"Brittany Curran"
Rising Movie Star!
The Exclusive Interview
"The Haunting Hour" Movie
by Tim Nasson
Publisher WildAboutMovies
August 22, 2007
Update: August 1, 2008 - Brittany Curran is cast as Ray Romano's daughter in the TNT comedy/drama "Men Of A Certain Age."
It's always fun interviewing up and coming celebrities. At the moment, unless you're a girl between the ages of 7 and 12, you probably don't know who Brittany Curran is. But that is all about to change. Remember the TV show Who's The Boss? The last person you'd probably recall appearing as a regular guest - Leonardo DiCaprio. But he is the only person who appeared on the long running ABC sitcom to make it really big in Hollywood - not only earning over $25 million per picture, but gathering a plethora of Oscar nominations along the way.
Brittany Curran, is just about the age Leo was when he made his debut on "Who's The Boss" and Brittany Curran is currently a regular guest star on "The Suite Life of Zack And Cody" - one of Saturday morning's most watched kids shows. And she headlines the first film, in most likely a series of films, based on R.L. Stine's "The Haunting Hour."
Below - the exclusive feature interview with Rising Movie Star "Brittany Curran."
My career in 'movies' began while I was a junior in high school, circa 1987 - writing movie reviews for the supplement to the official Somerville High School newspaper, my own publication; "Entertainment Journal." (Thank the lord that the headmaster of the high school at time, Mr. Fidele, took to me and my penchant for all things movies, and allowed me to type - while skipping gym class, which, incidentally my uncle was director of (sports apparently don't run in the family DNA) - and then copy and paste onto legal size white copying paper the reviews of movies I had skipped school to see at trade screenings at the then Sack Cinemas Copley Place, photocopy 2000 copies, each week, and distribute forty to each classroom every Friday.
Movie reviews were getting boring, even though I was one of the first in the world to see and write about "Child's Play," "Pumpkinhead," "Rain Man," "Cinema Paradiso," "Mississippi Burning"... I wanted to be much more entwined in the Hollywood machine.
Thus, one fateful afternoon, at a press screening at Sack Cinemas Copley Place, (where I worked on weekends),
I was the only one sitting patiently waiting for "The Wizard of Speed and Time" to start - with the exception of one David Brudnoy, who, at the time, was Boston's most influential movie critic and one of the nation's most popular radio talk show hosts - more popular in Boston during the 90s than Howard Stern.
Bruds and I instantly became inseperable. He mentored me, and is the one person, in addition to Charlie Guber (brother of uber billionaire movie producer Peter), that helped me get to the position I am thankfully in now. I was introduced to the president of Allied Advertising in Boston, and, in 1988, while still in high school, was put on the press list, which allowed me to attend movie screenings, weeks and sometimes months before they came out.
One morning, long before cell phones and email were invented, I got a call from the director of Allied Advertising, at my home. My mother answered the phone. It was 7:00 AM. I didn't leave for school until 7:45 each morning. "Tim," the voice on the other line said, after having crawled out of bed and to the phone. "Are you free around noon this afternoon? There is a last minute tour for a movie coming out soon and the studio has the lead actress in town today. But there is no one from The Boston Globe or Herald or any other paper who are interested in interviewing her. Would you do me a huge favor and have lunch with her?" Of course, without a breath of hesitation, I agreed. I literally ran to school, high on life. I was finally about to interview a movie star alone, over lunch at one of Boston's most popular seafood restaurants. It didn't matter that she had made only one movie up until this point - a movie I detested, I was going to interview a real live movie star.
I
skipped out of class, with Mr. Fedele's permission, at 11:00 AM and at promptly noon, after being introduced to the actress by the director of Allied Advertising and then seated in a corner booth at Arne's Seafood Restaurant (which closed more than 15 years ago, making way for Legal Seafoods Restaurant), on the upper level of Copley Place, and were told that we would have one hour to chat and eat, my career in the movie world officially began.
The actress who was twenty-one at the time and had done hardly any interviews up until that point, since this was only her second film, was not at all intimidating or intimidated. Although I had never interviewed anyone famous before, I did have a knack for conversing with and getting on famously with just about anyone of any age or sex, since from the age of 3 I began knocking on doors, offering to convert all Catholic heathens into Jehovah's Witnesses. (Once the celebrity interviews took off, the traipsing up and down stairs in the snow, rain, sleet and heat and humidity, with Watchtower and Awake magazines began to take a back seat, until finally in 1990 I hid my 'service bag' in my closet - and came out of it content that if there was a god and he made me in his image, I was not destined for eternal death since I was now not afraid to admit that I was a homosexual).
Why the epistle about my life, you ask, when this is a story about up and coming actress Brittany Curran? Simple.
The actress I had lunch with in 1988 was Julia Roberts, who was in Boston at the time touting her second movie, "Mystic Pizza." And, in my opinion, Brittany Curran is on the road to becoming an actress to be reckoned with - and eventually - sooner if not later, an Oscar winner, too.
I met Brittany Curran, who turned 17 on June 2nd, over a year ago in Las Vegas, while attending the junket for New Line Cinema's "How To Eat Fried Worms." After the premiere of the movie at the Brendan Theater at The Palms Hotel, the cast of kids and their celebrity friends milled around at a fantastic pizza party.
In the midst of it all - since the movie was "How To Eat Fried Worms" - a savvy Las Vegas television entertainment reporter convinced a few of the stars of the film, and some of their up-and-coming celebrity friends to demonstrate eating an unfried, live, squiggling worm.
I stood back, about four feet from the camera and the little actors and actresses, who were sliding the worms down their throats, trying to not chew them alive, and marveled aloud to a man standing next to me. "What kids will do for attention at that age."
"That's my daughter, the one who just swallowed that worm," the man said. And so we met. His name is Marty Curran and his daughter is the beautiful Irish actress who just may become the next Julia Roberts. (Revisit this page in twenty years and you may be shocked to see that you first read about Brittany Curran, right here.)
Marty and I struck up a one hour conversation, which Brittany Curran joined in on. I got her whole life story, somewhat similar, yet completely on another level than mine. She, as a child, knew she wanted to be in the movie business, albeit an actress, and her parents, well, you'll read the interview and see exactly how accommodating they have been. And as fate would have it, Britanny, who has resided in Hollywood for a number of years, grew up a stone's throw from the restaurant I interviewed Julia Roberts at in 1988.
Brittany Curran and I have been in constant communication since we met and it is exciting for me to reveal that the guest star of "The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody," (yes, she's another Disney star in the making), and opposite Jennifer Garner in "13 Going On 30," is getting her biggest break yet, headlining, along with Haley Joel Osment's little sister, Emily, the Universal film, R.L. Stine's "The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It."
Brittany Curran just returned (last night) from a well deserved vacation at Walt Disney World in Orlando. We sat and talked for a few hours today about her most recent film, upcoming films and career thus far. Here is what Brittany Curran has to say - in her own, articulate words!
BRITTANY CURRAN SPEAKS!
Tim Nasson: When did the acting bug bite you and why have you not yet gotten rid of it? Is it here to stay?
Brittany Curran: My first recollection of the acting bug bite was when I was about 6 years old. I was a mouse in the Sandwich Community School’s (Cape Cod) presentation of The Nutcracker Suite. While standing behind a big black curtain in the wings of the theater, waiting for my first dance before a live audience, I remember being so excited and thinking to myself, “I hope I can remember this exact moment in a week.” There was something special and magical about that precise moment that I still remember. When I was about 5 years old I memorized the entire Jungle 2 Jungle movie and would lay down in bed some nights and reenact the movie in my head - start to finish! When I was seven I wrote a letter to Cinderella asking if I could be in a Disney movie. I wrote, “I was wondering if I could be an extra in a Disney movie, or the lead of course!” I brought the letter to her at the Magic Castle in Disney World during our vacation; I also listed on it the Disney Resorts and dates we’d be staying and the phone number I could be reached at. Although I didn’t get a call during our stay there, seven years later I did end up booking my first Disney movie, Go Figure. Oh, why have I not gotten rid of the acting bug yet? Can’t, don’t ever want to.
Tim Nasson: How supportive are your parents?
Brittany Curran: Incredibly! My parents are supportive of everything my brother and I do. When I was younger my dad would take the subway into Boston with me two or three times a week for my acting class. I remember times we’d walk several blocks from the train station to the school in the pouring rain or a snow storm. He’d always make it fun and goofy. He’d pretend to be Fred Astaire and dance around posts, screwing up the words to “Singing In The Rain.” Whenever I had a performance or presentation he’d bring me out and buy the best expensive clothes so I looked good! He’d pull the price tags off and say, “Don’t tell mom how much this cost, she’ll have a conniption fit.” If she asked he’d say, “Don’t worry about it, Brittany’s worth it.”
He’s also supportive by being super honest with me about my acting. He was invited into the end of an acting coaching session I once had for an ABC primetime sitcom. After performing the scene for him the coach proudly asked what he thought. My dad grinned and politely said there were some really good elements. We then left the house, were walking down the driveway, and he turned to me and candidly said, “Brittany, that sucked. Between here and the audition rework that and go by your instinct.” I actually told him I agreed and felt it was really fake. By the time I got to the audition on the Universal back lot, about 5 minutes away, I changed everything. After the audition they kept me for a callback, sent me on to producers that night, and I booked the show the next morning!
I still laugh when I hear him tell people he’s my Hollywood firewall. That he protects me from unwanted intruders. You know, one time it actually worked. We used to hang out at a coffee/tea shop in Burbank, as I got older I would go there alone to memorize scripts and do homework. Well, some old guy started saying hello to me, getting friendly, and then tried starting up conversations. Seemed like a nice grandfatherly type. He often spoke about being a producer and would always drop names. When I mentioned this to my dad he found it a bit peculiar and as he says, his radar went up. Then he started to do a little research on the guy using databases and associates because he found the nature of the relationship the guy was trying to establish a little weird. Have to admit, the firewall came in handy. Grampy was deeply involved in the porn industry and was constantly cozying up to young girls.
Needless to say, Daddy took care of things and grampy never went near me again.
Tim Nasson: For all who don't know, where did you grow up?
Brittany Curran: I was born at the South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, Massachusetts. After living in Weymouth for a few months we moved to Avon, Massachusetts where we lived for a couple years. Then we moved to Mockingbird Lane in Marstons Mills, Cape Cod where I spent most of my early childhood, attending Marstons Mills East Elementary School. I really loved living on Cape Cod! We lived in a big ranch that was surrounded by woods and we had paths that led to blueberry bushes. One of the things I really miss is our private beach and lake, Long Pond. The last time we visited our Mockingbird Lane neighborhood our old house had a new second floor and looked very different. When I asked a neighbor about the house they said the new owners burnt the old house to the ground with a spark from a barbecue. I was bummed and devastated. My childhood house and the closet where I signed my signature in a secret place gone forever. Some day I’m gonna buy back the lot and rebuild a house just like my old one. Our last residence before moving to California was in Hingham, Massachusetts where I went to William Foster Elementary School for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades.
Tim Nasson: So, your parents are supportive and moved across the country to fulfill your dreams. What was that like?
Brittany Curran: It was awesome! Actually, about five months before I was “discovered” my dad had given a ten month notice at his job. He wanted to move on and find something new. When the offer came in January from a Hollywood agent my dad had to convince my mom to move across the country. Many discussions and about six months later we were on an Amtrak train heading west. House sold, my dad already had a new job as a director of youth ministry in Pasadena, and my mom was about a week away from being offered a full-time job as an Adapted P.E teacher in Burbank! Little brother Ryan was excited about the weather and look of the palm trees.
We took the train across the country because my dad wanted us to feel like we were going on a journey. There was one little catch though. No pets were allowed and I was not about to leave my little hamster Nibbles behind. Yes, my dad was an accomplice. We bought a small black carry case for Nibbles, with the intent of smuggling him across the country. My biggest fear was that security would put it through the x-ray machine and see a little skeleton running around. Fortunately, we got safely through security and onto the train.
One night, we returned to our sleeper car from dinner to find Nibbles standing on top of the suitcase. I had no idea how he got there, but we had to tighten up security so Nibbles wouldn‘t be discovered. The back-up plan if Nibbles was found was to disembark the train and take a rental car the rest of the trip. A week later we arrived safely in Los Angeles and took a shuttle over to our new apartment complex in Burbank. I was so excited to be there, I put my luggage down and jumped - fully clothed - into the swimming pool before even entering the apartment.
Tim Nasson: Since your arrival in Los Angeles, what have been your worst moments?
Brittany Curran: Worst moments, hmm. There have been disappointments on some jobs I didn’t get, but things always seem to work out. Let me think about this. . . There have been certain roles I fell in love with, went really far in the process, then didn’t get them. The most memorable one is probably the film Hairy Tale because of the way it happened.
About a year after moving to Burbank, my family had a summer vacation planned to Disney World. My dad and I ended up traveling to Florida four days after my mom and brother because of a couple really big auditions. We were really hopeful that one of these would be my first feature film! Ok, so my dad and I arrive at the Disney Vero Beach Resort and are there for two days when we get a call to return to Los Angeles the next day for one of the films - a producer’s call. This was big, we were told, and worth the trip. My dad and I got on a red-eye that night back to L.A. and took a shuttle directly to the audition in Hollywood. I went in for my three minute callback then my dad and I headed back to the airport. My dad called my former manager to ask if we should hang around for a couple days, but was assured it was ok to go back to Florida. We got on a red-eye back to Florida, took a shuttle to the Atlantic coast. We were in our hotel room for two hours when we received a call to return to Los Angeles the next day, they wanted me to read with the lead boy.
Off to the Orlando Airport, another red- eye to Los Angeles. The next morning, another shuttle to Hollywood. I went in for my three minutes with the producers, director, and lead boy. I was about a foot taller than the boy, it looked like a middle school girl with an elementary school boy. Awkward enough, never mind the kissing scene that was in the script. Another red-eye, we arrived back to Disney exhausted and welcomed with the report that I “would go no further in the process” for “Hairy Tale.” I hate when they say that, just tell me, “you didn’t get the job.” Just cut right to the chase. So, yeah, that was our most dramatic disappointment.
But, all that mess opened up the door for one of my best moments and a much bigger booking, a role in 13 Going On 30 with Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo! Hairy Tale would have prevented me from doing 13 Going On 30 and I would have missed my time sitting and chatting with Jennifer Garner on the set at Sony Studios. It also left open the opportunity for me to do the pre-production voice of Jenny in Monster House(Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis). Although I’m uncredited, it was an amazing experience!
My other “best moments”- a kissing scene with Evan Ellingson in Complete Savages, a kissing scene with Drake Bell in Drake and Josh, and a kissing scene with Lucas Grabeel in my new feature film The Adventures of Food Boy. You know what the interesting thing is? I’m 17 and my only kisses in life have been on screen, never kissed a boy in real life. So, if you’re “Mister Right”, write to my agent! One of my funniest moments?! On the website IsTomCruiseNuts.com it was calculated that I would be Tom Cruise’s next potential wife. Hilarious.
Tim Nasson: What do you think of the current climate of tween and early 20s actresses behaving so badly, especially in public where girls who idolize them are seeing them go to jail and getting arrested for drugs, drunk driving, etc?
Brittany Curran: It’s really sad to see the condition of some of my childhood role models. Too much, too soon obviously isn’t good. Especially for kids who start too young. The work load and expectations puts too much pressure on little kids. Another problem is when parents don’t hold their children accountable for bad behavior. I remember during my interview with Henry Winkler he told me the reason Ron Howard turned out to be a healthy adult, is because he had good parents who treated him like any other real kid and punished him for bad behavior. They always kept Ron grounded in real life.
But there’s lots of reasons why people make mistakes in life. Lots of people who aren’t actors also have problems and issues, they just aren’t splattered all over the press. I’ve decided to be compassionate in my thinking and hope people can get their lives together. I still love Lindsay Lohan’s acting and her movie The Parent Trap is one of the films that inspired me to be an actress. When I was nine or ten my dad brought me to a Britney Spears concert in Worcester, Massachusetts as a Christmas present. It was my first concert and I had a blast. It was in the concert hall right after the show that I saw an advertisement for the acting class I joined and eventually led to me moving to Hollywood.
There is a difference between people who have problems and those who are just downright arrogant and conceited. Hey, I just hope that the days I do or say my stupidest thing there is no press around.
Tim Nasson: How have you dealt with school or home schooling?
Brittany Curran: Well, when we first moved to California my parents immediately enrolled me in the Burbank public schools. Once I learned that most of my acting friends were being home schooled, I kept asking my dad if I could be home schooled. He answered with an emphatic NO. When I told him all my friends were and it could help my career, he said it would ruin my career, that I’d miss out on a real childhood. He said something like in the long run you need to deal with real life in order to act life. Another thing he said that bugged me sometimes was, “I may not know acting, but I know human psychology, and if you want to act real, you need to live real.” Looking back, I realize he was right.
My dad always said he would consider trying some alternative education after I got into high school, but he wanted me to experience the “rites-of-passage” like other kids. I went to high school for 3 ½ days when I booked two good jobs. They interfered with school so my dad let me go to a charter school where I only had to go in twice a week to take tests, but I worked my butt off to teach myself all the material. At that time, I was about fourteen and tested into an advanced college class and was able to customize my schedule so it wouldn’t interfere with auditions and shoots. Not going to a regular high school is actually harder. With all the acting class, advanced high school subjects, college classes during the school year and summer, training, and doing films and television, I work my butt off. But, I love it.
Tim Nasson: Who are actors you’ve worked with, which you’re most enamored with and respect?
Brittany Curran: Wow! I’ve been lucky. Worked with a lot of great people. I’ve had some special moments with actors I’ve met, but not filmed with. I got to spend time interviewing Henry Winkler (The Fonz) for a young actors newsletter I write for. He was fun and the most genuine man. Loaded with kindness and wisdom for kid actors. I also had the honor of spending four hours with Marcia Mae Jones. She was the girl in the wheelchair, the friend of Shirley Temple in Heidi. I was in awe listening to the stories she told about Shirley and the classical age of Hollywood. I also spent about six hours with Jackie Ackerman. Jackie told me lots of stories, like sitting in on 12 year old Judy Garland’s first screen test at MGM when she sang for the bosses. He was a prop man on The Wizard of Oz and told me the story about being in the rafters with a fishing rod and wagging the Cowardly Lion’s tail with a fishing line. I figure in some way because I met Marcia and Jackie, I’ve been connected with Shirley Temple and Judy Garland. My little fantasy.
Most recently, I had such an awesome time working as Lucas Grabeel’s (High School Musical) leading lady in The Adventures of Food Boy. He was hilarious to work with and very respectful and professional during our kissing scene. Girls? Would you like to know if he was a good kisser? Watch the movie and let’s just say, tender and sweet, soft lips! Little secret, during the kiss scene, I was supposed to push him and stop the kiss, during the first three takes I forgot to do that. No, really, I did honestly forget. I guess I just got caught up in the moment!
One day, while I was in hair and make-up he sat next to me with his guitar and sang a few songs. He has an awesome voice. And Lucas is generous.
One night during the shoot he paid for dinner for the entire cast and crew, at an expensive restaurant. That’s cool. And, he gave me the Waiting for Guffman DVD as a gift.
Oh, you asked who are some actors I’ve been enamored with. Well, one I’m enamored with and plan on acting with is Meryl Streep. She, of course, doesn’t know this, and I’m sure nobody else in Hollywood has it planned, but I do. In fact, I started writing a script that she and I will star in - Dignity. It involves a mother and daughter going on a journey. I think she’s a sensational actress and I will keep on dreaming about acting with her. It will come true, it will come true...
Tim Nasson: What’s the biggest thing on your agenda right now, the most exciting movie you have in the works?
Brittany Curran: "The Haunting Hour: Don’t Think About It" comes out September 4th! Emily Osment, Cody Linley, and I star in it. Tobin Bell from the Saw trilogy also appears in it! He was awesome. Sometime in 2008 I have a feature film coming out, Diamond Dog Caper. I played the sister of Luke Benward and got to act with John Farley and Kevin Farley (brothers of Chris Farley). John played my father and Kevin played one of the thieves with French Stewart and Kelly Perine. The Adventures of Food Boy is due out at the end of 2008 and I have an independent horror film, The Uninvited with Marguerite Moreau, due out in 2008. That was fun because I got to do my first dramatic death scene! And I’ve always wanted to die in a movie. Also, a few episodes of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody where I play Chelsea Brimmer, the best friend of London Tipton (Brenda Song) are due out soon!
"The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It" also debuts on The Cartoon Network September 7, 2007 and will air ten times through the month of September 2007. Don't miss it.
All photos by Marty Curran!
Brittany Curran's Official Website
Brittany Curran's IMDB page
Brittany Curran's Wikipedia page
