Dylan Sprouse and Virginia Gardner star in Beautiful Disaster, a romantic drama from Voltage Pictures that will soon be available on VOD. The film is based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Jamie McGuire (who also co-wrote the screenplay with director, Roger Kumble). And Dylan Sprouse and Virginia Gardner portray polar opposite college freshmen whose paths continue to unavoidably cross.
We spoke with the co-stars about shifting from their memorable performances as a Marvel superhero and a Disney Channel OG into film leads and getting to shoot projects back to back.
I’m wondering if you could both speak to the transition from these sort of iconic TV roles to film, or even tell me whether you have a preference when it comes to shooting either medium?
VG: I think there’s pros and cons to both. TV is great because you get to live in a character’s shoes for so long, you get to really grow with the character, and your cast mates become your family. There’s so many great things about television, consistent work is also great with what we do. But lately, I’ve been really enjoying stepping into a character’s shoes for like two months and being able to move on to something else. I’ve been able to travel so much over the last few years just doing film, and being in places that I never thought I would be in for extended periods of time. So, right now I’m really enjoying film and just being able to jump in and out of a character’s shoes. It’s been really fun.
DS: Truth be told, I know this might not be the answer that you want, but I don’t think about it too much. I just like to work, and whatever comes my way I’m happy with. I’ll read, and then I’ll decide from there. I’m like a fluid-mover, in that way, through the industry. So, I don’t think about it too much. I’m where you put me and where you need me, and I like that aspect of it.
“It felt a lot like playtime.”
Dylan, how did you prepare for the fighting scenes in Beautiful Disaster?
Well, I will say it takes a village. I was certainly not alone. We had a very, very talented team of both stuntmen and trainers while we were in Bulgaria shooting this. We shot this in the winter during the dead of Covid. So, it takes a village and I’m extremely thankful to have worked with them.
It was about four hours a day of training. Both boxing and kind of sparring two hours, and then body building for another two hours after that. Certainly something I’m not used to, but in truth the hardest part about it was actually the eating. Because you have to eat so much. I was not used to that. It was a lot of broccoli and rice, and filets of fish stacked on top of each other. So, for me, that was the toughest part, but the rest of it was fun. It felt a lot like playtime, the way I was used to with my brother going outside when we were younger and just sparring around. I quite enjoyed it.
Virginia, how are your real-life poker skills?
I had never played poker before the movie, so I got a poker coach, and my dad knows poker really well so my dad and I played a lot together which was fun. I wouldn’t say I’m Abby-level good but I can hold my own in a poker game now, so I developed a little bit of a skill. And I definitely am a really good shuffler now – I can do fancy shuffling.
“It really takes a village.”
Can fans expect a sequel?
VG: We’ve already shot the sequel. It’s called Beautiful Wedding, so there is a wedding and that’s pretty much all we can say about it right now.
DS: I will say it’s tentatively titled.
VG: True. They might be changing the name.
DS: They might change it around. But that was kind of a cool experience because to have a vote of confidence that way, to shoot a second movie before the first one even releases is pretty incredible.
