Tampa Film Fan

kicking around with the stars of kickin’ it old skool

April 27, 2007 at 12:39 pm | In Interviews, Movies, *Kennedy, Jamie, *Menounos, Maria, *Brown, Jesse (Casper) | 22 Comments

In the new film Kickin’ It Old Skool “a freak break dancing accident put Justin Schumacher in a coma in 1986. Now, 20 years later, he (Jamie Kennedy) is waking up to a new world and discovering that the more things change, the more he’s stayed the same. With the girl of his dreams (Maria Menounos) engaged to marry his grade-school nemesis (Michael Rosenbaum), and his parents drowning in the debt of his medical costs, Justin must rally his former squad, bust a move, and win back the girl of his dreams.”  

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to interview Kickin’ stars Jamie Kennedy, Maria Menounos and Jesse “Casper” Brown over the phone.  Kennedy plays Justin “Rocket Shoe” Schumaker, the lead character; Menounos is Jennifer Stone, Schumaker’s dream girl who’s engaged to someone else; and dancer/choreographer Jesse “Casper” Brown makes his acting debut as Cole, the lead dancer of the Ice Cole Krew.

I was expecting the wild and crazy Jamie Kennedy I’ve seen on TV, but the guy I spoke to was the sleep-deprived, tired, jet-lagged Jamie Kennedy who had been doing press interviews in Miami for about five hours straight.  The poor guy had been up since about 4 a.m. that morning and sounded absolutely exhausted.  He still took the time, though, to call me by name and to ask me the name of my blog.

Tampa Film Fan:  What appealed to you about Kickin’ It Old Skool?

Kennedy:  The chance to wear parachute pants.  I couldn’t pass that up!

TFF:  So, was it all fun and games on the set?

Anytime you can talk about the 80s, work with friends and break dance, it’s fun.

TFF:  How much break dancing did you do yourself?  What kind of training or preparation did you do?

I did a fair amount [of dancing].  I did popping and I could already do the worm before the movie.  I went to a break dancing class, which was very difficult.

TFF:  What do you think it is about the 80s that appeals to people so much?

It was a really, really fun time.  The fashion, the music, the excess, the money.  It was the Reagan era!  The 80s made their mark and people like to revisit that time.

TFF:  Your film features cameo appearances by classic 80s icons like David Hasselhoff and Erik Estrada.  Who’s your favorite 80s icon?

Emmanuel Lewis; he’s my favorite.  I was really glad to meet him.  They were all real cool…really nice and down to earth.  They feel they’re just normal and don’t think of themselves as “icons.”

TFF:  Your documentary Heckler sounds very interesting.  Tell me a little about that.

It’s an expose into the ever-critical world we live in.  It starts off…anyone can heckle a comedian or sports player, and then the critics come in.  They’re even harsher and the public just eats it up.  Why do those films that are critically bashed make money?  Now there are bloggers as well as critics.  The bloggers are really getting powerful.  Who are these people?

TFF:  So you read reviews of your work, then?

Of course!  People sometimes go out of their way to be mean, to be negative at first.  Sometimes it’s to create traffic or readership.  [Heckler] is about these people.

TFF:  How do you get your ideas for characters, like on The Jamie Kennedy Experiment?

I see people in the world and think “that’s funny…a good character….I could imitate them.”

TFF:  So what’s next for you?

Just the Kickin’ It Old Skool tour.

**********************************

Maria Menounos was an absolute doll: very gracious and sweet.  Towards the end of our conversation, the publicity people around her tried to get her to wrap things up quickly so she could go on to the next interview.   We were on question #4 of my Five Questions game, so she told them to wait a minute until she’d finished answering all of my questions.

Tampa Film Fan:  What attracted you to Kickin’ It Old Skool?

Menounos:  My agent sent me to the audition.  I loved the script — it was funny and sweet — and I really wanted this part.  I kept letting Jamie know that too.  I basically stalked Jamie for this part!

TFF:  What was it like to work with Jamie?

He is sensitive, sweet and fun.  He never lost his cool, even under pressure.  As a producer, I know how stressful things on set can be.  He had a lot on his plate, but he was calm and so chill.

TFF:  I know that you’re younger than Jamie and me.  How familiar were you with 80s music and TV and 80s nostalgia?

I saw alot of the TV shows as reruns in the 90s.  I was a big Knight Rider fan.  I got to drive the KIT car!  I love 80s music.

TFF:  Did you get to do any dancing in the movie?

No.  I was the only one who didn’t…I was left out.

TFF:  Do acting and directing give you a different perspective as a journalist?

It makes me more sympathetic.  Jamie and I had a scene on a hill…we were on a date.  It was freezing and we had to pretend it was warm.  [Actors] go through so much.  Knowing this helps me when reporting about and interviewing actors.

TFF: Did you get to meet some of the 80s icons who have cameos in the film?

I got to meet David [Hasselhoff] and Erik [Estrada]. 

And Rowdy Roddy Piper!  I’m a HUGE wrestling fan…I asked him to punch me in the stomach on camera.  My abs are in really great shape.  I talked him into it.  He hit me!

TFF:  And you got that on film?

Yep!  It was one of my favorite times on any set, anywhere!

TFF:  Are you interested in writing, as well as directing, producing and acting?

My plate’s pretty full right now.  I think I might want to write a book one day, but not a film.

TFF:  Tell me a little bit about your non-profit group Take Action Hollywood!

Sure.  Take Action Hollywood! was formed after I returned from a trip to South Africa, where I was doing a story on the AIDS epidemic there.  I really wanted to do some charity work, something meaningful that I could get really involved in.  [Take Action Hollywood!] uses the medium of entertainment and film and the power of Hollywood to effect social change, not just one cause.  We’re working on a Holocaust documentary called Paper Clips and there’s the CosmoGirl! project…helping young girls get involved [in charity work].  It’s a really small group.  It’s a miracle that we’ve been able to do what we’ve done.  We’re going to do more.  In fact, we just shot a public service announcement for a local…{TFF note: our call was interrupted by someone telling her our time was almost up.  I think she said the PSA was for a local animal shelter.}

*************************************

Jesse Brown danced at the 2002 VMAs at the age of 14 and has been dancing, choreographing and writing continually since then.  He makes his acting debut in Kickin’ It Old Skool.  On the phone he was like a kid on Christmas morning, all happy and excited.

Tampa Film Fan:  I understand that all of your dancing skills are self-taught.  Have you been dancing all of your life?

Brown:  My whole family is musical.  My father’s a musician. {TFF note:  Brown’s father is Gordon James Brown.}  I grew up listening to Edwin Starr, James Brown, Dusty Springfield…

TFF:  How did you come to be involved with this film?

I auditioned for it and Jamie liked me.  I got the job because Jamie liked my performance.

TFF:  How does acting compare to dancing, as far as preparation, fun, etc.?

I was a little nervous, because this was my first acting role.  It’s very different from dancing, but I liked it.

TFF:  Are you interested in acting again (in other roles)?

No doubt!  I’m gonna keep on doing it.  This is not the last time you’ll see me.

TFF:  I understand you were born in 1988.  Were you familiar with 80s TV and music and 80s nostalgia?

My sister was brought up in the 80s.  She enjoyed the fashion and music and so on.  We watched TV shows and movies from the 80s together growing up.  I like 80s music…I grew up with all kinds of music in the household, plus my sister’s tastes.

TFF:  What was it like to work with Jamie?

He’s fun and down to earth…a good guy and fun to work with.

TFF:  Is he a good dancer?

Terrible dancer! (laughing)  He’s got two left feet.  Nah, seriously, he did alright.  He had a double for the really complicated stuff.

TFF:  Did you get to meet any of the 80s stars who were in the film?

Nah…I was at home, so I didn’t get to meet Hasselhoff or Estrada.  I wanted to meet them.  I did meet Emmanuel Lewis.  He is the man!

TFF:  What’s next for you?

I’m working on some things, but I don’t want to say anything or take anything away from this movie.  It’s all about Kickin’ It Old Skool right now.  But this is definitely not the last time you’ll see me!

Kickin’ It Old Skool opens today.