- I think someone who just jams out in their living room
and their shower, in the rain, wherever you can,
you always imagine yourself in a dance movie
and then you accidentally end up in one.
So, yeah, I call myself a dancer.
Corn?
I mean, Sabrina.
What about you?
- Corn? Did you just call me Corn?
- Corn.
(laughing)
- [Sabrina] I'm actually curious to know who
are some of your main inspirations
as far as dancing, or just performing overall?
- You know, my love for dance,so much of that really started
with like, Michael Bennett, and Bob Fosse,
and Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly,
of course, like Michael Jackson.
You know, people that managed to figure out how to float.
- Yes to Michael Jackson all the way.
The DVD, his DVD, the 'Greatest Hits,'
all his videos were playing on loop growing up.
So, like, watching Michael Jackson hit that jazz split,
is why we named jazz, jazz. I swear.
(laughing)
You can see with like, the curly bang
and like, the wannabe like, shoulder moves.
Like, I pull so much inspiration from him,
and his presence on stage, as a kid.
And then growing up and going through like, drill team,
dance team in high school,
and that's like that hype woman vibe.
Like, you are in this dance at the football game
living your 'Friday Night Lights.'
And just bringing that emotion to the stage
is so fun, to be that like, hype woman/best friend.
Also pulled a lot ofinspiration from Moose,
my boy Adam Sevani.
- Yes! - Yes!
- He played Moose in 'Step Up.' That moment where the rain
is cascading from the sky.
- My celebrity crush, he's so cute! - Right? Right?
I can visualize that moment where the rain
is just coming down on them
and he just comes up, dancing in the street,
everybody's moist. And he just--
- Everybody's moist? No. (laughing)
- Like, his curled bangs are flopping around and wet like, it's the best.
(laughing)
- Everybody's moist. Oh my gosh.
- [Sabrina] For my character of Quinn,
I looked a lot to like, 'Napoleon Dynamite,'
and 'Little Miss Sunshine,'
just like, really great performances.
Just being uncomfortable in your body,
and not really knowing what it's like to be good or bad,
and just feeling it.
- It's so freeing, you're so out of your head.
Sometimes when you're in conversation,
you're just thinking about what to say next
or anticipating. I feel like when you tap into your body,
you are just free flowing, you're out of your mind,
you're losing your mind, you're losing yourself to the song.
Like, I think it's just the best, you know, form of expression,
and least for me. I feel so free
in the middle of a crunk circle.
- I think like, one of my favorite things, also
just about the film in general,
but I think in life, the joy that dance has brought me
is its brought me so much closer to people,
and so much closer to like, friends, and building friendships.
Jake's character and Quinn's character arc
couldn't be more polar opposite.
The fact that he knows so much and is willing to teach her,
and she's willing to learn is like, a really, really beautiful
relationship. So, I think dance
brings a lot of people together.
- I think it's one of the quickest ways to build trust.
- There's something about it. I think that like, dancers
in general are a different species,
they're a different breed of people in general.
But there's like, a reason why they,
by nature, typically, are as affectionate as they are
and as passionate as they are. It's that
their everyday is self expression and,
you know, breaking down walls.
And I think that's the quickest way to like, form trust
and transparency between
two people, three people, five people.
- I feel like, especially now, being in a time
where we're all separated
and, you know, findingways to find ourselves
and connect with our community is so important right now.
And leaning into those friendships,
they're becoming stronger,
for me personally, in my own life, now than ever.
And on an even more personal note,
my relationship and friendship with Sabrina
has become even stronger, I think, throughout this time.
But that's why I'm so glad like, our relationship in the movie
reflects how strong a friendship can, you know, turn
like, your fear of the unknowninto faith and into fun.
So Sabrina, how does it feel to kind of portray
that character on screen with Liza?
- You know, I think one of the best things in the movie
is that these characters are so supportive of each other's
craziness, and just crazy ideas,
and really just have a lot of like, trust in the other.
And are willing to go on
the wildest adventures for each other,
and not expecting like,
really don't expect a lot from each other,
other than they know that like, they're both going
to reach this goal that they want to reach,
and they're very hardworking,
and I think that that's also something that's really great
for young girls to see on screen.
But yeah, I mean I've had a little bit too much time
for my friendship with Liza to develop
during this quarantine,
and FaceTime calls to last way too long,
and no-- I mean, it's been really special
to get to make something with people
that you actually like, really, thoroughly enjoy making.
And that's why like, the scenes with Quinn and Jas are
very natural because we'd go to sleep at two in the morning
and we'd be talking about what else Liza could do
the next day that would throw me off,
and how to make our director laugh,
and things to just like, plant to make it a fun,
enjoyable experience. And I think you see that on screen.
And not even just with Quinn and Jas,
but with our other characters and the TBDs,
and just everybody. It's a very supportive,
community-building type of film.
- I love Jas, I fell in love with Jas.
An actually really weirdbackstory is that like, Jas--
You know how Beyoncé has \"Sasha Fierce.\"
I always called myself "Sausage Fierce,"
but my alter ego that I like,tapped into that was like,
my confidence character was called "Jas Min."
So like, that was my "Sasha Fierce" in my own mind,
and to be able to play a character named Jas
was such like, a full circle moment for me.
And I love that Jas-- She really does like,
she jazzes up the film a little bit.
She has her own storyline too, like
she has her own love interest too.
I love that both characters, Quinn and Jas,
have their love interests, their romantic relationships,
and they're both pursuing their dudes.
But, they also know that love, and that chemistry,
and that friendship is what they're really leaning into.
And I love, you know, girls supporting girls,
and, you know, allowing them to uplift each other
instead of pitting them against each other, I think
is such an important message
and, you know, portrayal of friendship.
That is so key for a younger generation to see
and uplift each other, then.
It was amazing to step into her shoes and dance in her shoes
everyday because she had a little storyline,
so it was fun to, you know, portray this best friend.
I'm excited to see where she goes in the sequel
and if she, you know, stays at the mattress store,
and if she ends up buying that mattress after all.
- [Jordan] I think that the messaging
that I'm really excited about,
and what drew me to the project in the first place,
is the fact that it's not just a dance film,
it's a film about people, it's a film about evolution,
it's a film about life throwing you curve balls
and how you navigate those things.
And how OK it is for plans that you have in your life
to change,
and how OK it is to have goals in your life
that turn into something else,
and maybe a new passion is discovered
throughout that process.
- [Sabrina] You know, looking back on those times,
every time, without fail, I go,
"Oh, well this wouldn't have happened if that happened then."
And it's such a beautiful thing to accept
as you get older
and start to, kind of, take that weight off your shoulders
when it comes intoletting life do its thing
because its always going to do its thing.
And you can be, as Jordan said this before,
you can be as prepared as you want,
but like, you just have to trust in the fact
that you're on the path that you're meant to be on.
And I think Quinn does it in a really beautiful way
of like, she is going for this one thing
that her entire life she's been working for,
and like, spoiler alert, still watch the movie,
but she doesn't get the thing that she wants.
She gets five other beautiful things
that she didn't expect to have along the way,
and a whole new community of people
that she feels embraced and loved by,
and a new thing that she didn't know that she could do,
that she's still working on.
And yeah, it's a very exciting theme
to have in a movie, especially during a time like this
where nothing is going as planned for anybody
and we're all just kind of making the most out of it.
- Something that I've kind of leaned into is
life isn't so much about finding yourself.
I think when you look into that
and you're trying to look for something,
looking for the answers
to your questions, finding yourself,
\"Where is it?\" It's about creating yourself.
And I really leaned into that being a content creator
on my own, and writing my own scripts,
creating my own content, and executive producing,
and having so much fun doing that,
that I've found myself in that way,
by allowing myself to kind of just evolve.
And you've seen an evolution of sorts
in my career of sorts--
That I'm honored to call a career
'cause really I was just this girl
in my living room, you know,
just screaming at a camera, you know, five years ago.
And here I am in front of a much more high-def,
professional camera,
not screaming, but giving subtle acting.
(laughing)
And that's the-- You know, I never, never, never
would have expected to be sitting in this chair,
to be starring, you know, across the screen with
Jordan Fisher and Sabrina Carpenter,
and all these amazing, incredible talents
that you're going to see in the movie.
Like, I never would have predicted that this is where
I would end up, but I'm so damn happy
and so proud to be able to pave a path of sorts,
digitally, to end up in this traditional space.
And to show any kid born from the internet like I am,
that this is a path they can take too.
But, I think it is about, you know, leaning into your evolution,
we all have one. And it is about redefining yourself
because the world will throw expectations
and definitions on you about who you should be,
or what you should or shouldn't do.
And to crush those, and rewrite yourself,
and reconstruct your own narrative
is something you totally have control of,
and you're able to do.
And sometimes when life feels out of control,
like it does right now,
leaning into your community,
leaning into your friendships, your family, your faith,
and finding yourself and rediscovering yourself
again. So, I hope that this film brings that,
you know, refurbishing of sorts of yourself,
and of your world around you,
and create the world you want to see.