Amanda Bynes and Joe Nussbaum Interviews-Sydney White Movie
Amanda Bynes heads off to college in Sydney White, an updated take on the classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs fairy tale we all know and love.
Transcript: Amanda Bynes and Joe Nussbaum Interviews-Sydney White Movie
Rebecca Murray from About.com Hollywood Movies at the Los Angeles Premiere of Sydney White.
Amanda Bynes ('Sydney White')
Tell me about playing Snow White. That's kind of an iconic role to tackle.
Amanda Bynes: "It was iconic and it definitely was stressful because I wanted to do a good job. But I had fun and I worked with the greatest guys. I'm sure you've met some of the dorks. They're all so sweet and funny so it's been a lot of fun, definitely."
And they have nothing but nice things to say about you.
Amanda Bynes: "Oh well, thank you. I say nothing but nice things about them. They are all so talented and funny."
I was asking them, you hung out with these seven guys and they said they never even played a practical joke on you. Did they?
Amanda Bynes: "No, they didn't that whole time. I don't know why they didn't, but I appreciate it."
How did you get them to be so well-behaved?
Amanda Bynes: "I don't know. I really don't know. Maybe I'm just scary."
What are teen audiences going to get out of this film, and why is it so important to you to get a positive message out there?
Amanda Bynes: "Well, it's a funny movie for all ages about accepting yourself with all your differences. Even if you're dorky, it doesn't mean that you can't be cool and can't succeed. And that's what really the message of this movie is."
And you're going to go on to more college type of roles now? What are you hoping for?
Amanda Bynes: "We'll see. Whatever is good quality. I don't really look at what age it is. I just feel like as long as it's a good script and it seems to be funny or dramatic, whatever it may be."
Director Joe Nussbaum
Why are you so attracted to these teen movies?
Joe Nussbaum: "Oh man, you know I love teen movies because I loved teen movies growing up. I would love to do an adult movie as well, don't get me wrong. I don't mean an adult movie – I mean, you know, a grown-up movie."
Well, this is getting there because it's college.
Joe Nussbaum: "I'm working on it. My first movie was about kids going from junior high to high school. My second movie was about a bunch of high schoolers visiting college. So this movie is now about a freshman in college. It's tough, though. I don't know about a lot of grad school movies, but I assume that my next movie will be in grad school.
But no, I love teen movies because I loved teen movies. I think that we all have that feeling that when we were developing our love of movies and we were developing a taste for making movies, those were the ones we were watching. And for me it was John Hughes and it was Revenge of the Nerds, and it was those movies that made me – along with Star Wars and the big action movies and the big comic book movies – that made me want to get into it. I think there's always a soft place when one comes along."
This one has a lot of clever Snow White references. Were there any that you couldn't get in that you wanted to get in?
Joe Nussbaum: "Yeah. There was one clever Snow White thing that we actually shot. It's just another line where she says, 'It's off to work we go,' which I thought would have been nice. But yeah, we got the apple and we got the fairest of them – the vanity - and we got the…"
Hi ho.
Joe Nussbaum: "Hi ho, of course. And the seven dorks are all cognates to the seven dwarfs if you look carefully. And yes, the horny guy is Happy."
You know, that was the one I couldn't figure out. There's no Horny in Disney.
Joe Nussbaum: "He's happy. He's Happy. What's not to be happy about?"
And working with Amanda Bynes, what does she bring to a movie like this?
Joe Nussbaum: "The great thing about Amanda for any director who works in comedy is that she has great comic timing. She has a natural ability to find the joke and find the humor in every scene. Even in every line. It's interesting when you audition someone, a lot of times when I'm auditioning people I know there are x number of potential laughs in an audition scene. And a great actor, or a great comedic actor, will come in and not only hit every one of those, but add one or two. And an actor who doesn't have it comedically might be a great actor, but they'll come in and they'll miss every joke. Now Amanda didn't audition for this obviously, but she is an actress who can find every joke and play every funny moment the way it's supposed to be played. And that, for me, makes my life a lot easier."
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