5 Questions For “The First Time” Director Jon Kasdan

Director Jon Kasdan talks about casting Dylan and Britt Robertson for his movie “The First Time” in his this new interview with Film Maker Magazine.

Filmmaker: Britt and Dylan both give really surprising performances here. How did you come across these two relative unknowns?

Kasdan: My least favorite part of the process is casting because you meet hundreds of incredibly talented and versatile actors and actresses that all bring something unique and special to their roles – and then you have to pick two of them. The casting process on this movie was lengthy and intense – partly because the teenagers reading for these roles seemed to respond very personally to the script. They were very invested – which was great in a way, but also really tough ’cause almost mpme of them got to do it.

I had brilliant casting directors in Amy Britt and Michael Nicolo, as well as the experience and wisdom of my producers Martin Shafer and Liz Glotzer. It was a collaboration between the five of us. Ultimately, we came down to about ten phenomenal kids (five boys/five girls) and had them read the scenes together, mixing and matching, trying different combinations. All of them would have been interesting (and totally unique) versions of this movie but Britt and Dylan, both incredibly exciting in their own rights, had a special chemistry together.

Britt is extremely experienced for someone her age (or any age). She’s done tons of movies and several television series. Her skill and experience put me at ease, particularly with a role as challenging as this one. She’s really the emotional soul of the movie for me. Dylan had relatively little experience at the time, but he possesses a totally innate, natural charisma and comic instinct that, combined with his physicality, creates a pretty dynamic package. They couldn’t be two more different kinds of actors, with more wildly different approaches, but they worked – I think, I hope – incredibly well together.

You can read the full interview with Jon Kasdan here

19 January 2012

Article: “TV witches, ’wolves unite for Sundance”

Dylan O’Brien stars in MTV’s “Teen Wolf” as the werewolf’s best friend. Britt Robertson stars in The CW’s “Secret Circle” as a witch.

The two star together in “The First Time,” a romantic comedy about two teenagers, which premieres Saturday, Jan. 21 at the Sundance Film Festival. “It’s pretty funny,” Robertson said. “Totally a coincidence, but kind of weird.”

O’Brien added: “We were constantly making jokes about how the two leads are on supernatural television shows. We knew that would be something people would be talking about.”

“The First Time” is writer/director Jonathan Kasdan’s tale of Dave (O’Brien), a high-school senior who pines after popular girl Aubrey (Robertson), who seems out of his reach until they meet at a party one weekend.

There are some parallel between the characters and the actors who play them. Robertson, 21, has a long list of movie credits. O’Brien, 20, was making his first real movie, hot on the heels of his first real role of any kind in “Teen Wolf.”

“He was so sweet and so amazing to work with,” Robertson said. “He had this wide-eyed innocence about him.”

“Working with Brittany was the best experience of my life,” O’Brien said.

While “The First Time” is entered in the U.S. Dramatic competition, Robertson said, “it’s really more of a comedy.” “I think that the relationship between my character and Brittany’s character is really funny,” O’Brien said. “But it’s less about the funny and more about the relationship and how it evolves so quickly, over one weekend.”

Read Entire Article

19 January 2012

“The First Time” BTS Pictures & Synopsis

I’m so happy that we’ve been getting a lot of press of Dylan’s movie “The First Time“!  Below is a video of behind the scenes shots that was put together by the cinematographer Rhet Bear.  I’ve added 41 photos of Dylan to the gallery for easy browsing!  Also below is a better description of the movie as well as the times and dates of the screenings at the Sundance Film Festivals 2012.

Dave, a high school senior, spends most of his time pining away over a girl he can’t have. Aubrey, a junior with artistic aspirations, has a hot boyfriend who doesn’t quite understand her or seem to care. Although they go to different schools, Dave and Aubrey find themselves at the same party. When both head outside to get some air, they meet. A casual conversation sparks an instant connection, and, over the course of a weekend, things turn magical, romantic, complicated, and funny as Aubrey and Dave discover what it’s like to fall in love for the first time.

Director/screenwriter Jonathan Kasdan skillfully captures a moment of adolescence that rings resolutely true. With smart writing and breakout performances by Britt Robertson and Dylan O’Brien, its two young leads, The First Time is a sweet, thoughtful, modern look at the angst, anticipation, and hopefulness of young love. 
– L.O.

Source

06 January 2012
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