In the upcoming Nickelodeon movie Spectacular!, Simon Curtis plays Royce, who's a total rude dude. But in real life, Simon Curtis is whip-smart, courteous (look how polite he was to the stylist at Popstar!), and sweeter than the cheesecake he may or may not be digging into with the Spectacular! cast when the movie premieres this Monday, February 16 at 8pm. Find out more about Simon Curtis, and see what he and cast member Victoria Justice have up their sleeves the next time they turn their camera on and record another home movie.
Buzzworthy: Hey Simon! What'd I just catch you doing?
Simon Curtis: I just came from breakfast with Victoria and Avan. They live so close, we all hang out together. We were really excited because Drea from Danity Kane walked in, and Making the Band was our show! "Damaged" was our song up in Vancouver on the Spectacular! set. We were always screaming that song at the top of our lungs. So it was kind of a serendipitous thing to have Drea walk in! And Victoria's so gutsy -- she sees someone and just has no problem to be like “hey we met at the Teen Choice Awards!” And I’m like shrieking in my seat, cowering!
Buzzworthy: How’d you prepare for the role of Royce?
SC: I was raised in Oklahoma, and it’s like the heartland of show choir! So I knew all about show choir. I swear I knew at least five Royces back in my high school. When I was auditioning, I was telling my roommates, like this IS my high school, and I have to get this role so I can make fun of this hilarious depiction of a quintessential show choir guy. So I totally connected with the character based on my experiences in high school.
BW: What kind of guy were you in high school?
SC: I was such a chameleon. I really kept to myself. I was very friendly and well-liked but I had my two best friends and I really stuck to them. I did do drama, and I did do choir, but my big thing was the school newspaper. That was where I really thrived. I loved performing but I never really got along with those kids. The newswriting kids were who I hung out with. I guess looking back I was a bit of a nerd!
BW: What was the hardest part of shooting?
SC: We had some difficult days on set, and it was very cold on night shoots, but it was honestly the best time I’ve ever had in my life. There was one scene I shot with Victoria for and I we were shooting “Lonely Love Song.” It’s the hardest dance number in the movie, and we shot in this room that was soooo hot -- of course, it’s the hottest day in Canada! And for some reason we only shot the musical number from the beginning to the end. So by the time you've done 40, 50 takes of a musical number, we’d done it the whole way through the entire time! It was so grueling! They were taking us outside between every take to drink Gatorade and cool down. So it was the hardest day, but it was the best day because it was Victoria and my last day of shooting. But we loved every moment we had up there.
BW: What Spectacular! secrets can you share? And I already know about the heating pads!
SC: I’m so glad you called them out! To this day I still don’t know what they are! They’re these weird little crunchy sandbags that get extremely hot, and our clothes were STUFFED with them! I don’t know what chemical reaction is taking place, but it still blows my mind. Also, our big finale number is in the scene where we’re performing in a big auditorium, but most of those numbers were shot on a soundstage with no audience or auditorium. There was only about five feet of space from the end of the stage to the wall. It was such a tight fit, but when you watch the movie, it’s so seamless. You’d never ever guess you we didn’t shoot the movie with an audience. So there's a little movie magic for you!
BW: Who’s your favorite Spectacular! cast member?
SC: Victoria’s like my little sister now. We became really close because we played boyfriend/girlfriend characters, and we instantly connected. I’m older than her, but she’s a very old soul. I’m very protective of her like an older brother, and she rags on me like a sister! But I’m really close with Andrea Lewis and Avan. I made some really really good friends.
BW: Do you and Victoria have any more YouTube videos coming up?
SC: They’re spur of the moment. Victoria and I have been trying to do a singing video since the summer, but we keep arguing about which song! She wants to do that Jason Mraz/ Colbie Caillat duet “Lucky,” and I wanna do “Falling Slowly,” from Once. So we’ll see.
BW: Are you guys all getting together to watch the movie when it premieres this Monday?
SC: Yeah, we’ll all probably just go out to eat and hang out and watch it! I’ve been on such a hardcore diet lately and focusing on fitness, so the night the movie comes out will be my big release! There will be some Cheesecake Factory in there somewhere! It’s my downfall. What can I say?
+ Don't miss Simon in action as Royce when Spectacular! premieres this Monday on Nickelodeon! But until then, check out an exclusive interview with Tammin Sursok, see a brand-new photo of Nolan Gerard Funk, who plays Nikko, and watch the "Your Own Way" video from the movie!
