 

Josh: Yeah. The books are probably my favorite as well. Definitely. Yeah. 

Lauren: Oh, that's awesome. I love that.

Tosca: I think just you, Katherine, just you in the elevator. Just like, oh, and then sorry. Like I'm fine. You knowing that he's running up and like, here's your coffee. Oh yeah, your drink water. 

Lauren: Got water. So funny. 

Tosca: Brilliant. 

Lauren: And and Cameron, it was. So fun to watch the scenes you had with Drew in this film, particularly at the diner where you first meet.

Deedee like loved it a little bit. Amazing. Cameron, I have to admit, Cameron, that I'm a little bit of a fan girl for Matthew and Matthew's ca like the character of Matthew and how you portrayed him. It was just, it was so great and you were so funny and I was like, who is this perfect?

I definitely made the most faces while watching the film. Anytime you came on screen interacting with people, it was just true. Great. So sorry I had to fan girl for a second. So do you have a favorite moment from the set and getting to interact with all the different characters?

Cameron: You know the, it was super entertaining shooting that scene in the diner

there were a couple of days like that where. I'm lucky 'cause my character got to go wild a couple of times. Like especially during filming. Tracy would just be like, go, I. Do something like, just do that, but then go do it differently and then be bigger or something.

And so being at the table and seeing all those crude lines, but then also reacting to Sailor and her presence and what she does and being so attracted to that was so fun. And then there's the scene in the office where we first, where me and, josh? No. Oh, when? Well, when we hear, when we overhear Katherine basically telling Josh that, Saul Anderson is his.

Oh yeah. And I stop in and I'm like, oh, well you are. Pussy whipped. 

And I just, I think there were those were two main like moments for me where I just was super, super entertained. Just. I know I was performing, but I was also entertained by the whole thing and by everybody's presence in the scene.

For sure. 

Tosca: Cameron, that whole scene where you're sitting there talking about your your crush on like for first grade or your first crush? 

Cameron: Yeah. 

Tosca: The whole time he's like. Didn't she have to like get a therapist and talk to like, but the point is I loved her. 

Cameron: Weren't you terrible to her? I loved her.

Lauren: I loved her. 

Tosca: I was like, that was just, the whole thing was brilliant. It was really beautiful. 

Cameron: I'm good. I'm glad you liked that. Yeah. That was a fun day. Speaking of Drew, speaking of Josh's, sorry, competitiveness. He is not only competitive against others. He's incredibly competitive with himself. You guys should all know this that day.

Hope it's okay that I talk about this. We pushed up, we were pushing up against pretty tight schedule for Josh. He had been on set all day and he had to be on set early the next morning and. He would not leave the set so as to be with me till so that he could act in the scene with me. And I said I forced him to go home and get some sleep, but this boy would not go get some sleep for himself. Literally did not sleep that scene. That was that scene where we talked about, about like my ex from first grade or the girl that I love in first grade. But yeah, so the dude is not only competitive with others, but he will outwork himself. 

Lauren: That's crazy. And so, Ms. Katherine barber. Alexandra is lovingly referred to as the bitch by her brother too. So sweet. So sweet. I was wondering if if you have any siblings of your own and if you used any of interactions with them to influence how you played the big sister to Josh. 

Katherine B.: Yeah. Well, I am a big sister to two me as well.

I have a younger, yeah, I have a younger sister and brother. But like the bitch, you still wanna be likable. Of course. So that's like that hard line that you have to like teeter on because Yeah, she's a bitch, but she does it, she loves Drew so much. She does it in like. The sweetest way possible that she can.

But yeah, of course my sister's four years younger than me and we were like this our whole lives. Yeah. So it was easy to draw from personal experience, but also, I love my siblings more than any, anything. So, that helped really, to be able to bring out that loving side of her.

I think that she is a bitch, but everyone loves her. 

Lauren: Oh yeah. You were super likable in the film. It was great. Yes. 

Katherine B.: I loved you. I like using the word tough love and not bitch tough love. Yes. 

Cameron: No, it's like the scene where we're all sitting at the dinner table with Josh and you're just railing on him and basically saying that he, you have no testicles.

Katherine B.: Right. 

Cameron: Like, you are such a bitch as a man. And I'm like, that's the, that's a terrible delivery, but she's right, 

Katherine B.: right. And then she's like, and now get up there and go get her. 

Tosca: Go get her. So yeah, I would say that you're more of an encouraging strong woman than a bitch. I think at the end of the day, drew calls you that because it's his way of, not having to listen to somebody who is probably Right. 

Katherine B.: Exactly. 

Tosca: Exactly. At the end of the day when you have these strong women who are coming out there and saying, these are the things you need to do, get your act together, do these sorts of things, and you can have love and you can release things.

But and so that's the sister. So, and then Drew's like, I don't want to listen, so I'm gonna call her a bitch. Yeah, a hundred percent. 

Josh: Much easier than facing the truth. Much easier. Yeah, much easier than, 

Lauren: and and so Ruben, your character is a musician in this film. We talked about it as in terms of what drew you to the role was that you would be able to sing and stuff.

So I guess that answers the question, are you a musician in real life? But could you expand on that? 

Ruben: Yeah, I, so I only got into acting because I hired a voice coach, a vocal coach to gimme some training, and she started getting me to sing all these Broadway. Songs and she forced me to go audition for musical theater.

She, I didn't wanna do it, and she said, even if you don't, even if you don't get it, I think it would be a, good for you to sing something you're scared of in front of people you don't know. And so I did it, but I got it. I got the part and I threw it. And it was just the most.

Freaking fun I've ever had doing anything. I just liked being on stage in a, like, collaborative community of people and like, I grew up doing recitals. I played, I've played piano since like second grade.

I hated those. I hated recitals. I never, I was all no recitals or something else. So nervous. Yeah, it was, oh, it was awful. It was awful. But I didn't feel that at all when I got up on stage for for the. For the musical. Oh, and yeah. And so I transitioned into, I still play lots. I got a bunch of, you probably, you can't see 'em on my screen, but guitars and pianos and stuff everywhere.

Cameron: Yeah. You never mentioned the piano part there, Ruben, so. 

Ruben: I'll play for you. I'll play for you, Cameron. I'll see you at the end of the month. Cam Katherine Cam is my new best friend.

Yeah, I just follow Cameron around everywhere. 

Cameron: Now I make you bring his guitar. 

Lauren: And I meant to ask this before, but Ruben and Katherine. Barbara, do you guys have a favorite moment from filming on set? 

Katherine B.: Ruben, do you wanna go first or me ladies first? 

Ruben: Yeah. Yeah. You go. 

Katherine B.: Okay. I really liked the dinner scene, like the Thanksgiving. I loved that day. That was a long day. That was a lot of coverage. That was a long day. Big table, but that's a big table. Yeah. But that was really fun. And that whole scene, we're just sitting at that table, but. I don't know. I feel like I got to know everybody really well that day. 'cause you are, we're sitting at this table.

We're gonna be here for a few hours, so let's get to know each other. Because that was my first day on set. 

Lauren: Oh wow. 

Katherine B.: Yeah. That was the second day, right? 

Cameron: That was like day three. 

Emma: And you guys, you guys nailed that. 'cause all of my readers, anytime I asked, oh, what scene you was looking forward to, the Thanksgiving, I'm like, Tracy, we talked about that. We're like, you gotta nail it. But. It was funny. 

Traci: Fun. Fun fact. Fun fact, I think everybody would get a kick out of this. On the day that we filmed that scene, the table broke. I was trying say that. I was just gonna say table broke. Oh yeah. 

Katherine B.: Oh my gosh. And it broke my way. So it looked like I. I was like, please don't. 

Lauren: Yeah, that is crazy. 

Traci: Had to prop it up with Apple Box, like a hundred year old antique. Thank God we, the parts department bought the table because it snacked in half. Yeah. But nothing 

Cameron: Katherine Barber just has those really strong elbows. She, 

Katherine B.: I swear it wasn't me. 

Lauren: That is crazy. Oh my gosh. 

Traci: Fun. 

Cameron: And I turned 31 at midnight that night, so that was that before my birthday. We found the dingiest little dive bar after that for a quick birthday shot.

Lauren: Oh, that's fun.

Katherine B.: I smelled like cigarette smoke for like a week. 

Cameron: Yes. It was terrible. 

Katherine B.: It was awful. 

Cameron: I think it was Ash in my drink. Crazy. 

Lauren: And Ruben, what was your favorite moment from set? 

Cameron: When we got to kiss,

Ruben: what's the yeah, that's it. That's the director's cut. 

Lauren: Now everyone's gonna be asking for that bonus feature.

Ruben: What was my I don't really have a favorite. All 

Katherine H.: I like when you got to drive the cool car. 

Ruben: That. Oh, you're right. That was so, 

Katherine H.: yeah, the car was, that was the cool car. 

Also, it was so beautiful that night because it was like raining and rain. It rain looked so pretty on screen, so like just that whole scene was so, so lovely, so nice. 

Traci: Is it the pain? Like what is there beauty and pain, right? Yeah. It was painful. 

Katherine H.: I won't lie. It was.

Lauren: Just before that scene before Ruben shows up in his car, we get to see the lovely Kate sing in the bar with Drew. And now miss Katherine, we get to see you. We get to hear you sing in this film. You actually sing the song yourself.

And were you asked to sing for the audition, or did, or like, did you know that you singing was gonna have to be a part of it 

Katherine H.: I like, I guess I said yes and we were like, cool, we're gonna do this. And then Tracy was like, Hey, by the way, there's a song. And I was like, what? And I guess Tosca set up.

With a composer that you've worked with before. Team, yeah. Michael Lore. Yeah. Yeah. He wrote, we had a great time. I went into the studio and he, yeah, he's really nice. And we, he, we just recorded all day and not all day. We, I was only there for a couple hours, but it was really fun. And honestly, the song he wrote.

Was very much so in my register. It was very much so like a vibe in which I felt comfortable with. And it's a pretty song. It's so nice and really pretty. Yeah. I'm, it was it was really fun and I sang it 4 million times on set that day for all the people. 

Traci: Well, I dunno if you knew that, knew this, but prior when we were talking.

To actually talking to you, I saw that you had sung this beautiful acapella song on your Instagram, funny enough. Oh, okay. And that's what immediately was like, oh my gosh. She can sing. And I, that's how we kind. Went into the session. So he wrote with that in mind because he wrote me sing and I was like, your voice was so pretty.

And I was so excited because I'm like, this is gonna be great. 

Katherine H.: Oh well cool. Yeah, it's a lovely song. And how cool that like that, it's just so cool. It's like in the book and now it's like a thing, just like the book is.

Tosca: I dunno about you guys who have heard it a lot, but I find myself just humming that song so I can just be like walking around.

I'm like, oh my God. I don't stand a chance.

Katherine H.: My best friends will randomly just start singing it at me. 

Lauren: Oh God. As best friends do love it, of course. Allie. Didn't we release the song today? 

Ali: Yes. Yes it is out. You can stream it anywhere. Apple Music, iTunes, any of that. You can find it anywhere. It's out. Oh my God. 

Josh: Ally, was it on Spotify?

It should be. My grandma texted me today and was like, are you in music now? I was like, grandma, I'm gonna, 

Ali: oh my God. So we use a service. We weren't sure it was actually gonna go out today, and then it did. And so I was like, oh, okay, great. It's out. So we have to do this. But yes, I think it should be on Spotify and it's using the movie poster on it.

So they probably saw like, so happy. It sounds so pretty. And they it's gorgeous. 

Lauren: And so, Allie, that, that wraps up my questions for the cast, but do you have any questions from our fans to throw? 

Ali: Yeah, some of the founding members have asked some questions. Stephanie asked if anyone, let's see, has anyone ever done anything?

To apologize to somebody, I can go to anybody. Great question.

Cameron: It took me a long time to read my friend's script, which is a thing here.

But I, and I felt really bad and he felt slighted by me for not having read it for a, like a month after he sent it to me. And so I sent it to a friend who happened to be a head of development at a studio and to say, sorry, I set up a whole thing behind his back and. Oh, like I've got these things set up and meetings set up and everything and he forgave me.

It was probably the, it was like pulling the biggest favors I've ever pulled, just to say sorry. 

Katherine H.: And the movie is Fast and Furious Nine. 

Cameron: Yeah. And now I have to apologize forever for giving the movie to everyone.

Josh: Mine was with my dog, so, I guess it counts. That counts. He's one my best friend. I was trying to think of something good and of, a good interaction and just the other week I felt terrible 'cause I left poor Jack at the house, which this is not very long, but for like four hours and he had an exercise.

So I felt really bad, so I drove out to the store and I got him a huge bone like this big, and I brought it back and it was just the sweetest interaction of my life and that's all. Aw, 

Lauren: you gave a gift. I love that. 

Cameron: Brownie points for cuteness. 

Josh: It was a legit apology. I have a weird interaction with him.

I really like him. 

Ali: Leslie wants to know what scene was the most challenging.

Traci: Well, I think the most technically difficult scene was a process trailer day. That day in itself was like. The longest year that never ended.

Because we just went from, it was just, we had basically four company moves in one day and it was, 

Cameron: Hey, what's a process trailer? 

Traci: I'll get to that. Okay. And we it was just a lot. We did a bunch of night work and it was pouring rain and we had to do this. There's a. I won't give it away, but basically there's a scene where Kate and Drew are in the car driving and they have a conversation and then they, there's another scene that gets a little steamy, but I won't give it away.

Anyway, so we did that safe amount of process trailer, but it was a crazy day because, we were up against the clock and we didn't have much time left. And it's, it's technical. You're, putting it. Car, it's like, they're not actually driving the vehicle process trailer is being towed.

It's just a big setup and it just took a lot of time and my poor DP, Oliver Young is drenched to the bone on the process trailer in a garbage bag because we couldn't find enough rain gear for him. The poor guy. And he is just like, he is on the side of the thing with a dolly and it was just a very technically challenging scene.

Everybody was a great sport. And then the way we filmed after the process, trailer scene with the picture car and doing all that stuff at night, and rain always slows you down. So that was logistically the most challenging thing. 

Katherine H.: Crazy. I have one, I think some of the most challenging things I don't wanna speak for both of us, Josh, but were the intimate scenes, like the intimate scenes there were.

Many of them and what? Yeah. And they were like, they're hard and they're awkward and they're weird and they're, there's like a bunch of gaffers standing around and you like holding things and like, yeah. I think those were some, and I think we all, we squished them all into like the last like three days of shooting, which I actually respect and like, because it's like, okay, we all know each other and like, it's chill.

But yeah, I think those were some like challenging yet. 

Traci: It was, yeah, it was like three days. It felt weird. It felt really long because we were like basically three days in a bedroom, which sounds, yeah. Really long. And it, yeah, and in retrospect it wasn't long, but you guys were such troopers.

Like I really, I know that going something like this was nerve wracking, a little bit nervous because you guys are doing things you maybe hadn't done before, especially trusting each other. And I was really. You guys just like, like you guys truly trusted one another and you trusted Oliver and 

Katherine H.: like, thank God Josh is the homie.

Because otherwise that could have been real weird, yeah. 

Traci: Josh was so respectful. You're so, you were just like, yeah, impeccable. So 

Josh: thank you. Dito to Katherine. Truly. Dito to Katherine.

Emma: It turned out those scenes turned out so beautiful. And I know for a lot of my readers, it's a romance novel there. The scenes are there, but reading that and imagining the action in your head is very different than seeing it in the film. And I just think that those scenes, they were very, they were beautiful, but at the same time, it had that element of kind of passion and excitement.

You know what I mean? That, that readers got from the book, but they just turned out. They looked so great. So you guys did a wonderful job. 

Tosca: Yeah, I agree. Tracy filled them really beautifully as well. So the whole thing just a really meaningful Yeah. Right. 

Ali: Kenzie asked she said, there's so many great lines in this movie, and does anyone have a favorite line?

Josh: Ooh. Running with a boner is impossible.

Traci: Emma, turn around now.

Ali: Know the way you delivered. That was so funny. So good. 

Katherine H.: I love the whole scene with Drew and Kate and before karaoke, like when you guys are when you guys, when they're getting to know each other, it's really sweet.

Josh: Yeah, that was probably my favorite scene to shoot too. That was fun. Yeah, 

Lauren: me too. That's cool that was a fun scene for you guys to film in the bar. That's one of my favorite ones to watch from the movie.

It's such a great scene. Drew has such cute smiles. You have great smiles towards her when you're like starting to fall. It's just so great. You did a great job, Josh. And same with you, Kate, you Katherine, you guys are awesome. 

Josh: Thank you. She's, easy to work with.

Emma: I love that like there were so many great shots where, because like Josh was saying before, like in the book, you can you realize that he admires her, even though he's frustrated and annoyed and angry at times, it's still all, he has this affection for her and this admiration and in the film not being in his head, it was so important to convey that.

And I just think, the shots that were, and Josh did a great job of showing that to the audience. 

Katherine H.: It could have been so easy for Drew, whoever played him to be incredibly unlikable. Like I said that to Trace early on, I was like, yo, whoever you cast, like they have to be likable. 

Traci: Going back to like when you wrote the book, I think was a very different time in terms of where, what. The world is considered PC or what we can and can't say. And just like, towing that line, with just now, like what you read on a page versus what you say in the film.

And I felt like, just like, like you were saying, Josh, just like being really specific about allowing yourself to like find a new way to say the same thing. I felt like in, in 2022. That is because that's part of the reason why we liked it too, was because it felt like a nineties romcom.

That was a little bit more rough around the edges and wasn't trying to. Make everybody like, oh, I don't wanna offend you, because those movies also can get watered down. So it was a nice, you 

Cameron: also, you guys also did such a good job of not alienating any of your audience at all.

Yeah. By offending anybody. It was fantastic. 

Ali: Yeah. We've had a few people asking. About when Drew was swiping through the hookup app and they are asking if it was Tracy and Tosca. Yes, it was. 

Tosca: oh my god. Oh,

pretty that Drew's like so open in his age range.

It was like you are going for like the young twenties and thirties, and then you're like, you're in the forties. It's totally like I'm open. 

Traci: Yes. That's the funniest story. I'm glad they found that. 

Lauren: Our fans are pretty vigilant like that. I like, there have been a few movies where they'll try to find either Tosca or whoever's directing.

They're like, it's the director making a cameo. Is the author making a cameo? And someone was trying to find Tosca in driven, and you weren't in the first season of Driven, but then someone was like, I see her in the reflection of the window. Or like, something really, I was like, you guys are too vigilant sometimes.

It's amazing. Whoa. Wow. That was really scary. 

Cameron: She's the Stan. She's the Stan Leeof the Passionflix universe. 

Lauren: There you go. Yeah.

Ali: Well, thank you guys. That's pretty much everything we had and we are so excited. The fans are so excited. We can't wait for this to release worldwide on Thursday. And big congratulations to all of you. 

Lauren: Yeah, congrats guys. And you guys put so much hard work into this. Like we can't thank you enough for all the efforts you put into this film.

It really shows. You're amazing and thank you. 

Tosca: I agree Emma, and thank you, Emma. Thank you so much. Emma, thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to turn your book into a movie. Cannot thank you enough for taking a chance at us and Traci, fantastic job on your feature directorial debut, like knocked it out of the box.

Super excited. Can't wait for everyone to see it. Katherine drew Freak, and Evans. Josh, thank you so much, Ruben. Cameron and Katherine. Barbara, thank you so much guys for joining us tonight and I, again, super excited for everyone to see this movie. It's brilliant.

Josh: Thanks for having us, guys.

Tosca: Thanks guys.