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EXCLUSIVE: Laura Marano gets candid on The Royal Treatment, Mena Massoud and the magic of romantic comedies
Pinkvilla had the humble opportunity to interview The Royal Treatment's leading lady, Laura Marano, as she spoke passionately about her hit romantic comedy. Read her full interview below.
Romantic comedies; for some, it may seem like an overrated genre while for most, it's a sweet escape from reality. There's something so innately magical about rom-coms that you're instantly pulled into it, maybe even revisiting a few classics from time to time. The Royal Treatment is one such latest outing that interlaces rom-coms' traditional tropes with a slice of modernity in tow.
What makes The Royal Treatment such a fun watch is its charming lead pair; Laura Marano and Mena Massoud. Speaking of Laura, the 26-year-old actress has come a long way since her Austin & Ally days and is making a mark with her heartfelt performances and addictive tunes as a musician. In The Royal Treatment, Laura Marano taps into her Italian roots and breathes zesty life into Izzy, a hairdresser, who encounters Prince Thomas of Lavania (Massoud), and their amicable bickering soon turns into something more. However, it's not a stereotypical "damsel in distress" storyline and more about finding yourselves before finding your true love.
*MINOR SPOILERS* I had the humble opportunity to interview Laura Marano, post the successful release of The Royal Treatment. Laura spoke candidly with me about the positive reaction to her latest outing, her reason for loving romantic comedies, what sets this movie apart from others in the same genre, her favourite rom-coms, shooting the final Pretty Woman inspired fire escape sequence, her easy-breezy chemistry with co-star Mena Massoud, tapping into her Italian roots as Izzy, her family's reaction to The Royal Treatment, having her songs Dance With You and Worst Kind of Hurt being a part of The Royal Treatment OST, her career trajectory from Austin & Ally to The Royal Treatment and challenges faced with gaining fame at a young age, teasing her 2022 and a special message for her Indian fans.
Well, I can only speak for myself, but the reason I love rom-coms is the feeling of comfort and joy they bring me. Sometimes, I just want to watch something that is going to put a smile on my face the entire time it's playing. I think, especially right now, it's important to have some entertainment to turn to that we get to escape in and just feel joy.
Laura Marano
Check out Laura Marano's EXCLUSIVE interview with Pinkvilla for The Royal Treatment below:
Firstly, congratulations on The Royal Treatment, which attained the crown of being #1 on Netflix Worldwide and more importantly, had romantic comedy enthusiasts squealing with joy. How overwhelming has the positive reaction been for you?
Oh my goodness, I am truly so blown away by the response! I definitely hoped it would connect with some people, but you just never know what reaction a project is going to get. It's safe to say the reaction has completely shattered my expectations in the best way possible!
There's just something about this slice of life, romantic comedy genre that keeps us coming back for more. Where do you think the love for rom-coms stems from?
Well, I can only speak for myself, but the reason I love rom-coms is the feeling of comfort and joy they bring me. Sometimes, I just want to watch something that is going to put a smile on my face the entire time it's playing. I think, especially right now, it's important to have some entertainment to turn to that we get to escape in and just feel joy.
What do you think sets The Royal Treatment apart from other romantic comedies?
Honestly, The Royal Treatment is in my favorite sub-genre of rom-coms: the "regular girl meets prince of a made up country" genre. We've seen this story, and that's why we made sure to pay an homage to those movies before (we reference Genovia [The Princess Diaries] and Aldovia [A Christmas Prince] in our films because we wanted our story to live in this multi-romcom-universe).
Growing up, which were your favourite romantic comedies and why?
I have literally so many. When Harry Met Sally, 13 Going on 30, The Princess Diaries, Legally Blonde - the list truly goes on. I think my favorite romantic comedies always had an equally important storyline involving the lead heroine finding herself, as well as her ending up with her love interest. Making sure the female protagonist has that self-discovery journey is important to me as an audience member, and was equally as important to me when I was making The Royal Treatment.
The final sequence, which is Pretty Woman inspired, left us with instant butterflies. How fun was it to shoot the fire escape sequence?
Oh, it was so fun! We filmed that on one of our last days, which made it that more dramatic and climactic. I also was wearing those boots Izzy wore throughout the entire movie, and everyone was very scared that I was going to fall (for the record, I did not!). Mena and I were pretty exhausted filming this sequence, but that made us loopier and little crazier, which I think made the whole night even more fun. It's one of my favorite scenes in the film, so I am very excited everyone loved watching it as much I hoped they would!
Speaking of The Royal Treatment, fans loved the easy chemistry between you and Mena Massoud. How did you establish that connection on-screen and how fun is he as an acting partner? Was there a lot of improvisation on set?
I love Mena! We had so much time to get to know each other before filming because we both were doing a hotel quarantine for two weeks, so we just FaceTimed a lot. We would talk about our characters and the movie, but we also just got to know each other, which I think always helps our characters connect onscreen.
How fascinating was it to tap into your Italian roots as Izzy in The Royal Treatment? What was your family's reaction to your character, in particular, in the movie?
I actually just heard from them the other day - we are in a group chat with like 19 people (I'm literally not joking, it's the biggest group chat of all time), and everyone was so sweet and supportive over the character and the movie. We really like to tease each other, so I was definitely expecting some jokes, but everyone seemed to really like the film, and liked my interpretation of Izzy. I absolutely loved playing her, and it was incredibly fun (and a little nerve-racking) to do the accent. I literally would FaceTime with one of my cousins regularly to go over the lines with her.
Besides making a wave as an actress, fans were also excited to hear you sing for The Royal Treatment's soundtrack with Dance With You and Worst Kind of Hurt. While working on these songs, did the actor side of you as Izzy lead to any inspiration, especially with how they're played during two pivotal scenes in the movie? Moreover, acting or singing; what entices you more and why?
To be truthful, I think the artist part of myself really took over with these two songs. Dance With You was definitely inspired by the movie, but I wouldn’t say Izzy lead to any inspiration, and Worst Kind of Hurt was a song I wrote for myself as a way of processing a breakup, so I was actually surprised the director thought it worked for the film. It's so hard to pick between acting and music because they are truly so different and awake two very different parts of me. Music is something I do to process all of the feelings I have about my life, so I definitely am drawn to it a bit more, but I can't imagine my life without acting.
From Austin & Ally to The Royal Treatment, your career trajectory has been very impressive. That too, at such a young age. How do you feel about stardom and are there any pressures attached to the same?
I think I really am so grateful that people have connected with my projects, that I truly never want to take for granted their reactions. Each new thing I put out, whether it's acting or music, I go into it not expecting people to connect with it because you just really don't know. With that said, whenever you have had success, there always seems to be a massive amount of pressure for any other project you ever put out, and that did used to get to me. That's why I like to go into the release of everything with no expectations, just gratitude. Because wow, I am so thankful I get to create art for a living.
Fans would love to know about your future projects and what 2022 looks like for you. Moreover, is there a particular genre you'd like to try your hands on, which you haven't dipped your toes into yet?
Ooh, well, there isn't much I can say right now, but I do have a new acting project I am very excited to tell fans about. Plus, I will definitely be releasing more music this year, and I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks! In regards to a genre I'd like to try, I would be very down to do an action film. I think it would be really challenging for me, and I think I would absolutely love that.
In conclusion, is there a message you'd like to send to your Indian fans, who loved The Royal Treatment?
I love my Indian fans SO MUCH!! Even though our time zones are so different, I still have been able to connect with my fans in India online, and they are some of my favorite people on social media!!! I can't wait to go to India one day and meet them in person!!!
We can't wait to see Laura Marano shine with new movies and music!
Which was your favourite Laura Marano moment from The Royal Treatment? Share your personal picks with Pinkvilla in the comments section below.
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