Blake Lively – Sisterly Love

Q.  After the release of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, are there any other projects you have lined up?

A.  Well for me, it’s really important for me to go to high school.  I’m very, very involved in high school, I’m in show choir, I’m the class president, in honors classes, Key Club, all these activities.  It’s always meant so much to me, but after I finish the movie everyone is like, “Oh, you have all of these great opportunities, you can’t go back to high school.”  I am willing to give all of that up just because I love it so much, so I am going to finish high school before I take any other offers. 

Q.  Can you tell us a bit about your character and the movie for those who are not familiar?

A.  Bridget is, well first of all the movie is about four best friends and they are very, very different girls.  Their mothers met in prenatal class and it’s sort of them growing up, they go through issues like family issues and cultural issues and falling in love and finding yourself and spirituality.  It’s a very real story, there is a lot of teen movies out there and they don’t really deal with females in a positive light.  This is a really great and endearing film, you can go and see it with your girlfriends or your mom, actually for screenings people brought their boyfriends and they really enjoyed it.  My character Bridget is a soccer player, she’s supposed to be the number one soccer player in the nation.  She is just very energetic, bright and determined and she’s completely just a go-getter.  Her mother committed suicide when she was younger, so the whole movie she has emotional issues that she has never dealt with.  She seems like she’s fine and happy but her mother’s death has really taken a toll on her life.  So, she meets this boy and makes a mistake and she just ends up feeling more empty in the end. 

Q.  What made you want to be a part of this project?

A.  I guess because there hasn’t been a large teen movie that portrayed females in such a positive light and to show the good side of friendship.  I mean, it’s just a very, very real movie and we haven’t experienced that yet.  Someone asked me “Why do you guys see teen movies that make teen girls seem so superficial, so horrible and so manipulative?”  I said, “We don’t know any better, we’ve never seen a film like this before, we don’t know not to go to the theater and endorse their movies and buy the tickets.”  Yeah, they are fun and interesting, but it gets to the point where they have such a bad image, teen girls these days.  It’s just a great film, and it’s very real, very true and it transcends generations because the issues they deal with aren’t specific to just females, it’s not that everyone showed up in the same prom dress.  It’s things that everybody has dealt with, or have known someone who has dealt with, it’s a really great film.

Q.  What was it like getting to work with such amazing and talented actresses?

A.  It was amazing because I’ve never done anything before, it was my first job.  So, gettingt to start off with such talented girls was a blessing and being my first job and having to meet their standard of their level of acting was a challenge.  It definitely helped me to grow!  They’re all such wonderful, wonderful people, we got along so well, we had such an amazing friendship, I can’t even describe it, they were magical I guess, for a lack of another word.  We’ve been touring with each other for the past few weeks and this last week, we’ll be with one another for another week.

Q.  This week Amber and Alexis will be on TRL, is that an event you wish you were a part of too?

A.  Oh, I mean, there are too many places to be and too many photo shoots to do, so the four of us, they pair us up for things.  So, I mean I am not upset that I’m not a part of it or anything, yeah it would be cool, I am sure I’ll get my time.  It’s just doesn’t really matter I guess.

Q.  Do you have a most memorable moment from working on the film?

A.  Probably, the four of us decided to go in Amber’s (Tamblyn) trailer during our lunch break and choreograph a dance to Vanilla Ice’s “Ice, Ice Baby.”  We caused a big problem because we had our full makeup off and ruined our hair dancing.  But we had the best dance and it was the funniest thing ever, but it ended up causing problems because they had to push shooting back because we were a disaster after, but it was great fun!

Q.  Were you already a soccer player or did you have to train for the role?

A.  I have played soccer since I was little and for two months I had a trainer in Los Angeles and in Canada.  I played soccer with the other girls and it was fun, and I went to soccer games with my brother in law.

Q.  How was it having your real life father play your on screen one?

A.  Their relationship is horrible, there is no communication, they don’t really get along well just because they don’t talk since her mother’s suicide.  They’ve completely shut down, so her only family is her three best friends and it was really weird playing that with my dad.  Because my dad and I have a relationship and communication.  Her (Bridget) and her dad have a horrible relationship with each other basically, it was just a wonderful experience working with my dad.  It was only for one day though but, it was just really wonderful.

Q.  Does that movie follow the book exactly?

A.  There are differences, Lena’s whole storyline is completely different just because it’s a whole story about a summer romance, which people love to see rather than every story being tragic.  So, it was a choice of the screenwriter who chose to incorporate it in the story.  It’s also interesting because if you’re a fan of the book and if you read the books, then you can go into the movie and not know exactly how the outcome is going to be in the whole story.  So, there are little differences, each of our stories is totally developed, but you can never really translate books exactly to movies.  So, I think it’s different, the books catered more to a younger crowd, the books are wonderful, but it’s reaching out to different demographics than the books, it’s pretty interesting.  Each of the girls can develop a fan base and other cast members as well. 

Q.  You’ll be graduating from high school soon, what will you pursue after that?

A.  I want to go to college and I’m going to stay in Los Angeles and pursue acting.

Q.  You did a photo shoot for Teen People magazine, what was that experience like?

A.  Oh that was my first photo shoot that I have ever done and the clothes were absolutely beautiful, the people were great, it was really cool.  I don’t know what else to say, but it was cool.

Q.  What is your latest obsession, are you into any particular musical artist, book, sport or activity?

A.  The band Muse, I mean they are absolutely amazing, so I guess I would say that.  I don’t think they are a new obsession, but the band Muse is the first thing I thought when you said musician.

Q.  Why should viewers flock to movie theaters to watch The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants?

A.  I think just because it’s a very true film, of realistic situations that most girls deal with.  It makes you laugh, it makes cry, it makes you grow closer to your friends, I feel.  Personally, it made me feel that way and everybody I talked to have said that.  And for the boys, it’s four really hot girls sharing one pair of pants!  I stole that from Amber, you can quote her on that!