Why was this the right film for your movie debut?
I was such a big fan of the book by Nicholas Sparks. And knowing I still have a lot to learn about the film industry and what constitutes a good script, I knew this was something that was positive, that I felt immediately passionate about and I knew enough to just trust my instincts and just go with. I was lucky to work with people who genuinely wanted to make this the best possible project and the best we could make it, and that's exactly what we did.
How nervous were you about making the transition from pop star to movie star?
I think my biggest challenge was probably in my own head, trying to get out of my mind that people were going to have these unrealistic expectations of me. I felt like I was going to come to set and people were going to go: "Hmmm... Mandy Moore, blonde bubblegum pop star. She's not going to really know what she's doing here. This isn't going to be a good experience." So I was kind of worried about that. But once I got there, everyone welcomed everyone with open arms and we were kind of like a family.
But having this other career in music - it's made me work harder as an actress. It's made me more professional, it's made me just not underestimate anything. It keeps me on my toes and it makes me want to surpass people's expectations of my acting and my performance. I really look back on the experience with fond memories. I had a great time making it.
Tell us about your character, Jamie Sullivan...
Playing this part was fun because she looked like, on the surface, the stereotypical outcast, and that's so not what she's about! Jamie Sullivan is the daughter of a minister in a small town in North Carolina and so she's obviously a pretty religious person. And I love that, throughout the film, she's the only person who stays consistent. You look at her initially and say, "This is the girl who's going to go through the transformation and she's going to go from the ugly duckling to the swan." And it's not about that.
I'm very excited to be part of a film that has something different to say, I guess, and I really want to relay the message in the story to people my age. It's really an inspirational story. I think people who want to see something different to what's normally served up for teenagers will really enjoy this film.
So how is it different from other teen movies?
I think the film definitely plays to a crowd that has been fed the same stuff in teen films for the past couple of years. I'm happy to be in a film that offers a different approach and offers a positive message at the end of the day... a message which is about finding faith. People's connotation of faith, I guess, is spirituality and it definitely has an aspect of that. You know, it's kind of taboo to talk about spirituality with a mainstream Hollywood film - but this is definitely not preachy. I love that people my age can go and see a film like this and walk out having felt something and maybe having learned something.
