Was it a writer or you that came up with ‘you’re welcome’?
“I’m afraid to say it, but it was actually me. We were in the first season and Lauren Iungerich who created Awkward called us in to talk to the writers about what was going to happen for the season with our characters. She was telling me all the mean stuff that Sadie is going to do and I was like, Sadie’s so mean and she was like yeah but your dad donated the things to the school and that’s when I replied you’re welcome. From then on its just been in every script.”
Is that going to be Sadie’s yearbook quote?
“(laughs). We didn’t do yearbook quotes! But I assume it would at least be at the end of her yearbook quote, yes.”
What was your senior yearbook quote?
“We had like senior year pages. I remember one quote that I had on there that said, break guitars not hearts. Then I had a bunch of Brand New quotes.”
Where do you see Sadie in ten years? Do you think she would come back for a high school reunion?
“I see Sadie in New York. I see her working at a magazine. As an editor, like a beauty editor or doing some sort of OpEd because she’s very opinionated. I actually see her, I mean I might be the only person on the planet, but I see her married and as a mom. It’s kind of boring (laughs). I’m so close to Sadie and the thing about playing her is that you have to justify every action she makes, so I’m totally on her side. I hope that she can be a great woman.”
Do you think that she’ll be married to Sergio or do you think she’ll meet her husband in NY?
“Oh, I don’t know. I can actually see it working out with Sergio until the bitter end. I think that they are really compatible and they’re growing. So yeah, let’s say Sergio but he’ll have to move to New York and leave his food truck behind.”
There are food trucks in New York!
“That’s true, but rent is so high and there are restaurants in New York that are good!”
Do Sadie and Sergio stay together throughout Season 5?
“Well, I can’t say all of it because, of course, the back half of Season 5 is us going to college and coming back for the summer. They have their ups and downs and there’s definitely a lot of issues but I will say that Sergio and Sadie definitely love each other a lot.”
What was the first scene that you shot from Season 5?
“First scene that I shot personally was at a car dealership. It was actually with Heather Mazur who plays Darlene, my mom. That was the first scene I shot.”
What episode or scene from Season 5 are you most excited for fans to see?
“I think it’s been in the promos that Sadie and Matty are at prom together. They have a scene in the limo which was probably the funniest scene I’ve ever shot. These people are my best friends and even if they weren’t, they’re hilarious, amazingly talented people. So I’ve had a hard time getting through a lot of scenes in my career. Jillian and I have a hard time, you get the giggles and you just can’t stop. Beau and I in the limo was the funniest scene I’ve ever shot. I also think it’s an amazing scene.
We actually just watched it the other night. Chris Alberghini showed us a couple of episodes from season 5. I am so excited for the fans to see that specific scene of Sadie and Matty in the limo.”
How many takes does it usually take you guys to film a scene?
“We’re generally pretty professional. We already know all the lines and stuff like that and we do table runs before we shoot everything so, the breaking usually happens after the takes. However, we’re single cam so, depending on location, a scene between two people can take four hours.”
Wow. Do you have a favorite blooper that you guys have done?
“Mike and Chris just made us our first blooper reel ever. There’s a picture that Brett and Jillian just Instagrammed of us at the wrap party watching this blooper reel. It was so funny. A favorite blooper? I don’t know. It’s really hard to say… I can’t choose one!”
How awkward was your real prom?
“My prom was pretty awkward, I was wearing a crystal bow tie around my ankle. (laughs). Does that give you an idea? Britney Spears used to wear crystal bow ties and stuff. I am a big Britney fan so whatever Britney does, goes! I put my twist on it by putting it around my ankle, so that was cool!”
How different was it filming Season 5 compared to the other ones knowing that this could be the last one?
“Well, I know that it’s weird for you because they said it was the last one, but now it might not be the last one. (laughs). We kind of knew that the whole time. So it wasn’t that different because every season we shoot we don’t know if we’re going to come back for another season. In the beginning like the first or second season we would get that full panic towards the end and stuff like that. Then that kind of stopped happening because we just feel so lucky, at least I feel so lucky, to be able to do this show and to work with these people and to work with these characters also.
We’re definitely done shooting at Palos Hills so that was different. The set was torn down and everything. We started shooting on our same stages but at the country club which is where we are hanging out a lot in 5B. It’s sad, I mean I was sad thinking about letting go of being able to work every day with these incredible people and artists.
What I thought about more this past season, which I hadn’t thought about before is what it’s going to be like to say goodbye to Sadie because, I mean, I’m the closest person to her and I know she’s a fictional character but I, some days, I’m her more than I am myself. When we’re shooting and it’s like 15 hour days, I’m dressed in Sadie’s clothes and I’m wearing Sadie’s nameplate necklace so, that’s going to change. That’s a sad thing that I didn’t anticipate being sad.”
How are you going to say goodbye to Sadie? Did you do anything special to put the character to rest?
“At this point no, because I don’t want to do it before it’s actually time to do that. I do have her nameplate necklace because that was one of those things I got, I actually was like Sadie needs this when we started shooting and she wears it in every episode besides the pilot because obviously, we shot the pilot and didn’t know if anything was going to go further.
I’ll probably re-watch some stuff. I haven’t watched stuff from the first, second or third season in so long! I’m also hoping to get the cheerleader uniform.”
I know that you’re a big J Law and Hunger Games fan so if all the actors from Awkward were in the Hunger Games, who would survive the longest?
“Definitely Sadie, are you kidding? (laughs).”
And for the actors?
“Maybe Ashley because she is like sneaky, like in a way where you’re like wait, what? You got a paddle board? And she’s like yeah, I’m an expert paddle boarder. You’re like, oh my gosh, I didn’t know that. So, maybe it would be Ashley.”
Besides planning a wedding, do you have any other projects coming up?
“I’m shooting something that I wrote. Hopefully my wedding will plan itself (laughs). So, I’m shooting a short that I wrote and I just shot an episode for a web series last weekend.”
Season five of Awkward premieres TONIGHT at 9/8c on MTV!