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Compiled by: Jack Foley
Q. Given your youth, what part did religion play in your
life?
A. I grew up Catholic, I was raised Catholic, but I've
found as I've got a little bit older that maybe everything that's
part of Catholicism doesn't necessarily work for me, and I think
it was interesting making this film because the journey that Mary's
going through sort of kind of mimics a little bit what I'm going
through in my life. That I need to find out what works for me
and not necessarily following something that I've been raised
with. It's a good thing, but I think most of the cast didn't really
have anything set in stone with the belief system. But we were
very open to stuff.
Q. Have you had a mixed reaction from your fanbase, because
you've got fanbases from two worlds - pop and movies? Clearly,
they look upon you in a certain way?
Mandy: To be quite honest, I really haven't felt like
I've had any sort of mixed reactions. I feel, knock on wood, that
so far it's been very positive. The only thing I was sort of worried
about was in the States I had this film called A Walk to Remember,
where I played the perfect example of a young Christian girl,
and because of that film I think there were a lot of young, Christian
girls that took notice of me, maybe, and therefore became like
a fan and what not, and I was sort of worried about how they were
going to view this film. But everything feels like it's been really
positive so far.
Sandy: And I do have to say as one of the film-makers,
we loved that baggage that Mandy brought with her. Truly, it was
brilliant, you know.
Q. I'm always worried when you go to church and the minister
brings out a guitar rather than the Bible. Is this more accepted
in America?
Mandy: It's so accepted. I think at least I was, and
I know some of the other cast members, were really sort of cool
with that to have this youth movement sweeping the country, where
it is so hip to talk about what you believe in because, like I
said, I went to Catholic High School for a little bit, and outside
of like theology and maths every Friday afternoon nobody talked
about religion. It was always so awkward and just uncomfortable
to be vocal about what you believe in - good or bad, we just never
really talked about it. So I think it can be a good thing bringing
something a little bit 'hipper' to religion. Bringing out the
guitar is not that bad.
Sandy: It's much more than just the guitar, I have to say. It's
very hi-tech, it's really cutting-edge and it's like a whole multi-media
show.
Q. What was it about the script that appealed to you
so much? And did the character of Hilary Faye sing before Mandy
Moore came on board?
Sandy: She always sang at the assembly.
Mandy: It's hard to read through the bad to find
the good just in any sort of script, and when I read this script
it sort of like came about so randomly, I was friends with Heather
Matarazzo, who's in the film, and for like two years she was always
talking about this movie, Saved! that I was going to do, and for
some reason I always thought it was like a thriller, or some sort
of horror film, or something, so when I finally read the script
for the first time, I was on the floor, in hysterics, it was smart
and witty and something so different as a teen movie, in the teen
genre. And the cast, of course, I think Jena Malone is one of
the most fantastic young actresses and Mac and Patrick and everybody
that was involved, it felt like sort of a no-brainer to be a part
of it.
And, of course, it was enticing to play a role like Hilary Faye,
who sort of was the perfect mixture of good and evil. Playing
it was so much fun because, you know, people don't regard me in
that sense. I wouldn't say I was like Hilary in any way, but it
was nice to be thought of for a role like that.
Sandy: I must say, it was interesting, because
we had the first table read up in Vancouver and the rest of the
cast had been with this movie for a year and a half and they were
all like, Mandy Moore? Like, you know, pop star? How's she going
to do this role? And she came in and we had this table read and
nobody was quite sure, you know that moment when you first hear
the script out loud, and Mandy just hit the ball out of the park
and from that moment on, the cast was like, 'yeah, we get it'.
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Q. Is it the case that you
almost feel you have to prove yourself because of the baggage
that Sandy has just described - because people look at you as
Mandy Moore, pop star, when clearly there is much more to your
talents than that?
Mandy: Oh gosh, um, not so much anymore, just because
I'm a little bit more self-confident and what not, but definitely
with this experience I felt going in like, 'oh God, this is a
group of young actors that I have so much respect for, that probably
have this pre-conceived notion of me being someone with no work
ethic and what do I have any business doing here and playing a
part in this movie?' But after that first table read it was like
such a huge weight off my shoulders that everybody felt really
supportive and behind me, and being the last person anyway to
sign on to doing this film, it was just a nerve-wracking thing,
but it ended up being a great experience.
Q. How conscious are you of your position as a role-model
for the people who admire what you do? And was there a Hilary
Faye at your school?
Mandy: First of all, no, there were no Hilary Faye's
[laughs]. I was lucky enough not to know any. But I only went
to like half of my freshman year at High School and I never really
encountered anyone like Hilary Faye before; that's why it was
so exciting to sink my teeth into a role like that.
But in terms of being conscious about being a role-model, absolutely.
I mean it's something that plays a part in every move that you
make; it's something that's always in the back of your mind, and
I guess I'm just lucky in the sense that what you see is what
you get, and it's not sort of playing one person on-screen, or
on-stage, and then being a totally different person in my real
life, it's something that I'm very flattered by, if someone were
to consider me to be a role-model and it obviously influences
the choices that I make, but I'm also pretty lucky where I'm sort
of being me anyway.
Q. Is it not inhibiting, though, sometimes, that perhaps
you might want to change musical genres but can't because people
want you to be what they liked you for at first?
Mandy: Oh God, I could never stay doing that crappy pop
music! [Laughs] Oi, that first record! No, no, no. I don't find
it sort of restricting in any way. I feel lucky enough that, again,
I've always sort of been myself and just hope that people will
sort of grow up with me.
Q. How does it feel, though, when you make headline news
for getting a haircut?
Mandy: Oh goodness, there's so much going on in the world,
but I got my haircut! I don't know, it's weird that people sort
of pay attention, especially back in the States. That sort of
un-ending curiosity and obsession with this celebrity life, and
it's sort of infiltrated all sorts of media, from TV shows to
magazines, and you just can't escape it, especially in LA. It's
so saturated and gross and weird....
Q. You can kind of understand why the kids are interested,
because they can use you as a role-model and say you have achieved
all this and isn't she great, maybe we could do something?
Mandy: Oh absolutely, I would love if people would see
me as a role-model in that sense as well. But with the haircut
and hair colouring and all that, it's just sort of weird, you
know. For like a period of a year I think that the most asked
question whenever I did these sort of things was like 'so how
does it feel being a brunette now instead of a blonde?' And I'm
like, 'that's it, that's all you've got?' It is a little weird.
Q. You mention crappy pop music, is that why you did
an album of covers recently?
Mandy: You know what, I was just excited. I've grown
up a lot and my musical taste has changed as I've changed and
I think doing a record like that really respected the music that
I listened to and I hope, I'm in the studio writing a record right
now, and I hope that some of that will influence music that I'm
writing. But it was just fun to sort of branch out and do something
that I really wanted to do, and I made that record on my own,
without my record company knowing, and it was sort of fun to be
rebellious, in a sense, and do what I wanted to do without someone
sort of presenting it to me and telling me when to be in the studio,
and with whom. So that's why I did that record.
Q. It begs the question, can we look forward to a Mandy
Moore rap album?
Mandy: [Laughs] The gangster rap album is actually on
the way right now, no! I'm going stick to what I'm passionate
about.
Q. Things that have melody?
Mandy: Absolutely! I have no rhythm for the rap game.
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