STACK J#165 Jul 2018

DVD & BD FEATURE

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DID YOU KNOW? Love, Simon was the first film produced by a major Hollywood studio to feature a gay teenage protagonist. The production code for the film was "Blue," which is the pseudonym of the person Simon exchanges emails with.

Langford reveals. “We still had a few weeks left on [TV series] 13 Reasons Why , and it was my first job and also a very intense role. I wasn’t really intensely looking for anything, but what struck me about Love, Simon was the script; it took me unexpectedly through such a range of emotions. It’s a love story; it’s very joyful and heart-warming.” Robinson agrees. “A lot of times when you see a high school coming-of-age film, the dialogue doesn’t really match up to a high school experience. But with this, they did a great job of getting all of that angst and emotion and heartbreak and joy into the story. Greg [Berlanti, director] talked a lot about this movie being wish fulfilment, and I think that’s true in more ways than one.” Simon’s parents in the movie are played by Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner, and Robinson couldn’t have hoped for a better couple as his onscreen folks. “Josh and Jen were really lovely people. It goes back to what I was saying before about wish fulfilment – those two are

STACK had the privilege of speaking with the lovely Katherine Langford and Nick Robinson ahead of the release of their new film – Love, Simon .

Words Alesha Kolbe

L ove, Simon – based on the novel Simon vs the Homosapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli – is the story of an average teenaged boy who goes to high school and hangs out with his friends. He also happens to be gay. The film tells the emotional and inspirational story of Simon not only struggling to come to terms with his sexuality, but also how he should break the news to his friends and family. Then there is the closeted student that has come out anonymously, with whom Simon begins corresponding via email. Nick Robinson (Simon) and Katherine Langford (Leah) play best friends and share undeniable chemistry in the film; it's hard to believe that this was the first time they had ever met. “We met first at the chemistry reading,” Langford tells STACK over the phone from Sydney. “It was the first time we’d ever worked together properly. It was a great time together.” “It was great,” agrees Robinson. “It was fantastic to have a rehearsal period beforehand

the perfect parents. They are liberal, and understanding, and supportive, and I think seeing a story like that where the parents are so supportive is a potentially powerful thing, especially for someone who

which helped us break the ice and get a head start on forming bonds and getting our chemistry right.” With neither of the pair having read

the book beforehand, it was the touching script that really drew

maybe is questioning how to broach the subject with their own parents.” Love, Simon, at its

heart, is a story about love. So what did the two draw upon for inspiration? “I like Annie Hall a lot,” says Robinson, perhaps surprisingly. “That’s a favourite romantic comedy of mine.” Langford immediately reveals herself to be a hopeless romantic. “For me, two things that resonated growing up were Romeo & Juliet and Titanic . They’re my two big blockbusters that I love.”

It's a love story; it's very joyful and heart-warming

them in and made them both want to be part of the project. “The script came to me at a really unique time,”

• Love, Simon is out on DVD, Blu-ray & 4K UHD on July 4

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JULY 2018

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