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In How to Lose a Popularity Contest, high school is not just a setting. It is a full-blown arena. Every hallway feels like a stage, every interaction carries weight, and every decision has the potential to spiral into something bigger than expected.
The Tubi original romantic comedy leans into a familiar formula. There is the overachiever with something to prove, the popular guy with more beneath the surface, and a rivalry that slowly turns into something more complicated. But instead of resisting those tropes, the film embraces them, building a world that feels intentionally heightened, nostalgic, and unapologetically fun.
At its core, the story follows Ellie Pearse (Sarah Waisglass), an ambitious student determined to prove herself, who teams up with popular boy Nate Reed (Chase Hudson) in a student body presidential campaign that quickly becomes more personal than either of them anticipated. What starts as strategy turns into connection, and what begins as control slowly gives way to vulnerability.
I sat down with Chase Hudson and Sarah Waisglass to talk about bringing that energy to life, the unexpected nostalgia baked into the film, and why stories like this continue to resonate.
A Throwback Spirit
Before we even got into the interview, I wanted to do something a little different. In the spirit of the film, I pulled up my 8th grade yearbook photo. It was patriotic, awkward, and exactly the kind of image that probably should have stayed buried. Naturally, I showed it to them. What followed immediately broke the ice. It turned into jokes about campaign posters and popularity contests, and suddenly the conversation felt less like a formal junket and more like exactly what the movie is going for: a slightly chaotic, very real high school energy. That tone carried into the discussion. Watching the film, I kept thinking about the kind of movies I grew up around. High School Musical. Camp Rock. Those ensemble-driven stories where everyone gets a moment and the world feels just a little bit bigger than reality. Chase agreed that there is a sense of warmth in this film that separates it from more cynical takes on high school. The characters are not defined by cruelty or hyper-realism. There is a softness to the way they interact, a willingness to let moments land without undercutting them. Sarah mentioned that this clicked early on, even during the first read-through. It became clear that the movie would allow everyone to go big, to fully lean into their characters while still keeping things emotionally grounded.Finding the Balance
That balance between heightened comedy and emotional honesty is at the center of Sarah’s performance as Ellie. While the character can be intense, driven, and at times difficult, she approaches her with a sense of understanding. Comedy, for her, is not just about getting laughs. It is a coping mechanism. It is how Ellie navigates pressure, disappointment, and everything that comes with trying to control her world. It also makes the character more accessible. Even when Ellie pushes things too far, there is still something relatable underneath it. Chase, coming from a music background, spoke about how performance translates between mediums. Whether you are on stage or on camera, the fundamentals stay the same. Expression, rhythm, and emotional alignment all play a role. You can feel that in his performance. Nate could have easily been one-dimensional, but there is a looseness to the way he plays him that allows the character to evolve naturally.Back to School
One of the most fun parts of the conversation was how quickly we all locked into the shared experience of high school. The lockers. The classrooms. The weird, specific smell that every school seems to have. They both talked about how stepping back into that environment brought everything rushing back. There is something immediate about it. You do not ease into those memories. They just hit you. The film leans into that. It uses those details to ground everything, even when the story itself becomes heightened.A Familiar Formula That Works
This is a movie that knows exactly what it is doing. It does not try to reinvent the teen rom-com. It leans into it. And because of that, it works. There is comfort in the structure, but what makes it land is the ensemble. Everyone has a moment. Everyone contributes to the world in a way that feels intentional. That is what I kept coming back to while watching it. The same reason those early Disney Channel movies stuck. It is not just about the main storyline. It is about the energy of the group.A Nostalgic Kind of Fun
By the end of the conversation, one thing felt very clear. This is a movie that understands its audience. It is playful. It is a little chaotic. It is nostalgic in a way that feels intentional, not forced. And it gives its characters enough room to feel human underneath all of it. And sitting with Chase and Sarah, that same energy carries off screen. There is a genuine sense that they are enjoying what they are doing. They understand the tone, they understand the audience, and they are leaning into both. Because sometimes the movies that hit are not the ones trying to break the mold. They are the ones that remind you why you liked it in the first place.
