Exclusive Raffey Cassidy Interview! #TomorrowlandEvent

Disclosure: I was given an all-expense paid trip to the Los Angeles area by Disney in exchange for sharing my experience with all of you! ALL opinions shared are my own.

A few short weeks ago I was at the Montage Hotel waiting for Raffey Cassidy to walk in. We were given the exclusive opportunity to interview the stars from the new movie Tomorrowland including George Clooney, Britt Robertson, and the directors Brad Bird and Damon Lindelof. We also had the awesome opportunity to interview Raffey, a young actress from the UK who does SO well in the movie Tomorrowland. Her interview was one of my favorites as it was so fantastic to see such a young girl with so much potential.

Raffey walked in the room with the biggest smile on her face, you could tell she was happy to be there. We were SUPER excited to have her in the room with us and I was really SUPER excited to hear her accent. Remember, she’s from the UK so her accent was ALL real- the best! 🙂 I really wish you all could hear her accent- oh wait, you can!! You can go see Tomorrowland – which is rated PG and is in theaters everywhere as of 5/22.

What got you into acting at such a young age?

Um, well my brother went for an audition, and then they kind of asked me if I wanted to have a go at that. So I had to go and then in kind of started from there.

How did you get involved in this movie?

Um, well, I just went up for like an audition, but it was a self-tape at home and then I went to London to do another screen test. And then I went to America to do another screen test. And then I found out that I got the part.

What was your first scene?

Oh, my first scene… It was in the world’s fair when, um, I was watching young Frank get on the bus.

What was your favorite scene to shoot?

My favorite scene to shoot was probably the blast from the past sequence. I really liked that ’cause, I mean, it was a lot of action in it.

What was your take away from the movie? If there’s one thing you took away from it, and want everybody to think that you know.

Um, that everybody should be very optimistic and feel that there’s a way around situations if they’re in a bad situation. There’s always a bright side.

What did you like most about Athena’s personality?

Um, I love how wise she is, like she’s like an old soul inside of a young body.

What was the most challenging part of filming the movie for you?

Well, I kind of had to create a background for Athena, so, because she didn’t really have one, which was fun because that was something that I created for Athena.

How did you feel about the costumes in the movie?

Um, I loved them. I mean, they’re, you know, the blue dress. If you look closely, that was actually algorithms in, in algebra.

You had a lot of action scenes where you had to do martial arts. Did you have to train for that, or how did you learn?

Yeah, I trained for two months in gymnastics and martial arts, and then I went to Canada and did another month of martial arts and a bit of gymnastics. And then I did throughout the six months of filming, I did another, couple of days every, every week or so.

George was talking about your scene about you driving the truck. So what were your feelings on driving the truck and learning to do all that?

I really enjoyed it. It was so fun ’cause I’ve worked with an amazing stunt team, and so they actually taught me how to drive and, and there was a scene where I had to like go down a ramp and then stop. I think really I started to get a little too confident, and I got too close. Um, Britt just went “stop”, because it got so close.

How was it working with George? Did you know of him before?

Well, I’d seen the Descendants and I really, really liked it. And George is so, just so talented, and I learned so much from him. And he’s so professional but really fun at the same time.

Did you get to spend a lot of time with young George, or young Frank?

Um, yes I did. He was, um, I was, it was kind of more towards the start of filming and, and then, but his scenes were separated out. So he was there during the whole filming process, so I got to see quite a lot of him, because most of, ah, my scenes were with young Frank, or Frank.

So you have a big role in this movie. Um, what is it like to see yourself? Have you seen the whole thing? It must have been amazing. So what was it like for you the first time it all put together?

I was just so shocked. It was like wow, and they put it so well together, ’cause there was never a scene when I was thinking wow, this was dragging on a bit. It was just always, yeah, and by the end of the film, it was like oh, my God. It can’t be over yet.

Well, if I had to choose something, it would probably be optimism, because I think that I feel that I’m quite optimistic and always look on the bright side of a bad situation.

Because of your age, you are the future. So when you were filming this film, did you look at it and say okay, this may be how the future’s gonna be, whether its certain aspects that you thought no, not too much? I mean, did it seem like it flowed for you for what may happen?

Yeah, I mean, there was so much technology in the actual Tomorrowland and I think that that’s how it’s going to be in, I don’t know, 60 years’ time or something. So, I think that will be what the future.

That question has gone on all morning. There’s something from the future or Tomorrowland that you could use now, what would it be.

The Jet Packs!

How did you train to play the role, like you did such a good job of playing a robot, I think. How did you train for that?

Well, I mean, Athena has so many different qualities. She’s optimistic. She’s intelligent. She’s wise, and I just kind of put all of those together, and I always had an image in my head for a scene, so it was never just go in cold into it and trying to create one in my head. I always had an image that would just help me and I’d always be able to think of to get me through this.

What was your hardest scene to film in the movie?

My hardest scene would probably be, hmm, that my end scene, I mean, that was a lot of, that was a lot of lines, but once I’ve learned them, it just flowed and, and George like he had a lot of eye contact with me, so it’s so easy to perform and it would have been hard if, you know, if George wasn’t so good. But yeah, it was easy ’cause he just, he was just so professional and kept eye contact the whole time.

What’s the message that you would tell girls your age about the future and getting in the STM, that’s the, the science, math, technology?

I’d say the future isn’t a place we’re going. It’s something we’re making, so it can be anything that they, that they want it to be.

Do you feel like the movie changed how you view the world now and the future? Did it make you more optimistic?

Oh, yeah, there were so much more optimistic and, and it now makes me think about like even talking about it now makes me think about the future now and, and how optimistic we can all be and, and how we can make it what we want.

Do you feel like it gave you personally more of a voice to want do stand up and try and make a change?

It makes you think oh, well, maybe I can make a difference in the world.

Who travels with you when you do these films, especially with more siblings that are also in the acting profession?

I have three brothers and one sister, and my whole family travels with me, ’cause we’re all so close and, and we’re just like one big family together and it’s strange if one of us is away, so we all just travel together wherever we go.

So have all of them seen the film? And what did they think? What was their reaction?

They really liked it, yeah, ’cause they didn’t know anything. I mean, they went to Canada whilst I film it, but they hadn’t a clue what, what I was doing each day, so when they saw it, they were like wow, that’s so cool. And sometimes they’d come to sit in and watch, and they were like oh, I remember seeing you in that scene, but I just didn’t know where it fit in.

There was a very cute, um, facial expression that you would make during the movie. You kind of pursed your lips and just kind of, you know, you had that look in your face. Do you find yourself, I mean, after filming obviously, did you ever find yourself just kind of like making that face?

Well, I mean, Athena was, I found her like stern and always concentrating, so that’s kind of why I did that, to make her seem like she was always alert and on that, but I didn’t think I ever do that, not normally.

Have you been to Disneyland’s Tomorrowland? What was your favorite ride there? Have you been to Disney World?

Yes, I loved Space Mountain at Disneyland- I was able to ride it while we were filming. I was able to go to Disney World for my birthday- (whispering) — Disneyland is better.

Did you find it challenging at all to portray emotions but, ah, also remain kind of stoic a little bit with your character, since she’s a robot?

Well, it was Athena that didn’t really want to show any emotion ’cause she seemed, ’cause ,you know, she’s always alert and, and never, she always just wants to attack people. So, I found that she would never want to show emotion, but maybe sometime she wanted to show that she did care and did, was doing something to protect them.

So how was it almost having to be the adult in the film? I mean, especially George tends to joke a lot.

Athena is kind of the mom of the whole going. She looks after Casey and Frank, trying to bring them together to, to help him save the world. And that kind of becomes, through their adventure, they would become like all family.

What’s the joke (that George played) that stands out the most? One of the pranks?

Well, there was this one time when, this was kind of towards the start of the shoot when, um, we pulled upon a black monorail and the doors would open, and the camera would be there watching us. So George thought I would be funny if we all ran to the side of the monorail and the doors would open and nobody would be there. So we did it, an in the camera, everybody went wait, where they all gone?

Do you see yourself staying with acting, or do you want to pursue something else?

At the moment, I mean, I’m so grateful for what I’ve had the chance to do and everything, and maybe I’ll carry on doing this. Yeah. At the moment, I want to go into it. I might change my mind!

What’s your favorite thing about acting in general?

How close the set becomes, like the cast and crew are just, everybody, everybody becomes so close. It’s like a family. Everybody helps each other out.

Did you find anything difficult about acting?

Um, no, not really, ’cause it was never as though you were on your own. Everybody else would help in and you’d always be one thing acting, acting together really.

So the first time you walked on the set, the very first day, what was the thing that struck you the most?

How everybody’s doing such different jobs and it’s, it’s one, it’s one whole thing making one whole thing, but everybody’s doing such different jobs and, and yeah. I think that was cool. And it just all comes together in the end.

So how long were your days, like your work days and the hours that you worked?

I started about, I’d probably get picked up at maybe 6 or 6:30, and then I’d finish it around about 5, yeah. I had, I never wanted to go home. They all had so much fun.

So who were your role models, like the people that you look up to, um, and maybe inspired like your acting career?

I think that Britt Robertson, I think, she’s, she’s somebody to look up to and admire because she’s just so talented and down to earth and she’s done so much and, yeah, she’s just so kind and I really, really like her.

So what’s next for you?

I mean, just back to school, I guess……

TOMORROWLAND
DISNEY
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Genre: Mystery Adventure
Rating: PG
U.S. Release date: May 22, 2015
Running time: 130 min.

Cast: George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan-Michael Key, Thomas Robinson
Director: Brad Bird
Producers: Damon Lindelof, Brad Bird, Jeffrey Chernov
Executive Producers: John Walker, Bernard Bellew, Jeff Jensen, Brigham Taylor
Story by: Damon Lindelof & Brad Bird & Jeff Jensen
Screenplay by: Damon Lindelof and Brad Bird

STORY SYNOPSIS: From Disney comes two-time Oscar® winner Brad Bird’s riveting, mystery adventure “Tomorrowland,” starring Academy Award® winner George Clooney. Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as “Tomorrowland.” What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever.

Featuring a screenplay by “Lost” writer and co-creator Damon Lindelof and Brad Bird, from a story by Lindelof & Bird & Jeff Jensen, “Tomorrowland” promises to take audiences on a thrill ride of nonstop adventures through new dimensions that have only been dreamed of.

ONE-LINER: In Disney’s riveting mystery adventure “Tomorrowland,” a jaded scientist and an optimistic teen embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space.

OFFICIAL BOILERPLATE: From Disney comes two-time Oscar® winner Brad Bird’s “Tomorrowland,” a riveting mystery adventure starring Academy Award® winner George Clooney. Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as “Tomorrowland.” What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever.

The film also stars Hugh Laurie as brilliant scientist David Nix, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan-Michael Key and Thomas Robinson.

“Tomorrowland” is produced by Damon Lindelof, Brad Bird and Jeffrey Chernov and directed by Brad Bird, with John Walker, Bernard Bellew, Jeff Jensen and Brigham Taylor serving as executive producers. “Tomorrowland” opens in U.S. theaters on May 22, 2015.