In the film After, Tessa Young (played by Australian actress Josephine Langford) is a dedicated student, dutiful daughter and loyal girlfriend to her high school sweetheart. Entering her first semester of college, Tessa’s guarded world opens up when she meets Hardin Scott (played by British actor Hero Fiennes-Tiffin), a mysterious and brooding rebel who makes her question all she thought she knew about herself — and what she wants out of life.
We got the chance to interview the two leads from the new film.
For this film, you both have to take the jump to being very intimate and close to someone you essentially just meet. Can you recall what the first meeting between you two was like?
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin: Yeah, we meet in the hotel lobby…10 minutes before we were going to a dinner with producers and director. It was nice getting a head start to getting to know each other a bit before that.
Josephine Langford: We said hi and we popped into an Uber.
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin: Yeah, it was quite quick. We did have like just over a week before the first day of filming, for rehearsals that we sorely focused on scenes just with the two of us, so it was really good to get familiar with each other before the first day of filming.
So Josephine, originally you auditioned for Molly…
Josephine Langford: You did your research!
(Laughs)…Very different from Tessa. When you found out that they wanted you to play Tessa, like how did you kind of prepare for that switch because they are very different characters?
Josephine Langford: I mean, initially when I read the script that was the role I connected to more or I wanted to play more but she was already cast. I don’t know I was just happy…and it wasn’t really a switch because I only done two auditions for Molly so it’s not like I’d done all this research and then suddenly I was playing this completely different character. So I was just excited to get to do it.
Hero, when …you never heard about the book till you auditioned for this…
… But you pointed out that people have heard about this book, people you knew. So did that kind of add extra pressure…like oh, there’s an expectation into playing Hardin?
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin: Yeah, definitely I feel like…it wasn’t like bad, daunting pressure but like good set the bar high of pressure. It was more like an expectation that I understood that I wanted to meet.
There are FOUR other books in the series, have you two jumped ahead to see what happens to Tessa and Hardin?
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin: We’ve..I’ve heard a few spoilers. Yeah yeah, we have more of the story to tell if we get that chance.
Ok, so one of the big moments in the movie centered around a game of truth or dare…
Josephine Langford: Yeah….
You guys up for a real quick game of that right now?
Josephine Langford: Well we don’t have a choice!…no no no, let’s do it.
I want you to agree on…this is a shared one, you have to agree on truth or dare. Both of you have to do it.
Dare? I was really hoping you were gonna say that…Hero I want you to play Tessa. Josephine I want you to play Hardin real quick, GO!
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin: …hey.
Josephine Langford: Mmmbluh…
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin: Bluh bluh bluh.
Josephine Langford: Uuubluh (laughs) there’s not even any dialogue! No uuhhh….Hey, what you doing? What you doing in my room? Tessa?
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin: I’m not playing this game.
Josephine Langford: Well…too bad.
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin: And that’s all you’re gonna get.
That is MORE than what I wanted.
Josephine Langford: THIS is why they did not switch the roles.
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin: I think they cast us correctly.
I think you guys did great! Thank you so much.
