If by some miracle you’ve missed it, After We Collided picks up after Tessa and Hardin’s tumultuous relationship in After. Tessa’s got a new job in the grown-up world of publishing and there’s a new love interest on the cards too, Trevor (aka F**king Trevor), played by Dylan Sprouse. Originally based on a mega-successful fanfiction written by author Anna Todd, we've also now had confirmation that there's gonna be two more films in the series. Stunning week for Hessa fans!
In an exclusive interview, Girlfriend caught up with the cast of After We Collided to chat.
Langford, Tiffin and Sprouse talk about what it was like coming back for the sequel, what they’d do if they were in Tessa’s sitch (it’s the revenge for Dylan) and the things their characters do that they never could.
How have you felt during the wait for this film to come out, especially under these circumstances?
Josephine Langford: Yeah, the circumstances are really different. I think we're just sort of going with the flow like everyone else is during this time, but we're super excited for people to see it and to see it safely.
After ends on a little bit of an ambiguous note with Tessa intending to cut ties and leave college before she reads Hardin’s letter. If you were Tessa what would you have done?
Langford: Yeah, the ending of After, we don't know if they're going to get back together or not. But I would probably do something similar. I think I'd probably leave the guy after that review. What about you guys?
Hero Fiennes Tiffin: I mean you see Hardin, yeah? It’s a no brainer for me. You’ve got to go back.
Dylan Sprouse: I’m thinking about revenge. I’m a big revenge guy. I'd probably formulate a crazy revenge scheme.
There are quite a few angsty moments in the film, how do you guys handle that on set? Do you try to keep things light?
Tiffin: I think it's almost good to not to. When you're filming one of those heavy scenes I feel like it's kind of alright to let that mood linger, I guess. Naturally, as soon as we're off [the] set we always have a good time, in the small amounts of free time that we have.
Do you have any favourite memories from coming back to After?
Langford: Didn’t you break the door? I completely forgot this Hero!
Tiffin: Hardin is supposed to break a number of things, and the door wasn't one of them. And I did break one, at one point... that was fun. Maybe not for the people who had to pay the bill. But yeah, when people ask this I've got loads of good stories and we kind of interchange them. None of them rise to the top for me, but that's up there.
Sprouse: Hidden behind those jeans, Hero has the legs of a donkey.
Coming back for After We Collided you’re working with a different director and portraying these characters progress through a different stage of their lives, how was that?
Langford: Well, I really love having the opportunity to play the same character but at a different stage in their life. It's just interesting, you get to show the same person and someone with similar characteristics, but like growing and evolving and I think the script does much of the work for you. You know, you just show up and you do your thing. It was the script that really shows how these characters have evolved and developed and matured and are in a different stage in their life.
Dylan, what was it like entering such a hyped-up film series? Especially coming in as a character fans know is here to shake things up for Tessa and Hardin?
Sprouse: I think it's kinda fun! It gives you something and someplace to go as an actor, you know? I mean, I think that if I do my role well in the movie, it'll conflict not only Tessa and Hardin but also the audience as well.
So it gave me a good place to go and Trevor is not necessarily a “bad guy” per se. I think he might be a "bad guy" in that scope that he definitely intervenes in the love of these two, but I don't think he's doing it maliciously. So I think it's a good place to jump off as an actor.
It does seem like there’s kind of been a trend recently in YA films, like The Kissing Booth, for example, that romantic rivals aren’t so one-sided or just plain ‘evil’.
Sprouse: Certainly, I mean, it's, it's more believable that way. I think when you're just playing a character that's like a moustache-twirling train tracks robber, it's not as interesting as it could be.
I think complexity always makes characters more interesting in films and especially romance films. It gives you a place as an actor to go, like I said. I was also talking to Anna, behind the scenes about some things that make sense for Trevor to do or to say or to act. It really helps me on set with my performances as well. And I think people will hopefully appreciate that.
Is there a decision that your character makes or a trait they have that you could never imagine doing or that you disagree with?
Langford: I think when you play a character, there are lots of decisions that you tend to disagree with.
Tiffin: I second that for sure. Part of it is putting yourself in those shoes in their shoes to the point where you do agree with those decisions. Like me personally, I might disagree with something but when you're in the role, you obviously have to. When you're in it’s obviously a different thing. But you kind of have to find a way to believe and stand behind everything that they do.
Langford: Yeah, it's difficult to look at it that way and look at it objectively. Because then you start judging them and then it's just even more difficult to connect with them and to relate to them. You sort of have to like agree with everything.
Sprouse: I don’t know if I could ever make a spreadsheet.
Langford: Excel is hard!
Sprouse: That’s a completely different language.
Tiffin: I genuinely can’t do that stuff to save my life.
Sprouse: There’s a reason we’re actors and actresses!
After We Collided releases in Australia on the 10th of September.
