Bella Thorne as “Clare Bleecker” in the mystery thriller ‘Saint Clare’, a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Bella Thorne about her work on ‘Saint Clare’, her approach to her character, working with veteran actress Rebecca De Mornay, and shooting emotionally difficult scenes with Ryan Phillippe.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video above to watch our interviews with Thorne and Rebecca De Mornay.
Bella Thorne as “Clare Bleecker” in the mystery thriller ‘Saint Clare’, a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your approach to playing this character, how you would describe her in her own words, and her emotional arc in the movie?
Bella Thorne: How would I describe Clare? Kick ass! We love an arc. I think that we had such an interesting time going through that arc emotionally, finding that Clare hides her feelings, which is where the narration comes in in such a great way to let us know where we’re at with her. I think I just love that final ending moment, the curtain drawn in full, “You are going for it now.” I love that.
(L to R) Joy Rovaris as “Juliana LeBlanc,” Rebecca De Mornay as “Gigi Newberry” and Bella Thorne as “Clare Bleecker” in the mystery thriller ‘Saint Clare’, a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
MF: What was your experience like working with Rebecca De Mornay?
BT: I love Rebecca. She’s just amazing to work with, so much fun, and charisma, and truly wants what’s best for the scene when she’s stepping on set. Even reconnecting again with her through the press and festival process has been amazing. She is just way too hot. She needs to calm down.
Bella Thorne as “Clare Bleecker” in the mystery thriller ‘Saint Clare’, a Quiver Distribution release. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution.
MF: Finally, you have some emotionally challenging scenes opposite Ryan Phillippe. What was it like working with him on those sequences?
BT: Yeah, those scenes were again, more sparring in this movie, the kind of cat and mouse game, and playing with the idea that you are anxious. This is one of the times that we really see things coming back to bite her in that way, the things that she’s done. As well as at one point there is a serious shift choice in emotionally, “I know, and I’m ahead of you in this game.” I think that that was fun to play with as well.
Editorial Note: Krisily Fernstrom conducted this interview and contributed to this article.
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What is the plot of ‘Saint Clare’?
To the world, sixteen-year-old Clare Bleecker (Bella Thorne) appears to be a normal teenager: a Catholic school student, an animal lover and devout vegan living with her grandparents. But like the small town she lives in, Clare is more than she appears to be. Underneath her reserved appearance lives a sociopath with dissociative identity disorder – a serial killer.
‘Habit’ tells the story of a trio of women that pass themselves off as nuns in order to make enough money to pay off their debt to a ruthless drug dealer. Bella Thorne leads the cast, and Gavin Rossdale plays a small-time drug dealer in the movie. He recently talked to us about his work on the movie.
Moviefone: This movie’s bonkers in a really good way. Could you describe your character Eric?
Gavin Rossdale: I play Eric who was a big TV star at some point, lost his way, took 17 wrong turnings and ended up selling cocaine to people that come around to his house. At the same time, is possibly over talking when they get there and doing that thing that apparently drug dealers do, chat to the people buying their drugs.
MF: Because they get lonesome, right?
Rossdale: When all the people want to make the purchase and this is 15 minutes of small talk, I’ve heard.
MF: How did you get involved in this? How did this script come your way?
Rossdale: I’ve been friends with Donovan Leitch a long time and somehow, I don’t know. I mean, I think somebody mentioned me to Janell and then Donovan backed it up. And then I went to the essential lunch at the Château Marmont where they will hole up in a corner there. And it just, I liked the speed of the script. I liked the cast and Janell [Shirtcliff, the director] was so excited about the art direction for the sex club they were shooting in. It was nothing to do with anything with Eric. She was so excited about it. I thought, well, I like her passion for shooting. So let’s see what happens. So you take the plunge with these things, and you just go for it. And it was a great experience, great people.
MF: I’m curious to know how the script read, because there’s a lot of style on screen. Did that come across in the script?
Rossdale: No, not really. And that’s down to Janell. I mean, she did a fantastic deck that she was really proud of. And I think as a first movie, that was a specific, by place of comfort for her because she’s a wonderful photographer. So she knows how to light and make people look good. So that was what she was in. And then I think that, and then when you take on board the natural abilities of Bella, the way she could act so good. And just Janell created a space for everyone just to do their thing. You know what I mean? And just wasn’t too overbearing in any kind of way and just led a free set. It was chaotic because, like all independent movies, time is the money they don’t have.
And so it’s like, hurry up and say your lines. We’ve got to shoot it from a different direction. But it was great and I’m excited. The reaction to it is really, that’s what’s weird because we don’t know anything. You’re in it, and you don’t think about it. They’re editing it. They’re fighting to get the film made out and all that stuff. And then they get the partners with Lionsgate. And now it’s all, everyone is like, wow, the movie, this and that. So it’s exciting, nice to be a part of.
MF: Where’s the crossover in creativity for you as far as being a musician on one side or acting in front of a camera on a different side?
Rossdale: Right. I think it’s a bit like anything creative that you just, you go to a place where you lose yourself in some capacity. So when I sing my songs, I want to lose myself every night for a different reason. I don’t chain myself to the meaning of a song, some of that. So I’m loose like that. And that’s what I learned. I studied a long time ago. When De Niro didn’t cast me after three auditions for that movie he did with Angelina Jolie and Matt Damon, and Leo was the original guy. Anyway-
MF: Good Shepherd.
Rossdale: Yeah, Good Shepherd. I did three auditions with two casting and two were with De Niro, I did four auditions. And he got this amazing acting coach, Harold Guskin, and he wrote this book called How to Stop Acting. And so he’s been my main person I studied with. And he’s so loose that when you read with him, just things go through him. And I go, “What was that? I want to do that.” And he goes, “I don’t give a shit. I just say things, thinking things.”
So there’s a looseness. So I think that when you can lose yourself either in a speech or in a moment or in an action, it’s the same as losing yourself on stage in a song. I’m not Bowie, no one is, so it’s not like I invent characters, but I definitely lose myself on stage. And I hope to lose myself in being Eric. And in fact, I haven’t seen the movie, so I don’t really know how much of my stuff has stayed in there, but I definitely know that I left a lot of myself on the set, you know what I mean? So that would be the connection, I would think.
MF: There’s a very brutal scene with Queenie. What is she hitting? Because it couldn’t have been you. What’s she hitting next to you? How’d you shoot that scene in the kitchen?
Rossdale: I think she was basically smacking next to the chair or something like that. Probably caught me a couple of times to make it look real. She was a lot of fun. I mean, it was so wild because my scenes are with Bella who has more experience than everyone on set combined at the ripe age of what, 23 or something. She’s probably been acting 21 years. And so she, it’s a different vibe with her and then working with Jamie and with Josie. I mean, Josie’s energy is, it’s extraordinary when you’re in the room with her. Do you know what I mean? That’s the only word that comes to mind. And her husband was there, super handsome, samurai-looking dude. And I was like, “Oh my God, your wife’s crazy.” Because she’s like that the whole time. So she just went for it. So I don’t know what you’re referring… Yeah, probably a bit of something next to me, but I’m sure I got hit as well. It’s all part of it.
My nose really suffered for three months afterwards. Oh God, I think that was glucose I was sniffing or something like that, literal almond flour. Oh, it was the worst. I was like an honorary vegan. But yeah, it was the worst. My nose really hurt for three months. It was not good !
MF: I’m glad you talked about that. I’m always wonder what it’s like when somebody’s supposed to be snorting coke on a set. I’m always thinking, “What are they actually doing in there? Are you actually snorting?” So that’s good to know.
Rossdale: But I’m an idiot because I really, I love acting, and I love giving myself to it a thousand percent. So when I saw the lines the art department put out for a drug dealer, I was like, “That’s a little pathetic.” They’re like, I was going bananas. You don’t want them to be like toothpicks, because that’s not someone who’s got a stash of coke, in my opinion. (I heard from friends of mine.) So not only did I have to do copious amounts of almond powder or whatever it was, almond flour, but they were really big lines. That was really dumb. Because once you’ve got one shot there, you can’t now suddenly go back to the toothpicks they put out originally. So I shot myself in the foot or, in my case, in the nose on that one.
MF: Eric has this really cool house up in the hills. Were the interiors and exteriors from the same house?
Rossdale: Yeah, the Birds. I think it was up in the Birds. Yeah, it’s a nice house. And we were totally camped out there when I shot, that’s where I shot everything. So I was just there. Yeah.
MF: And so how many days was that for you?
Rossdale: I think four, four or five.
MF: In and out pretty quick, efficient.
Rossdale: Yeah, indie movies you’ve got to know your lines, know your marks. And thank you, next shot. And so you’re like, “Shit, I hope the take was good because we’re moving along pretty quick.” I’ve done movies that are a lot, lot slower. I’ve done 100 million dollar movies, and I’ve done a million dollar movies. So I liked that, obviously, the 100 millions are fun because then you’re like, “Oh my God, we need… Nothing will work unless we have lobster for everyone.” Okay, get lobster for everybody. That kind of bullshit. “Oh, look, the helicopter’s getting here, so we can get to the airport quickly.” The indie movies are fun because it’s fast-paced, and you’re just moving and [inaudible], and before you know it, you’ve done 12 hours and…
MF: Yeah. It strikes me that that would feel, especially for a musician, a little garage band style, like you’re back to basics and just jamming a little bit.
Rossdale: Yeah. I mean, it feels perfectly professional and everyone’s on it. It’s just, you’re just aware. I sometimes think you’ve got to look for the act, of course you have to know your lines, but I sometimes think I’m glad that I know my lines because it can be hectic. And then when they want to change something, I find that quite hard as an actor. Even as a singer, as long as you get the first line of the song, I’m cool. So when you start chopping bits, and then you’re moving around, some of that’s super challenging. I’m not a method actor, although I do really relate to them. So I find myself it’s quite hard to… I walk around the whole time with the words. I’m reading it, and I’m thinking about it and I can’t go off and jam for a while. So I have to stay in the zone. I find it quite hard to, probably, because I don’t act enough that when I’m warmed up and limber, I want to stay in that space.
MF: I would say that sounds like the songwriter in you, that the lyrics are what your focus is.
Rossdale: Yeah, for sure. 100%. I mean, I give myself anxiety, like I don’t know them and I do know them. And I run the lines, and then I run them so much in preparation, that’s what I did learn from my acting coach. I used to try and memorize them. And he’s like, “Oh my God, what a nightmare.” Just running them, just by running them, you end up knowing everyone’s lines. And that’s purely by just repetition.
UPDATES: Despite cancellation reports from The Hollywood Reporter and SpoilerTV, a Freeform rep told Entertainment Weekly the show is not officially dead yet. “No decision has been made at this time.”
I. Marlene King also disputed THR’s report that she and Bella Thorne didn’t get along, and also seemed to deny that the cast was relieved for the show to be canceled:
Despite what may be out there I am not in a feud w @bellathorne. We have, and have always had, a friendly and professional relationship.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Famous in Love” was canceled after two seasons on Freeform. Bella Thorne just found out from social media … ’cause apparently no one told her?
Maybe it’s because her name and alleged “diva-like behavior” are tied to the show ending — with THR claiming she and showrunner I. Marlene King clashed multiple times.
According to THR, Freeform initially wanted to do a third season of the show, which was said to be expensive, but wanted streaming partner Hulu to give a larger contribution. Hulu passed, since Season 2 only averaged 254,000 total viewers which was down from Season 1.
In a twist on the usual cancellation reception, THR’s sources said the show being axed was actually a “relief” for many members of production, due to the star’s alleged behavior and her clashes with the former “Pretty Little Liars” showrunner.
THR’s sources said Thorne “actively wanted off of ‘Famous in Love,’ with the actress and social media star having refused to participate in Freeform-organized live-tweets during its second season.”
But Thorne sounded upset to hear of the show’s cancellation via a SpoilerTV tweet posted Tuesday afternoon:
If this is how I find out our show is canceled..I’m going to be so upset. Very hurtful freeform. I woulda liked a phone call maybe. https://t.co/B6Q5BX8hkt
LOS ANGELES, March 25, (Variety.com) – After weeks of speculating which film could slow “Black Panther’s” impressive roll, “Pacific Rim Uprising” took the top spot at the domestic box office.
Universal and Legendary’s “Pacific Rim Uprising” landed a respectable $28 million opening weekend at 3,708 locations. The monster battle movie has garnered mixed critical response, with a current 46 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Though it opened with a softer debut than Guillermo del Toro‘s predecessor “Pacific Rim,” which saw $37 million in July 2013, the sequel was enough to dethrone “Black Panther” in the superhero tentpole’s sixth weekend.
Steven S. DeKnight co-wrote and directed “Pacific Rim Uprising” with a reported $150 million budget. The original, which starred Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Charlie Hunnam, and Robert Kazinsky, went on to gross $411 million at the worldwide box office, thanks to a strong international showing, especially in China, where it made $112 million compared to the U.S.’ $101.8 million.
The sequel is set 10 years after the Battle of the Breach with a new generation of Jaeger pilots ready to combat the evolving Kaiju monsters and prevent humanity’s extinction. John Boyega plays Jake Pentecost, the son of Elba’s character Stacker Pentecost, who sacrificed his life in the first film. Scott Eastwood, Jing Tian, Cailee Spaeny, Kikuchi, Burn Gorman, Adria Arjona, and Day also star.
Still, in its sixth weekend “Black Panther” continues to be a powerhouse, nabbing the No. 2 spot with $17 million at 3,370 sites. That number lands “Black Panther” one of the seven highest sixth weekends in history. To date, the Marvel film has taken in $631 million, making it the fifth-highest all-time domestic grosses ahead of “The Avengers.”
“It had to happen at some point, and Universal’s ‘Pacific Rim Uprising’ now holds the distinction of being the film that took over ‘Black Panther’s’ long-standing position as king of the weekend box office mountain,” Paul Dergarabedian, a box office analyst at comScore, said. “The latest Disney superhero film has been an absolute marvel, holding onto the top spot for a whopping five weeks, while sprinting its way up the all-time charts and now stands as the fifth highest grossing film of all-time in North America and ranks twelfth globally after just 38 days in theaters.
Meanwhile, Roadside Attraction and Lionsgate’s faith-based “I Can Only Imagine” remains a force in its second weekend with $13 million from 2,253 sites. Based on the story behind the best-selling Christian song, “I Can Only Imagine” earned a surprisingly strong $17.1 million at the domestic box office, bringing its total up to $38 million.
Following “I Can Only Imagine’s” success, biblical drama “Paul, Apostle of Christ” opened in line with estimates with $5 million at 1,473 sites over Palm Sunday weekend. The story follows James Faulkner as Saint Paul in his last days awaiting execution by Emperor Nero in Rome. Directed by Andrew Hyatt, the film also stars Jim Caviezel, Olivier Martinez, Joanne Whalley, and John Lynch.
Also opening this weekend was Paramount Pictures and MGM’s animated comedy “Sherlock Gnomes,” which saw $10 million at 3,662 locations. That’s significantly lower than initial tracking estimates between $13 million to $18 million. The sequel to 2011’s “Gnomeo & Juliet,” which reeled in $194 million worldwide, sees the petite pair recruiting detective Sherlock Gnomes and his sidekick, Gnome Watson, to investigate the mysterious disappearance of other garden gnomes. Directed by John Stevenson and executive produced by Elton John, it features the voices of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mary J. Blige, and Johnny Depp.
The second weekend of Alicia Vikander‘s “Tomb Raider” landed $10 million from 3,854 locations, bringing its grosses up to $41 million, while the second weekend of “Love, Simon” took in $7 million with $23 million to date.
Two smaller releases — Global Road Entertainment’s “Midnight Sun” and Bleecker Street and Fingerprint Releasing’s “Unsane” — debuted with $4 million and $3.6 million respectively.
Young adult romantic drama “Midnight Sun” stars Bella Thorne as a teen who has been sheltered at home since childhood due to a life-threatening sensitivity to sunlight. Steven Soderbergh’s psychological thriller “Unsane” sees Claire Foy as a troubled woman stalked by her ex. Joshua Leonard, Jay Pharoah, Juno Temple, Aimee Mullins, and Amy Irving round out the cast.
Rounding out the weekend, Wes Anderson‘s “Isle of Dogs” opened with $1.5 million in limited release, with a screen average of over $58 thousand in 27 theaters. The stop-motion animated film boasts a star-studded ensemble voice cast that includes Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, and Bob Balaban. Set in a dystopian futuristic Japan, dogs have been quarantined on a remote island due to a canine flu. A boy, Atari, ventures to the island to find his dog, Spots.
A short list of the things Bella Thorne is on the brink of dominating: Hollywood, Instagram, television and, if possible, outer space. Just don’t partner up with her in a video game challenge.
Yes, even though the 18-year-old actress — who made her name on the Disney Channel hit series “Shake It Up” and followed that with roles on the big screen including “Blended” and “The Duff” — is giving voice to the Galactic Ranger Cora in the movie adaptation of the popular PlayStation game “Ratchet & Clank,” she admits her personal gaming skills are sorely lacking.
But that may be the only territory she has trouble conquering; Thorne’s already become an in-demand actress (with no less than nine films planned for release within the next year), a teen style icon, a bestselling YA novelist, a recording artist and an Instagram star with over 11 million followers. She’s also about to return to TV in a big way, teaming with “Pretty Little Liars” showrunner Marlene King for the upcoming Freeform series “Famous in Love.”
Moviefone caught up with the busy actor to discuss her new film and her future projects.
Moviefone: What was it that got you excited to be a part of “Ratchet & Clank”?
Bella Thorne: You know, I was really hoping that they would ask me to be in this video game, and they did. So that was so awesome. That’s one of the main reasons why I took it, so that hopefully they would put me in it. I just always have wanted to be a part of the video game. I watched it growing up. I never played them because I was just really bad. I was terrible. But I thought they were dope, so I’d just watch my brother play them all the time.
The only two that I’m actually good at are “Mortal Kombat” and “Grand Theft Auto.” That’s probably it.
So once you got that invite, what did you fall in love with as far as your character, Cora, goes?
I fell in love with her integrity, and the fact that she was just so in your face. So much attitude, totally down to kick butt. When you have that, it’s awesome because it’s very easy for me to play because that’s me. Because that’s totally me, by the way! It’s already completely me, the character.
I could easily be a Galactic Ranger. Somebody give me a chance! I’ll go up into space!
This is such an interesting and cool time in your career. What’s it been like for you to get these opportunities and really stretch yourself in the various directions that you’re going?
I mean, I’m just so lucky. I’m lucky I get to do what I do, and I’ve been given the opportunity to do it. I’m all about playing different people and just being me. I love to step out of my comfort zone. Whenever I get to do something really interesting, I really have to pay attention and really just do my full — my hardest that I can.
“Famous in Love” got picked up to series at Freeform. You’ve already done the pilot. Tell me what was it about the show that made you say, “Yeah, I’m totally on board.”
Being able to be producer and getting creative credit. Marlene and I took this show from a book. We made this show and we were selling it, and we ended up selling it together to ABC. So being able to be in the pitch meetings was so cool. It was so cool because it was completely different for me. That was something that I had no experience in whatsoever. So the creative aspect of acting, everything that goes beyond the screen — I got to learn all about it.
Tell me a little bit about the actual storyline of the show.
Well, when I read the book [by Rebecca Serle] originally — it was a long time ago — I thought it was cool that we show Hollywood [for] what it is. People think it’s so glamorous and it’s so perfect and everybody is so nice. And it’s not. It’s not that perfect. So it’s cool when you’re able to go behind and you know, show everything to everyone. So I’m glad to get to kind of open up that world.
You know a little bit about being famous yourself. Are you comfortable with fame, or are there parts of it that you still have to wrap your head around?
There’s a lot of things in Hollywood. It depends on what kind of person you are, and if you’re able to say “no.” People might say that I’m a bitch because I don’t let people push me around, or women are bitchy when they don’t let people use them a certain way. But not true. If I was a guy saying the same thing, he’d be like, “Oh, that’s a hot guy. He really sticks up for himself. He’s so manly.” But when it’s a girl, it’s the exact opposite.
So I just say, “OK, let people call me bitchy. I’m going to take care of myself, though.” I have people watching my back, but I have to do the same thing. I’ve got to be me all the time. Unless I’m doing a role, I can’t ever not be me in the public eye because I don’t want to do that.
You have such a huge fan following and a big presence on social media. How would you like to continue to reach your audience as you go deeper into this adult phase of your career?
With the audience, I mean, the most amazing thing would be to help somebody in life. As a human being, I feel like that’s just your natural instinct — to want to help someone. If you can, why wouldn’t you? I don’t understand why you wouldn’t. So that’s my main goal in life.
I guess my goal for acting would probably be — especially for the kind of roles I want to play — number one, I’d be so down to play like a badass Marvel character. Any type of badass female in live-action, like Cora is in this movie. I also like playing roles that are very rebellious and real. So it’s good when you really show teenagers for how they actually act and how they actually talk.
Have you set your eye on a specific superhero or super villain character that you’d love to play?
Honestly, if I could just play a female version of “Deadpool” — any character that’s a female version of Deadpool — I’m so down!
If you’re like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Here’s the best of what happened last night on late night.
Seth Meyers had the cast of “Parks and Recreation” on his show Tuesday night for their big final goodbye. Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Adam Scott, Retta, Jim O’Heir and Mike Schur discussed filming the finale, and revealed their own pitches for how they wanted the show to end. Since it’s also the one-year anniversary of Seth’s show, they sang an anniversary song for him, but they didn’t rehearse it, so it didn’t go too well. What did go very well was their “Bye, Bye Li’l Sebastian” song on the way out — complete with Jim (Gerry) and Aubrey (April) making out, to the surprise of everyone around them. Yes, that is what you are seeing. Love Retta’s reaction: “I can’t look at it. I can’t look.” Tears! Josh Duhamel and Gabrielle Union (gorgeous!) were both on “The Tonight Show” and played “Random Object Shootout” with Jimmy Fallon. It’s a huge waste of food, and someone will have to clean it up, but it’s still fun. Josh is the ringer! Josh talked to Jimmy about his son, and the adventures in potty training. Bella Thorne was on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” talking about the Disney Channel, Woody Harrelson, and when Christian Bale (her favorite actor) recognized her from “Shake It Up.” She also talked about food; she’s Cuban and loves spicy food. She ate an onion on the air. Will Forte was also on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” talking about the sweet beard he grew for his new show, and his love for “The Bachelor.” Will cannot explain his love for the show, but he spent yesterday trying to catch up on stuff earlier this season. Jimmy brought out Chris Soules, who is apparently just always hanging out on the JKL set. Chris brought Will a rose. Matthew Broderick was on “Late Show with David Letterman” and they had the sex talk. Dave asked if Matthew has had “the talk” with his son, and how he would approach that. Victoria Justice was on “Conan” and they showed when Conan and Victoria were at the White House, singing a Christmas song alongside the Obamas, Justin Bieber, Jennifer Hudson, the Band Perry, and Cee-Lo.
UPDATES: Despite cancellation reports from The Hollywood Reporter and SpoilerTV, a Freeform rep told 
LOS ANGELES, March 25, (Variety.com) – After weeks of speculating which film could slow “
A short list of the things 
If you’re like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Here’s the best of what happened last night on late night.