The Lizzie McGuire Movie on DVD

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DVD

Local 10-year-old Lizzie McGuire enthusiast, Kaytlyn Arthur, and I had the opportunity to interview several cast members of Disney’s new Lizzie McGuire film that debuted on DVD and VHS on August 12.

Lizzie, played by Hillary Duff, is no longer a little girl, but rather, a clumsy teenager with dreams of stardom. She attains notoriety when her brother sends a tape of her clownish acting to a national television morning show. Understandably, not the fame she was looking for.

During a school graduation vacation to Rome, she meets Italian pop-singer Paolo, who asks her to sing with him. Not only is she with a heartthrob, she actually gets to perform with him.

Kaytlyn and I talked with Ashlie Brillault (Kate), Adam Lamberg (Gordo), Yani Gellman (Paolo), and last but definitely not least, film director Jim Fall. Talking with them, I could see why this is one of the best teenage films to hit the big screen in a long time.

Ashlie Brillault
Ashlie played the role of stuck-up Kate, who later became one of Lizzie’s friend. In real life, Ashlie is far from the character she played. A bubbly personable girl, she is very approachable and loves talking with her fans. Ashlie first auditioned for the role of Lizzie McGuire, but ended up getting the role of Kate.

When I asked her what it was like to be working in Rome, she made it clear that she absolutely loved Rome and especially, the Italian deserts. With great enthusiasm, she described the food, especially the various types of ece-cream.

Although, Ashlie loved filming in Rome, she is very close to her family and she said it was difficult for her to be away, although her family was able to visit her for two weeks.

When I asked her if she had any advice for young actors and actresses, she said it can be difficult to deal with the criticisms and not to take it personally, but that believing in yourself despite of the criticism is important.

Ashlie is currently in negotiations about a film where she’ll play a pop star in Hawaii.

Some of Ashlie’s favorite television shows are “That 70’s Show" and various reality television shows.

Adam Lamberg
Adam Lamberg played the role of David Gordo, Lizzie’s best friend, loyal to the end. When I asked Adam how he approached the role of Gordo, he said that he wanted to put some of himself into the character. Like Gordo, Adam is a cool laid-back guy. I found it very easy to talk with him. He is currently a college student in Northern California.

"Beautiful!" was the one word he used to describe Rome. The buildings especially impressed him, but he wasn’t immune to good food, pasta and pizza. He also loved filming in Vancouver, recalling the scenery, cool fresh air, and the sushi.

His advice for young actors/actresses? He said "Get into it. Always try to be entertaining. Think of your life as a movie."

Some of Adam’s favorite Television shows are "The Simpsons" and "Seinfeld."

Yani Gellman
Yani, played the role of Paolo, the conniving Italian pop star. Yani himself is an attentive, friendly, outgoing guy. Born in Miami, his dad is from Canada and his mom is from Australia. Because his dad was a reporter, the family ended up living in many parts of the world. When he was quite young, his family moved to Australia, and then Spain, where Yani learned to speak some basic Spanish. After they lived in Spain, they moved back to Toronto.

Yani is an actual European name, a take off on the Belgian name of a friend of his father, "Jan-Jorris." To avoid being called Jenny or some girl’s name, his father changed the first letter of the name to a "Y," hence the name Yani.

Yani just graduated from the university with a degree in Political Science. He has no plans currently to pursue politics, although he didn’t rule it out though. He candidly remarked how "a lot of our politicians are the best and worst actors."

Yani found every day in Rome as a different adventure, even down to finding his way to the set. The food, clothes, buildings, everything was different. His advice: “You just got to integrate yourself into the culture.”

Since Yani traveled quite a bit throughout Europe, he was able to take the "European Flair of Life" and incorporated it into the character of Paolo. He also studied European pop stars Enrique Iglesias and Mark Anthony. In order to get the accent, he watched Italian films and tried out his Italian accent in Rome. So convincing was he, that many Italians believed he was an Italian, speaking English.

Yani’s acting was so believable that back home he ended up getting in a bit of trouble with his young nephews and nieces, who are avid Lizzie McGuire fans. They wondered how he could do such a mean thing to Lizzie.

Yani’s favorite television shows are "The Simpsons" and the Lizzie McGuire show of course.

Jim Fall
The director for all intents and purposes is the "boss" on the set, even though the stars are the ones that shine in a film. It is the director who really makes them shine.

One of the actors described Jim Fall as more of a friend then a director. Kaytlyn and I had a great time talking with him as he brought his perspective about the making of the film.

His thoughts on Rome? “…almost too beautiful.” The only problem they ran into were the many tourists who seemed to be in the exact spot they were filming. It was difficult working around the sightseers, and it took some "clever framing" and asking the tourists to move out of view to get the shots.

Fall loved working with the young cast. "The kids are so excited to be in a film. They were a joy to work with," he told us.

The only problem they ran into was the time they had to shoot because of labor laws limiting the hours they could work on the film. Subtract three hours of schoolwork, an hour of lunch, one hour in a make-up, and you’re left with very little actual time in front of the camera. This became very evident when Kaytlyn asked him how the concert scenes were filmed.

Fall explained it took almost a week to film it with Hillary Duff playing both roles of Lizzie and Isabella — so the time limitations were a real issue. Luckily, Hillary Duff was a “quick study” and very professional. Duff was willing to work more longer hours on the film, but the labor laws prevented her from doing so.

Fall’s advice: "Thick skin." He said to learn from criticism or rejection and not to take it personally. He also encouraged young actors and actresses to keep acting. "No one will come to your door and tell you how talented you are." They would have to put their talent out there.

Fall was sitting in his hotel room while we were talking about the film when a commercial for the Lizzie McGuire DVD came on television. I could hear that he was truly thrilled about the film.

Fall will be working on an independent film called "Pants on Fire" starring Tori Spelling of “90210” fame.

The DVD comes with some great extras. Duff gets the opportunity to showcase her singing abilities, and she is quite good indeed. I wouldn’t be surprised if she becomes well known based on her singing talents — just a beautiful voice! The DVD includes deleted scenes, a tour of Rome by none other than Hillary Duff and some information on hers future CD.

To order your copy of this DVD from Amazon click here