Hey M Girls,
Today's the day Pitch Perfect comes out on DVD! We caught up with Skylar Astin, who plays Jesse, and he gave us deets about the featurettes on the DVD, his favorite performances, and the songs he'd love to cover if they make a sequel...yep, we're crossing our fingers, too!
How did you find out you got the part?
I was on a night shoot for this movie 21 and Over that's actually coming out in March! It was about 7 p.m. and I was actually heading into work because on night shoots, you work all throughout the night. One of my agents was crying (when he found out). He's been with me for a long time and I think he just knew what an opportunity this was and how great and big this movie could be for me. It was a really great moment and it was weird -- it was around the holidays too, so he was very excited.
What kind of special features will be on the DVD?
I don't wanna make any promises, but I would bet all my money that there will be several outtakes and deleted scene type things, especially with Rebel, Anna, and the improv going on on set! I know that even when we were shooting, we had some things we knew wouldn't make it into the movie. The director and everyone involved would say, "this is for the DVD, this is for the DVD!" That's the kind of thing that you hear a lot when you're on set, but I know that especially with the comedy, you can definitely plan on seeing those!
Were there any songs that you filmed that never ended up in the movie?
There were a lot of versions that die-hard Pitch Perfect fans will be able to pick up on. In the featurettes, you'll see us rehearsing things that aren't quite in the movie. There's things that never really saw the light of day, but in pre-production, we were kind of workshopping everything. There were definitely songs that were changed last minute or didn't really work out. I don't think there will be full-on filmed versions of songs that didn't make it in, but there will be pieces you'll be able to check out!
What was it like working with you this amazing cast of people?
I think in a week, we're having one of our many reunions, dinners, or parties! We all still keep in contact and I see certain cast members on more of a weekly basis. We all have maintained really solid friendships and I think that's because we just had such a level of trust, intimacy, and fun. You're basically doing something that feels like putting on a play and we had this grueling rehearsal period together where we all bonded. We got to go on set every day and sing and dance and make people laugh! I think it would be kind of a drag if we all didn't get along and took ourselves a little too seriously. Thankfully no one on that set had that attitude!
Do you have a favorite musical number from the movie?
I really loved the audition sequence because I think it kind of lifts the movie off in a great way and I just love how it introduces a lot of the characters that kind of flesh out the story. You really see Rebel in full action for the first time, which is really funny. I think it captures the spirit and lifts the movie off to it's second act in a really great way. I guess a really close second would have to be the girl's finale. It's the total climax of the movie and it's just a phenomenally performed medley.
Are there any songs that you wish you could have sung in the movie?
It's so embarrassing that I can't even tell you, but whenever I listen to the radio these days, there's a bit of dork inside of me that's like "man, maybe if there was a Pitch Perfect 2, I could do that song". I know that in an earlier draft, Jesse was supposed to sing "Cry me a River" instead of "Feels like the First Time". I think that would have been cool if we put that at least somewhere else and there's a little piece of me in character when we meet Jesse we see him singing "Carry on My Wayward Son" in the cab, and I wish that I got to actually do that song in its entirely maybe as a bonus track on the album or maybe sneaking it into our finale or something like that just to bring it full circle. I really wouldn't change a thing about the movie. These are just selfish things that the nerd inside me would want to see.
Thanks for chatting, Skylar! Be sure to grab your copy of Pitch Perfect -- out NOW!
Let's dish:
-Have you seen Pitch Perfect? What are you most excited to see on the DVD?