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eerieindianaLast May, the folks at Universal Studios called up Teen Beat to invite us to the set of their new movie, "Matinee". Of course, we said we'd be there! Editorial Assistant Jane Checkett grabbed her sunscreen and hopped on the next plane to Orlando, Florida to get the behind-the-sceens scoop and to visit with the teen cast, which includes British babe Simon Fenton, Kellie Martin, Omri Katz, Lisa Jakub, and James Villemaire.
"Matinee" is a dark comedy about a group of friends who spend a day at the movies and learn, in one comically terrifying afternoon, the true meaning of love and friendship. The setting is Key West, Florida in 1962, just at the start of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Gene (Simon) is a lonely teen who absolutely loves horror movies. When Gene's dad, who's in the Navy, is sent on a secret mission, Gene suddenly becomes a hero at school, and everyone wants to be his friend, including Stan, the popular kid (played by Omri); Sherry, the flirt (played by Kellie) who likes Stan at the same time she's dating an older, slightly dangerous boy (played by James); and Sandra, the rebellious smart girl (played by Lisa).
When the famous shock filmaker Lawrence Woolsey (John Good- man of 'Rosanne') comes to town to show his latest creation, 'Mant - Half Man, Half Ant -- All Terror!', Gene becomes obsessed with the movie, and wiles his time away helping Lawrence showcase his horrifying new flick. One Saturday afternoon at a "matinee" of 'Mant', while the world is on the verge of nuclear disaster, Gene and his friends spend a day that will change their lives forever.
LUNCH TIME WITH THE CAST!
When Jane arrived at the set of "Matinee" at Universal Studios, which for that day's scenes was a recreated old-fashioned movie theater, she watched a scene in which Kellie's character, Sherry, is kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend, Harvey (James). In this scene, James' character is supposed to be sort of deranged because Sherry broke up with him. While Harvey is dragging Sherry away, he's wearing a half man, half ant costume and reciting some crazy, senseless poetry that he wrote for her. After shooting the scene, the cast met up with Jane for lunch. They had lots to say, so grab some popcorn and tune in!
Teen Beat: You all have to look very 60's for this movie. Whats that like?
KELLIE MARTIN: It's 1962. My hair has a flip and then a poof! I wear really thick eyeliner. I don't look like myself at all. The first day they made me up, I didn't know who it was in the mirror. But it's great because it helps me get into character. And my character always wears pink.
Teen Beat: Is it hard to work in costume?
JAMES VILLEMAIRE: Today it was particularly difficult, but I guess if you're any good you've got to use what happens and work off that.
KELLIE: Like part of his costume fell off and I tripped over it, but it worked for the scene.
Teen Beat: James, your character was reeling off some wacky things in this scene!
JAMES: Yes, this kid is fueled on poetry and I guess, for me, that's his redeeming quality.
KELLIE: It's because he recites poetry that my character, Sherry, thinks he's the greatest. Even when he kidnaps her, she's annoyed and scared, but he's reciting poetry and that's still endearing to her.
Teen Beat: Describe your characters.
JAMES: My character Harvey Starkweather, is a romantic at heart. He loves only one girl. And she keeps him alive -- she's his only hope, so he sets his sights on her. But he can't be delicate -- he's like a bull. Of course, she's going to run away from him.
KELLIE: I play Sherry. She loves boys and she loves life. Harvey is her first boyfriend, but now she's after Stan. This is all during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the only thing I don't like about her is that she doesn't deal with what's going on.
OMRI KATZ: She's basically an airhead! {Laughs}
KELLIE: She just wants people to think she's an airhead because she thinks guys like that. I love her because she's fun and completely different from Becca, who I've been playing for three years {on "Life Goes On"}.
SIMON FENTON: One thing about my character Gene, is he never seems to get involved with people. He's really into himself and quiet. I'm completely the opposite. I'm kind of an outgoing person.
LISA JAKUB: I play Sandra, Gene's girlfriend. She's very strong- willed, the rebel of the group. She protests the bomb and everything else she can think of. She's pretty dark, but she lightens up by the end of the movie. She's very smart, too.
OMRI: My turn? Stan, I guess, is the leader of the guy's group. He's a real happy person. He's open with his friends, but he's got, like, a split personality. On one side he pretends to be really cool, a ladies man. But, when it really comes to it, he's shy.
Teen Beat: In "Matinee," your characters are watching a horror movie. Do any of you like scary flicks?
OMRI: I used to like the Freddy Krueger "Nightmare On Elm Street" movies, stuff like that.
KELLIE: I like suspenseful movies.
After chatting with the cool cast, Jane got a VIP tour of Universal Studios, and was totally psyched to go on "Kongfrontation," the "E.T. Adventure" and the "Funtastic World Of Hanna Barbara". The scariest ride was "Kongfrontation" -- It feels like you're really going to get gobbled up when a huge (but fake, of course!) King Kong swoops down on you as he's wreaking havoc on a replica of New York City! What Great Fun!
"Matinee" is a dark comedy about a group of friends who spend a day at the movies and learn, in one comically terrifying afternoon, the true meaning of love and friendship. The setting is Key West, Florida in 1962, just at the start of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Gene (Simon) is a lonely teen who absolutely loves horror movies. When Gene's dad, who's in the Navy, is sent on a secret mission, Gene suddenly becomes a hero at school, and everyone wants to be his friend, including Stan, the popular kid (played by Omri); Sherry, the flirt (played by Kellie) who likes Stan at the same time she's dating an older, slightly dangerous boy (played by James); and Sandra, the rebellious smart girl (played by Lisa).
When the famous shock filmaker Lawrence Woolsey (John Good- man of 'Rosanne') comes to town to show his latest creation, 'Mant - Half Man, Half Ant -- All Terror!', Gene becomes obsessed with the movie, and wiles his time away helping Lawrence showcase his horrifying new flick. One Saturday afternoon at a "matinee" of 'Mant', while the world is on the verge of nuclear disaster, Gene and his friends spend a day that will change their lives forever.
LUNCH TIME WITH THE CAST!
When Jane arrived at the set of "Matinee" at Universal Studios, which for that day's scenes was a recreated old-fashioned movie theater, she watched a scene in which Kellie's character, Sherry, is kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend, Harvey (James). In this scene, James' character is supposed to be sort of deranged because Sherry broke up with him. While Harvey is dragging Sherry away, he's wearing a half man, half ant costume and reciting some crazy, senseless poetry that he wrote for her. After shooting the scene, the cast met up with Jane for lunch. They had lots to say, so grab some popcorn and tune in!
Teen Beat: You all have to look very 60's for this movie. Whats that like?
KELLIE MARTIN: It's 1962. My hair has a flip and then a poof! I wear really thick eyeliner. I don't look like myself at all. The first day they made me up, I didn't know who it was in the mirror. But it's great because it helps me get into character. And my character always wears pink.
Teen Beat: Is it hard to work in costume?
JAMES VILLEMAIRE: Today it was particularly difficult, but I guess if you're any good you've got to use what happens and work off that.
KELLIE: Like part of his costume fell off and I tripped over it, but it worked for the scene.
Teen Beat: James, your character was reeling off some wacky things in this scene!
JAMES: Yes, this kid is fueled on poetry and I guess, for me, that's his redeeming quality.
KELLIE: It's because he recites poetry that my character, Sherry, thinks he's the greatest. Even when he kidnaps her, she's annoyed and scared, but he's reciting poetry and that's still endearing to her.
Teen Beat: Describe your characters.
JAMES: My character Harvey Starkweather, is a romantic at heart. He loves only one girl. And she keeps him alive -- she's his only hope, so he sets his sights on her. But he can't be delicate -- he's like a bull. Of course, she's going to run away from him.
KELLIE: I play Sherry. She loves boys and she loves life. Harvey is her first boyfriend, but now she's after Stan. This is all during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the only thing I don't like about her is that she doesn't deal with what's going on.
OMRI KATZ: She's basically an airhead! {Laughs}
KELLIE: She just wants people to think she's an airhead because she thinks guys like that. I love her because she's fun and completely different from Becca, who I've been playing for three years {on "Life Goes On"}.
SIMON FENTON: One thing about my character Gene, is he never seems to get involved with people. He's really into himself and quiet. I'm completely the opposite. I'm kind of an outgoing person.
LISA JAKUB: I play Sandra, Gene's girlfriend. She's very strong- willed, the rebel of the group. She protests the bomb and everything else she can think of. She's pretty dark, but she lightens up by the end of the movie. She's very smart, too.
OMRI: My turn? Stan, I guess, is the leader of the guy's group. He's a real happy person. He's open with his friends, but he's got, like, a split personality. On one side he pretends to be really cool, a ladies man. But, when it really comes to it, he's shy.
Teen Beat: In "Matinee," your characters are watching a horror movie. Do any of you like scary flicks?
OMRI: I used to like the Freddy Krueger "Nightmare On Elm Street" movies, stuff like that.
KELLIE: I like suspenseful movies.
After chatting with the cool cast, Jane got a VIP tour of Universal Studios, and was totally psyched to go on "Kongfrontation," the "E.T. Adventure" and the "Funtastic World Of Hanna Barbara". The scariest ride was "Kongfrontation" -- It feels like you're really going to get gobbled up when a huge (but fake, of course!) King Kong swoops down on you as he's wreaking havoc on a replica of New York City! What Great Fun!
