Disclosure: This event and trip to LA was an all expense paid journey sponsored by Disney. All thoughts and experiences are 100% my own!
Last week I had the opportunity to attend a press screening of Disney’s ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY. This movie hits theaters on October 10th and I have to tell you, it’s a must see! I especially love that it’s a great fit for the entire family, as there is something for everyone in this film. One thing that made this film fun was the different age ranges of the characters, and the crazy ways that their “bad day” effected each of them. As part of this press day, I also interviewed Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner and Dylan Minnette, Ed Oxenbould & Kerris Dorsey, so make sure to check out those interviews as well!
As part of a day gone bad, Alexander’s older brother experiences quite a few “bad day moments” while trying to win the heart of the teenage Celia, played by actress Bella Thorne. We had the opportunity to sit down with Bella and ask a few questions, which I am excited to share with you!
Interview with Bella Thorne
Q: So, what brought you to this film?
Bella: I like this film, because, first of all, it’s with Steve Carell. Jennifer Garner. I wanted to be part of this film, because I like the script. I like what it stands for.
Q: What was your most fun scene to shoot?
Bella: The most fun scene to shoot was probably when we were in the car with Steve and everybody’s making those loud noises. It was cool, because Steve’s obviously funny and he knows that, but, in this scene, it was just so weird and so funny. I was so weird that I’m sitting in a car with Steve Carell and he’s just being ridiculous. I’m the one that’s supposed to be really not laughing, and then Dylan starts laughing. He starts like kind of cracking up. Then Ed. And then comes me laughing — because they’re right next to me, and I just can’t help but laugh now. And I was like guys, stop, stop, you’re making me laugh. And — it was so funny. It was actually really fun to shoot.
Q: Being the mean girl is kind of a departure for you. So, I mean what were you, what were you channeling? Some of your own experiences or how did you find Celia?
Bella: Well, are you guys all moms? You can’t think of Celia as a mean character, because she’s not. You have to think of Celia as a perfectionist. Now, you guys are all moms, so let’s say I’ve completely organized these phones all in a very great order, okay, very straight, and somebody comes in and knocks this water over all your guys’ phones. Are you guys gonna be mad? So, Celia’s a perfectionist, and when things don’t go her way, she wants to make them perfect, and when someone keeps messing that up, she ends up getting angry. That’s understandable.
Q. Which three words would you use to describe Celia, your character?
Bella: Funny, interesting, and not so forgiving.
Q. What was the hardest part of filming this movie for you?
Bella: The hardest part about filming this movie is probably the really long hours. I don’t think people realize how much work actually goes into these films, not just from the cast, because, of course, the cast works hard, but also the crew members. Your scene could be 15 seconds and you look at that scene and you don’t think anything of it. That scene took 16 hours to shoot. Or maybe even a couple days, 16 hours a day. That’s crazy. It’s crazy to work that many hours and it’s crazy to always be on that many hours.
Q. How familiar were you with the book?
Bella: When the book was really, really famous I was young and I was really uncomfortable having dyslexia at that point. So, I didn’t read it, because I didn’t want to read. Now that I’ve read it, and I’ve read the script and the movie, obviously. Now I’m familiar with the story.
Q. What was the hardest scene for you to film?
Bella: Okay. This scene is the dinner scene when Steve gets lit on fire. It’s so hard to film a scene with stunts. Everybody is great and has awesome energy, but I was called in at 4:30 am, and my coverage ended up being last. Because you have to get Ed and some of the kids that are younger than me in the film out earlier than me, they can keep me. So, my coverage was last, and it was like 11:30 and I was tired. I was tired, and I’d been doing this scene all day long. There’s a word in the movie and it’s the name, I can’t think of it right now, but it’s the name of the place that they go do dinner, a weird, weird name. Why couldn’t I have just said Benihana’s? Okay? I would’ve been happier with Beni freakin’ hana’s.
So I had to say this name, and when you’re dyslexic, you’re usually really good at memorizing, so I’ll read something once and I have it completely memorized. But that word when I first read it, I didn’t say it correctly, and so I was on set and somebody said, no, it’s actually like this. So, I had already memorized it wrong. And they kept trying to get me to do it right. I did maybe 25 takes of that same exact line over and over and every time I got it wrong. Finally, the time that I got it right, Dylan is so overworked, because he’s the other actor in the scene, so it’s just as bad as it is for him, and he looks at me and he starts bursting out laughter and ruins the whole take! And I was like “Dylan, I might punch you in the face right now!” But he just could not help it. So, every time I got it right, he was chuckling, because it just been such a long day.
Q. What did you envision as the perfect prom?
Bella: I’ve been to school dances and what’s really weird is they have you go there at six and then you can’t leave till 12. I go to bed every night at 10:30. Okay? I’m not a night owl. I don’t like staying up at night. The only reason I’m up at night is to watch Netflix or read a script. That is the only reason. I don’t like to go out. These kids, they love getting dressed up and putting on heels and hair and makeup, but I do that every day. It’s not special to me to wear a big dress and heels and a lot of makeup and hair spray, that’s not a big deal for me. I’d rather not have all that and be in sweat pants without makeup and without worrying about how I look and what angle I’m being shot from. That’s not what I find necessarily that fun. So, when you’re at a dance from six to 12 it’s almost like working a long day on a movie set. So, when I went, I was like, oh, my gosh, you guys, can we get outta here? Can we go hit In and Out? Okay, I really need a burger. I really need it in my stomach. Let’s just go to In and Out. I want it animal style.
Q. What, what kind of message do you want to send to teenagers?
“It’s impossible for people not to like you when you’re just being you.” ~Bella Thorne
Bella: I’m gonna give them a piece of advice that I was given and I wish I would’ve taken it. Growing up on TV, I really grew up mostly on Shake It Up, and I always tried to be perfect for everybody and I wanted everyone to like me. For some reason, I really cared what other people thought so much and I would do anything to get someone’s stamp of approval. And now that I’m 17, I really don’t care. I don’t. And I wish I would’ve cared so much, because I changed who I was as a person to be who everybody wanted me to be, and that’s not a cute look. And you have to realize that I don’t care who you are; I don’t care if you’re in high school and you have glasses and braces and you don’t think you’re cool, people will like you for being you, no matter what. It’s impossible for people not to like you when you’re just being you. It really is. You will find a branch, and I have. I have a great group of friends now and we don’t have to impress each other. I’m not wearing makeup when I’m with them. I look ratchet. I’m looking ratchet when I’m with them. I’m in sweat pants. I am oily, greasy, sweaty. I don’t care. And we don’t have to prove anything to each other. And that is what’s cool.
Mark your calendars! ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY opens in theaters October 10th!
Here is a fun clip of Bella Thorne’s character Celia in action:
Perfect for family movie night!
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ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY opens in theaters October 10th!
The creative and frugal mind behind She Saved for over 12 years now, Keri Lyn shares her adventures in parenting along with her love for family travel, country living and brand marketing. A self-proclaimed “brand loyalist”, Keri Lyn is known for her strong and enthusiastic voice when it comes to the products and brands that she loves. Passionate about family and the challenge of raising good humans (through the teen years, no less!) Keri Lyn has also served as a brand ambassador to many brands including her time as a Hilton Mom Voyage travel writer and currently an O Mag Insider for O, The Oprah Magazine and the 2019 recipient the O-verall Contribution O-ward.
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