Amanda Schull – Love, Once And Always

By starrymag | March 10, 2018

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

Q) Tell us a bit about the premise for the movie Love, Once And Always and about your character Lucy.

 

A) The premise is that Lucy and Duncan, played by Peter Porte, are former sweethearts. But more than that, they’re also friends. Lucy spent all summers at her great-aunt’s home in Rhode Island where Duncan’s family were the caretakers and, eventually, Duncan moved in. They were almost family without it being weird, I guess. They separate when they become young adults and we pick up the story when they both find out that they’ve inherited half of the great-aunt’s mansion and estate. They both have very different ideas of what they want to do with it and they need to come to a common resolution, and also get along in the process.

 

Q) What made you want to be a part of the film?

 

A) When I first read the script, I thought it was fun and sweet and smart. It’s a character I haven’t played with in a while, sort of the banter and quirky, fun scenes. Also, just the project in general was something that is very different from what I’ve been working on lately. I’ve been doing more strictly drama and this is much lighter. It was just a very fun and enjoyable process and when I first got the script I thought this would be a really fun few weeks and I was not disappointed.

 

Q) Was there anything you added to Lucy’s character that wasn’t initially scripted for you?

 

A) I hope with every character that I play I bring something that isn’t necessarily on the page, something that I’ve sort of envisioned in my own time and my own imagination. I think that hopefully something that wasn’t necessarily obvious in the script was maybe understood, but not as obvious, was the chemistry between Duncan and Lucy. I’m hopeful that that is realized between me and Peter because we had such a wonderful time together. Well, I shouldn’t speak for both of us. I had such a wonderful time with him. Hopefully, that’s something that jumps out from more than just what was realized on the page.

 

Q) What is the biggest similarity and difference between you and Lucy?

 

A) As much as I don’t want to admit it, I think Lucy and I are probably both very stubborn. I think she also goes after what she wants, she doesn’t back down. I think that’s probably something I have in common with her. She’s an art fanatic. She works in an art gallery and I don’t know one hundredth of the knowledge and trivia that she does.

 

Q) What are the challenges of filming a romantic movie like this compared to a sci-fi series like “12 Monkeys?”

 

A) I think one of the challenges for me was to make sure that it wasn’t always doomsday. It wasn’t always the end of the world. That’s something for the last four seasons. I’ve been dealing with every decision that my character makes, every mission that Cassie would go on, decided the fate of humanity and the lives of the people she loves and cared about most. With this I had to just keep reminding myself that the stakes are very high for Lucy, but this isn’t life and death. The world isn’t about to come crashing down upon them. I don’t need to go so heavy with it.

 

Q) Do you have any stories of working alongside your costar, Peter Porte?

 

A) I have a lot of stories. Peter is just so fun. We had such a great time. He’s very light and playful and he was always willing to pick up with a fun little song or dance at the drop of a hat. It was very goofy, but not to be confused by the fact that he also took his work very, very seriously, was always very, very prepared. It was a really wonderful dichotomy, a mixture with both qualities in a pretty good-looking package.

 

Q) What were some moments from this movie that you’re looking forward to fans seeing?

 

A) We have a couple of fun little banter-y arguments that were fun to play around with. Also, I think we have a fun little dancing scene, little rehearsed dancing scene, that was very fun to shoot with Peter. Also, the end of the movie ends very sweetly that I think people will be happy with.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the movie that will make is a fast Hallmark favorite film?

 

A) I think for a lot of the ladies out there looking at Peter Porte for ninety minutes will probably sell it on its own merit. I think it’s beautiful locations. We filmed in some lovely places, beautiful houses, exteriors and interiors. Also, I think it’s just a fun story. It’s not two strangers meeting and falling in love. It’s two people who have known each other their entire lives so there’s a lot of history between the two of them that I think will make it interesting for people who are familiar with other Hallmark movies. It’s got an interesting, different twist to it.

 

Q) As a social media presence, what is your favorite part of the feedback you receive from fans?

 

A) I do really like the immediacy with social media, it’s that getting feedback about something that aired just minutes ago or the night before because we spent so much time and energy on it. It’s rewarding when it lands and it finds an audience and people respond favorably to it and let you know that they responded to it. With “12 Monkeys,” it was also really enjoyable when people picked up the small things or the clues or the hypothesized on twists that might be coming in the future or what a particular object meant or comment or something because nothing was by mistake on that show. It was really fun with smart sci-fi audiences for them to guess about storylines and possible missions that we would be going on in the future. I’ve really enjoyed reading those comments.

 

Q) Are there any other upcoming projects you’re currently working on?

 

A) Not at the moment. I just finished…It’s such a crazy-fast turnaround with Love, Once And Always. We just finished it a few weeks ago. Right now, I’m just sitting on the couch with my dog waiting to see what will happen next.