Monday, January 21, 2002
Moore walks into juicy role
By LOUIS B. HOBSON -- Calgary Sun
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HOLLYWOOD -- For the romantic drama A Walk to Remember, Shane West filmed a few kissing scenes he won't soon forget.
West's co-star is singer Mandy Moore, who is trying to forge an acting career.
She had a small role in The Princess Diaries, but in A Walk to Remember, which opens Friday, Moore, 17, shares top billing and major screen time with West, 23, the star of the TV series Once and Again.
They play lovers from those proverbial different sides of the track.
West knew Moore was nervous for her first big dramatic role so he "didn't play any pranks on her as I usually do on my co-stars.
"I don't think she would have appreciated that because she was quite nervous at times."
It was West who got a bit nervous when it came time to film the big kissing scenes.
"Her boyfriend (That 70s Show's Wilmer Valderrama) was on set for a couple of those scenes. It made it awkward for her and a little nervewracking for me, but Mandy was a real trooper."
West feels "acting comes natural to Mandy and she has one of the most luminous smiles of anyone.
"Because this was Mandy's first major role, I suddenly felt like a veteran for the first time in my life. It was very cute and a lot of fun."
Fun was certainly the order of the day when West filmed his scene for Ocean's Eleven.
In an early scene in the film, West takes gambling lessons from Brad Pitt and George Clooney with other young Hollywood stars Topher Grace, Joshua Jackson and Barry Watson.
"It was a scene (director) Steven Soderberg added at the last moment. He wanted a comic moment to open the film and he wanted to poke some fun at the (youth oriented) TV industry."
West admits it was a "a real trip because I got a line of dialogue with George and I was sitting next to Brad with him calling me by my real name. We shot all night. Steven said it was the longest night shoot of the whole film."
It was a rather surreal experience because "they asked us to be ourselves, then dressed us in the most outrageous clothes. Things we'd never wear just to add more satire."
(More on:
Mandy Moore)
