Entertainment

Video:Asher Book Interview - Fame Movie

with Rebecca Murray

Asher Book stars in the 2009 version of 'Fame,' the movie musical about a group of students who show off their singing, dancing, and acting talent at the New York City High School of Performing Arts.

Transcript:Asher Book Interview - Fame Movie

Rebecca Murray from About.com Hollywood Movies at the world premiere of Warner Bros Pictures' The Final Destination.

Asher Book from Fame

Tell me about working on Fame and do you guys get to sing that song that always gets stuck in my head?

Asher Book: "Oh the theme song from Fame? Of course. I sing it all the time. It's stuck in my head all the time too, trust me. I just got the album. It just came out Tuesday and so I listened to it again. It's an amazing track."

So are you a singer, dancer, or what in Fame?

Asher Book: "In the movie Fame I'm a singer. I'm the aspiring singer that meets my love interest, Kay Panabaker. So I'm kind of that guy."

Is that like the juiciest role of all the Fame people?

Asher Book: "Love interest-wise, maybe. Yeah, it was fun to play though. It was a blast."

How much fun was it to be with a bunch of people your own age and just doing a dancing and singing movie?

Asher Book: "Oh my gosh, it makes it that much easier. And the fact that they're so talented. Like all these kids come from...we all come from similar backgrounds. You know, just being in the performing arts. We all grew up doing something in this art, so you know it was cool to like..."

[Something falls from the tree over our heads and interrupts the interview]

Asher Book: "But yeah, no, it was just a blast to work with them. They're so talented. It really just makes our job that much easier to come in. We just had fun. It really didn't seem like work."

But I'm sure it was a lot of work. How long did you have of a rehearsal period before you had to go in there and do stuff?

Asher Book: "Umm, I mean for instance I didn't have to dance too much in the movie. I was more in the studio a lot doing the demo work and doing the songs. I sing a couple of times in the movie so I had to do that kind of thing. That was the only prepping I had to do."

You lucked out.

Asher Book: "Yeah, so it made it a little easier."

What do you think about the resurgence of movie musicals, because they have come back. People are going to buy tickets. Why do you think they're popular now?

Asher Book: "I think there's been a time and period where people have been missing out on them. We had The Sound of Music and West Side Story, and we had it where it came in like in a flood. I feel like now in the last few years it hasn't really been that way. And I think people can always relate to them, and especially with our story. We try to make it as real and as edgy as possible, and that really people can relate to and really find a story that is meaningful to them. So I think that's what our movie is going to be great on. And it's entertaining, for sure. It's going to be fun to watch."

Did you watch the original and how close is this one in tone to the original?

Asher Book: "I did watch the original. I remember I was with my family and we all sat down and my family's like, 'Man, this is way edgier than I thought.' And it was, you know? But it was good to do my homework and research. Even though this movie's not a remake of the original, there are similarities for sure. It was fun to bring little aspects of both into it."