Centered around a college student’s big break in a Hollywood blockbuster.
The story focuses on Paige, (Bella Thorne) her journey navigating through an undeniable chemistry, uncovering the truth about a missing popstar, plus all the craziness that comes with dealing with Hollywood. Β We caught up with Famous in Love stars Carter Jenkins and Perrey Reeves to talk their new hit show.
OJ: Talk to me about your characters on the show.
Perrey: I play a character, I play Nina Devon, I play a producer who discovers Bella, Iβve created this incredible, sort of hollywood, power person and my son whoβs played by Carter Jenkins plays a giant movie star, Rainer Devon. Heβs had to endure the wrath of my character his whole life so heβs had a lot of life experience, I would say. I care a lot about him-
Carter: Itβs a loaded question.
Perry: Thereβs a lot going on here.
Carter: You just wait until you see the whole show.
Perrey: Itβs not a typical mother/son relationship although i think that Nina does everything to make sure that her son has the life that she has, but itβs questionable, her techniques. Right? You know, because sometimes making a movie might be more important than the individual characters but you know; weβre hollywood royalty. Iβm saying #hollywoodroyalty for our characters, thatβs one; Iβm starting that trend.
OJ: Describe your arc, from what we see the character go through.
Carter: Wow great question. My god, my characterβs arc – heβs sort of, in the beginning of the series, jaded by Hollywood. Heβs been in the business for a long time.
Perrey: Raised in it.
Carter: He loves it but heβs jaded and when he meets Paige, whoβs sort of this like this pure beacon of authenticity; she reinvigorates his love for it all and, you know, he holds her hand and wants to protect that purity as she rises the ranks of Hollywood.
Perrey: That was, nailed that.
OJ: Thereβs so many powerful women in Hollywood. Were there any particular characters or people that you based your character on?
Perrey: I think they loosely based her [Nina] on a number of different women, I mean, you know, itβs a very fantasy-fulfillment style show so everyoneβs super glamorous; my character is like famous in her own right, like when I go out to lunch thereβs paparazzi; everything about our show is a heightened version of Hollywood.
OJ: But how much is it really?
Perrey: Itβs super heightened,
Carter: But thatβs kind of what it is.
Perrey: But see, hereβs the thing, it is really realistic and the fact of the matter is that you can be on top one minute and then crash for, you know, while you watch this movie getting made βcause the show is about the making of a movie so thereβs a movie within the show. You know, you think itβs all, when we go see a movie, all we see is the final product, but youβre going to see the underbelly of how people, how financiers, pull out; how youβre forced to cast someone you donβt want and fire someone that you donβt. So youβre seeing a lot of that.
OJ: So you get the real drama on the show.
Perrey: Yeah, and youβre seeing that some people might have great chemistry on camera and then hate each other off camera. We donβt have any of that on our show because we all love each other but-
OJ: So thereβs no beef going on?
Carter: Itβs only season one.
Perrey: No, this is only season one, but no, I have to say though, this cast, you know, Iβve been on some great ensemble casts, like Entourage was a great ensemble cast.
OJ: You were also a power woman there.
Perrey: I like to play those power ones. I like to play, yes, I did, I came in and out of that but I have to say in this case, Iβm playing a single mom, and thereβs something about where my survival and the survival of my child is very important, and despite the fact that sheβs been very successful sheβs had to do a lot to get there. And to be a single woman and raise a child and have that level of success, there are a lot of sacrifices, and you see that play out with us throughout the season and itβs, you know, itβs complicated. Letβs just say that. This show like appears to be pretty and fun and Hollywood and we have a lot of levels, a lot of complicated dynamics, a lot of sexiness too.
OJ: As a young actor in Hollywood, does this show at times mirror what you go through in real life?
Carter: Yeah, Iβve been an actor since I was a kid and Iβve also been in love before so I know what itβs like to feel; I have the tools to tell this story because of my experiences. The difference is that Iβm not an international superstar, so I donβt, and when you are that famous, everything is heightened because everything you do, everything Bella does, every time she dates someone even if itβs just, you know, a couple of dates that doesnβt go anywhere itβs a headline. Thereβs photos, theyβre talking about it, thereβs hashtags and all that so I think that this show is a nice look behind the curtain of what thatβs like.
OJ: What do you think viewers will take away, in terms of on a positive note, will they take away from the show?
Carter: Well, I think people are into Hollywood and what happens behind the scenes and this is, it sort of depicts what the gossip magazines wish they knew about. There is a lot that goes on that doesnβt make it to the public.
Perrey: As it should-
Carter: As it should. Gosh, itβs like if you knew everything that happened in Hollywood, if you knew everything that happened in Washington.
Perrey: I also think that when you break it down, the reason this show works is because itβs about friends, itβs about loyalty, itβs about things you can relate to no matter what the environment is, you know: family, or Bellaβs roommates, and seeing yourself in different spaces you can imagine yourself like, oh that could be me, I could have this struggle, I could, maybe in a smaller capacity, but itβs very relatable. Even though itβs Hollywood-ish.
OJ: I could see that because people often look at Hollywood as something they often aspire to. Now they see someone plucked from obscurity and be able to make it.
Carter: Sheβs [Paige] sort of the fish out of water story that is maybe a fantasy that weβve all had.
OJ: You have such a really cool ensemble cast. Talk about them and all the fun you guys had on set, just a little bit.
Carter: Itβs true that we like each other. Honestly it is pretty rare and wonderful to like your cast.
OJ: How long was the filming process?
Carter: We shot ten episodes and it only took about three and a half months, but we shot the pilot well before that so weβve known each other about a year and a half. Weβre ready for the world to see this.
Perrey: Itβs a minute. Itβs taken a minute, one, Bella, when they started doing this, like really working on it and putting it together, Bella was sixteen, and sheβs turning twenty in September. So itβs been long, the process, and weβve all been involved for the last year and a half and weβre all like, itβs felt like a long year and a half, but here we are, you know, and also itβs exciting. Itβs really exciting, and I think I will say this, and I have to say in the case of Marlene with Pretty Little Liars as well, sheβs incredible at putting great people together. Like there is true love and chemistry on this job.
OJ: Itβs very well cast.
Perrey: Very well cast, and the people are, everyoneβs excited as the next one about this show, thereβs no one whoβs jaded. Like no oneβs like, oh yeah I did…It is really a delight and a joy to work in that environment, like, no one comes late to set, everyone is excited; itβs really collaborative. People hang out off set, like you guys hang out together and like theyβre real friends. Legit friends. And when Keith met my husband, it was after we did the pilot and we were hiking in Runyon Canyon in LA with dogs and stuff and we ran into him and like he called my husband sir and like my husband looks like heβs twenty-three, like thatβs so cute. Heβs just nice and polite and a real person. Youβre [Carter] so nice and polite and like these are all real people who have great personalities off camera and yeah, no, itβs true. We had after we did the pilot my friends were having a big New Years Eve party and I invited you to come and he brought his dad and it was really fun; we have like a really like authentic group of people that we love. Itβs so nice.
Carter: Yeah I hope we can do it for a while.
Perrey: Me too.
OJ: Summer plans, where are you guys vacationing this summer?
Perrey: Well weβre hopefully going to be shooting a show this Summer, so weβre going back. Weβre waiting to find out but itβs it looks like we will. I just got back from Mexico.
Carter: If we get picked up my plan is to get on a plane, βcause it will get picked up and take a few months before weβre shooting. I want to spend more time in New York actually, and I want to go to England cause iβve never been. I just need to spend some more time in New York. I love it here. I might travel around England, I might get out of the city, I might travel around Europe.
Perrey: He wants to be in a boyband and I think his dreams will come true in England.