Bella Thorne
*Disclosure: I received an all expenses paid trip to Los Angeles for the coverage of several press events for Disney. All opinions are 100% my own.
Bella Thorne was absolutely amazing the day we had the opportunity to interview her. She was very open about her dyslexia, her childhood, as well as love for acting. Bella Thorne is a true inspiration to everyone that has a learning disability, because there are ways to overcome everything, you just have to work harder than others to do the same things. She is an amazing person and the perfect Celia in the movie Alexander and the Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day.
She wanted to be a part of the Alexander and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day because of what the movie stands for as well as being along side Steve Carell. Not only because the movie was cool, but because Steve’s obviously funny.
Best Scene
According to Bella the best scene to shoot was the car scene where Steve and everybody’s making those loud noises. She wasn’t supposed to laugh, but “sitting in a car with Steve Carell and he’s just being ridiculous. And it’s so funny.” But it was fun to shoot because of all of the calamity going on around her and she was supposed to be aggravated. It is one of my personal favorite scenes from the film.
Finding Celia
Finding the “mean girl” Celia was easy because she wasn’t mean, she was a perfectionist. She even made an amazing analogy using the phones you see in the upper picture. “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?” When we said, “Probably”
She followed up with, “Celia’s, she’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.”
Three words to describe Celia include:
- Funny
- Interesting
- Not So Forgiving
Hardest part of filming this movie
The hardest part about filming this movie is probably the really long hours. Um, I don’t think people realize how much work actually goes in, not just from the cast, because, of course, the cast works hard, but — the crew members. You’re there, you know, your scene could be 15 seconds and you look at that scene and you’re like, yeah, whatever, you don’t think anything of it. That scene took 16 hours to shoot. And maybe 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.
So, I think the job is a lot harder than people wanna admit, and so you have to think of it, you know, is your crew can get [SIGHS]. You know, everybody’s like, oh, we’re doing the skies. We’re doing this take again. Okay. And you’re doing the same thing over and over. And especially with comedy, it’s worse, because comedy falls flat if you do it more than four times. Then you’re beating a dead cow and it’s not funny anymore. And then you get frustrated, ’cause you’re not funny. So, that’s the hardest part about filming a comedy.
Original Book
We asked Bella how familiar she was with the orginal book, and that is when she first opened up to us about her Dyslexia.
“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 I’ve read it, and, you know, I’ve read the script, obviously. And the movie, obviously. Now she is familiar with the story.
Hardest Scene to film
“This scene is the dinner scene when Steve gets lit on fire. It’s so hard to film a scene with stunts, you know, it’s very hard when you’re doing stunts and tricks. And, you know, everybody’s 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, I wanna say, 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, uh, the place that they go do dinner — that weird, weird name. Why couldn’t I have just said Benihana’s? Okay? I would’ve been happier with Beni freakin’ hana’s.”
“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. 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, ’cause he’s the other actor in the scene, so it it’s just as bad as it is for him, and he looks at me and he starts bursting out laughter which ruins the whole take. And I was Dylan, I might punch you in the face right now. He just could not help it. So, every time I got it right, he was chuckling, because it just been such a long day.
Traditional High school
Bella stopped public school in third grade, so playing a traditional student was easy, minus the context of the “traditional high school.” She loved seeing all of the lockers, the trophy cases and things like that, that make the school traditional. She had always looked forward to a traditional high school because of a few things. She is Dyslexic, her first language is Spanish. I had to drop Spanish to learn English to then learn how to read. You can imagine how hard that must’ve been. I was bullied so much in school that the only thing, everybody would tell me was, “you’ll probably be popular in, in, in high school, so I was always looking forward to high school growing up as a kid and those lockers. You didn’t have lockers in third grade. So, when you looked at the kids that were older than you and they had lockers, it was really cool. It was so cool to have those lockers. And I was just like, I can’t wait till I have those lockers. And you know what? I don’t have those lockers. I’ve never had those lockers. I’m still angry about it.”
Perfect Prom
The perfect prom for Bella would be sweatpants, without makeup and without a care in the world eating an In and Out Burger and Animal Style Fries!
Bella’s Advice to Teenage Girls
Growing up, um, on TV, I really grew up mostly on Shake It Up 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, you know, 17, I really don’t care. And I wish I would not haved 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’s what’s cool.
Autumn Falls
On November 11th Bella Thorne will add author to her resume. It’s a book series coming out called Autumn Falls.
It’s very close to her heart. It’s not about a girl who’s, you know, publicized and beautiful and gorgeous and always wears heels and makeup and, you know, she’s a star. It’s not about that. It’s about a girl named Autumn Falls whose father dies and he leaves her a book. She then moves to Florida.
He leaves a journal to write in. She’s like, wow, dad, thanks. Die on me and leave me a journal. Okay. And what she doesn’t realize is when she writes in the journal, things come to life, but since she’s dyslexic they come to life a little bit wonky, mostly backfiring on her throughout the series. There are three books in The Autumn Falls Series. So be sure to pick up your copies then.
*Disclosure: I received an all expenses paid trip to Los Angeles for the coverage of several press events for Disney. All opinions are 100% my own.
How To Avoid A Bad Day Party
Sometimes you just have a BAD Day! You know the kind that makes you want to crawl back into bed, pull the blankets over your head and go to sleep! But Disney is bringing the classic Book Alexander and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day to the big screen. Teachers everywhere will be excited when this one hits Blu-Ray because the lesson plan possibilities with this movie will be endless!!
Don’t forget to get the Activity sheets and posters to keep the kids busy this weekend!
DISNEYGenre: Family
ComedyRating: TBD
U.S. Release Date: October 10, 2014Cast:
Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Dylan Minnette, Ed Oxenbould, Kerris Dorsey, Megan Mullally, Jennifer Coolidge, Bella Thorne
Director: Miguel Arteta
Producers: Shawn Levy, Lisa Henson, Dan LevineExecutive
Producers: Philip Steuer, Jason LustWriter: Rob LieberB
ased on the novel by: Judith Viorst
Disney’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”follows the exploits of 11-year-old Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) as he experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life—a day that begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by one calamity after another. But when Alexander tells his upbeat family about the misadventures of his disastrous day, he finds little sympathy and begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him. He soon learns that he’s not alone when his mom (Jennifer Garner), dad (Steve Carell), brother (Dylan Minnette) and sister (Kerris Dorsey) all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Anyone who says there is no such thing as a bad day just hasn’t had one. “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” directed by Independent Spirit Award-winner Miguel Arteta (“The Good Girl,” “Cedar Rapids,” “Youth in Revolt”) from a screenplay by Rob Lieber, is a 21 Laps Entertainment/Jim Henson Company production. The film hits theaters nationwide Oct. 10, 2014.
In theaters Oct. 10, 2014, Disney’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” follows 11-year-old Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) as he experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life—and soon learns that he’s not alone when his mom (Jennifer Garner), dad (Steve Carell), brother (Dylan Minnette) and sister (Kerris Dorsey) all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
NOTES:
- Director Miguel Arteta won the 2001 Independent Spirit Award for best feature under $500,000 for “Chuck & Buck.”
- “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” is the first live-action film adaptation of the children’s classic.
· “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” published in 1972, was written by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Ray Cruz and inspired by Viorst’s sons Alexander, Anthony and Nicholas. With more than 2 million copies in print, it became an ALA Notable Children’s Book and won a George G. Stone Center Recognition of Merit, a Georgia Children’s Book Award, and distinction as a Reading Rainbow book. Viorst penned the sequels: “Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday” (1978) and “Alexander, Who’s Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move” (1995).· The 1972 book was first adapted to the small screen as a half-hour HBO animated musical in 1990 before Viorst collaborated with composers Charles Strouse (music) and Shelley Markham (musical score) for a 1998 stage musical at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
OFFICIAL BOILERPLATE:
Disney’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”follows the exploits of 11-year-old Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) as he experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life—a day that begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by one calamity after another. But when Alexander tells his upbeat family about the misadventures of his disastrous day, he finds little sympathy and begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him. He soon learns that he’s not alone when his mom (Jennifer Garner), dad (Steve Carell), brother (Dylan Minnette) and sister (Kerris Dorsey) all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Anyone who says there is no such thing as a bad day just hasn’t had one. “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” directed by Independent Spirit Award-winner Miguel Arteta (“The Good Girl,” “Cedar Rapids,” “Youth in Revolt”) from a screenplay by Rob Lieber, is a 21 Laps Entertainment/Jim Henson Company production. The film hits theaters nationwide Oct. 10, 2014.
Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter too!!
The film stars Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner and opens in theatres everywhere on October 10th!
BELOVED CHILDREN’S BOOK BY JUDITH VIORST
INSPIRES BIG-SCREEN ADAPTATION
Author and Real-Life Alexander Who Inspired her Story Share Behind-the-Book Scoop
Beloved children’s book “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” published in 1972 by Atheneum, was written by Judith Viorst. The endearing, enduring classic, which boasts more than 4 million copies in print, became an ALA Notable Children’s
Book while also winning a George G. Stone Center Recognition of Merit, a Georgia Children’s Book Award, and distinction as a Reading Rainbow book. In 2010, the title was inducted into the Picture Book Hall-of-Fame.
Viorst confirms that the book was inspired by her own three sons’ childhoodmisadventures—Anthony, Nicholas and, most notably, her youngest, Alexander. The book’s success spawned three sequels: “Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday” (1978), “Alexander, Who’s Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move” (1995) and the brand- new “Alexander, Who’s Trying His Best to be the Best Boy Ever” (2014).
The 1972 original, which has never before been the subject of a feature film, was adapted to the small screen in 1990 as a half-hour HBO animated musical with music by composer
Charles Strouse. In 1998, Viorst collaborated with composer Shelley Markham on a stage musical of “Alexander” at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The book also lives on in the audio arena, with the quintessential reading recorded on tape by actress Blythe Danner in 1984.
“My son, Alexander, had more than his share of bad days growing up,” says 83-year-oldauthor Viorst in recalling the inspiration for her first “Alexander” story more than four decades ago. “I mean, all kids trip, fall, bleed, get mad,” she says. “He seemed to do it more often than most kids. He came limping home one day from preschool, having fallen off a chair during story time resulting in a knee injury. He’s the only person I’ve ever met who could get injured by wiggling so much during story time—not playing soccer. Story time! That’s my Alexander.”
The mother-turned-author decided the little boy’s exploits would not only inspire a great story, but might help remedy his many injuries. “I thought a funny book about a kid having a
bad time would cheer him up,” she says. “It didn’t. He said, ‘Why are you giving me this bad day? Why don’t you give it to Nick? Why don’t you give it to Tony? Why me?’ He got absolutely outraged.”
Looking back on that terrible, horrible, no good, very bad moment from his early childhood, the all-grown-up Alexander, now 47 and a father of three himself, admits he wasn’t pleased with his mother’s story, till he realized the benefits he could reap from his notoriety (or infamy) in both grade school and high school.
“My mom told me that this Alexander character was based on me,” the author’s son, now a
D.C.-based affordable-housing lender, recalls. “I didn’t think I was like that at all as a child. But I remember we were up in her office when she first read it to me. I was angry. I wondered why I was associated with this story and book.”
His mother says she offered to change the character’s name. “As mothers do in their most manipulative way, I said, ‘But then your name wouldn’t be in great big letters on the front of the book,’” she recalls telling her son. “He stuck out his lower lip and said, ‘Keep it Alexander.’ By the time it came out and kids started to like it, talking about their bad days in connection with having this book read, he started feeling like I hadn’t given him a bad day after all.”
“I was sold,” Viorst’s son confirms. And, as time went by, the youngest of Viorst’s three boys found ways to take advantage of it. “I got to pick a book in library time in grade school,” he says. “There were eight books that were in regular rotation and this was definitely one of them. When I went to high school, it impressed the young ladies. It’s served me very well and has been sort of a great ally in my life.”
While Viorst’s intention with the book was simply to cheer up her 5-year-old, she also set out to illustrate to children the world over that bad days happen. “They happen to good people,” she says. “They happen all the time. That’s the gist of the book. You’re going to have good days and bad days—it’s all part of the package. You don’t get seven great days in a row. There’s going to be a few bad days mixed in there.
“Everybody has a bad day and because it’s a bad day, it has limits,” Viorst continues. “It has a beginning and an end. There’s a container concept to it in that maybe tomorrow will be better. So, I would hope that people would feel that they are going to have a better day coming up.”
After years of talk that the book would make a great family film, Viorst encountered her own very good day when she found out a live-action movie inspired by her book was finally in the works. “It’s so amazing that there’s going to be actual people embodying these characters,” she says. “There’s going to be an actual Alexander living this story! “
In theaters Oct. 10, 2014, Disney’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” follows 11-year-old Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) as he experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life—and soon learns that he’s not alone when his mom (Jennifer Garner), dad (Steve Carell), brother (Dylan Minnette) and sister (Kerris Dorsey) all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
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