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Best Press Junket Summary by Showbiz 411:
The questions from the press got intimate. But the actors handled it all with equal parts goofiness, humor and grace. They have an easy-going relationship with each other and horsed around for the next 45 minutes but also got across the message that they worked really, really hard on the film.
Efron has been working double time because he is also the executive producer. And that would have been hard enough considering he reportedly did at least one stint in rehab in the last year. Efron is always fodder for the tabloids. He made headlines in the rags for falling in his house. The tabs suggested it was due to some kind of substance problem. Efron says he really fell, however.

“I slipped and hit my face on the fountain in my house,” Efron said. “ The cool part to that is there is a fountain in my house.”

Did he mean like a birdbath fountain? In Manhattan you don’t often see fountains indoors.

“It’s a fountain that sprays water and trickles water, and it’s inside the house. Yeah, yeah. It’s cool. It’s pretty cool, but I did slip and did hit my face. I guess if you leave your fountain on and then leave the house for a week - which you’re not supposed to do - it splashes, gets water on the floor, so I’m a klutz. And, yeah, I slipped and smashed my face onto it. It was very awkward. What was more awkward was telling everyone about it.”

“This was the first film I was actually a producer on, so I was able to actually help facilitate who was in the film. I got to meet these guys. I felt like I was instrumental in putting it together so I took a lot of pride in how this film was made.”

The most obvious question was how did Efron relate to his character? He plays Jason, a 26 year-old womanizer, whose most meaningful relationships are with his pals.

“I mean, in what ways don’t I relate to my character? I loved him a lot. At the core of it he’s a good person that’s kind of getting through, finding love, and that’s really what I’m doing right now in my life.”

“The Paperboy” actor added that from the moment he met Gormican, he knew the director understood his character.

“That’s why guys can relate to this movie,” Efron said. “We wanted a careful balance between being good guys deep down and caring and sort of waking up the next day and feeling sort of guilty for kind of our commitment issues but at the same time we have to live our lives. This is the first look, really into what, I think it’s like to be a guy dating at our sort of age.”

Gormican added, “You should want to slap this character.”

“I wanted to slap myself,” Efron cracked.

“You should also hope he gets his comeuppance, and I think he does,” the director went further.

Gormican said his other goal was to revitalize the romantic comedy genre, which has gotten a bad rap. “I wanted to put a different spin on it and have the movie take place from a guy’s perspective because I felt like that’s something we haven’t seen before. Also I think girls want to peek behind the curtain and for guys, my hope is that they would actually see something from their own lives and from their relationships in it.”

And for a change it’s the guys who get naked.

“I want to apologize for my nakedness in the movie. I want to publically say I’m sorry,” Teller said sheepishly.

“It’s my fault. I forgot to tell Miles to work out,” Gormican replied, referring to the fact that Teller was the only one of the trio who didn’t have six-pack abs.

There’s a scene in the film that everyone will be talking about. It involves some naked acrobatics, or planking, with the guys hanging over their toilets after a Viagra overdose. (This is too complicated to explain.)

“You read it in the script that Daniel (Teller) planks the toilet,” Miles said, “and so, l show up and I didn’t know how naked I was going to be. I was on antibiotics. I felt pretty disgusting and bloated and fat, and I get to the bathroom and it’s a very small bathroom. I literally said I don’t think I’m going to fit.”

“All I could think was that in real life I wouldn’t use that technique,” Efron said. “Mine was touching the water…”

“How deep was the toilet? Was it deep?” Jordan asked.

“It was really awkward with everybody watching,” Efron said. “I’ve been there.” A pause. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Was there anything the guys wouldn’t do onscreen?

“If it’s authentic and helps the story and is necessary than absolutely, there’s nothing I wouldn’t try,” Efron replied.

“In Zac’s defense he was absolutely game for anything. It’s very difficult for him to take things off because he’s in terrible shape,” Gormican cracked.

“I just need a heads up,” Teller replied to the question, meaning he needed time to work out.

“He just needs to know a camera is near him and he’ll do absolutely anything,” the director countered.

When asked about casting, the director said he was looking for a specific quality the trio of actors possessed.

“I think one of the things that’s important in a movie with there are guys in the 20’s making often time terrible decisions and things that make you not like them, is that they need to be incredibly likable as people and not just as actors that embody roles.”

You also had to believe they would be friends in real life, which they became. They hung out together and spent a weekend hiking in the Adirondacks Jordan explained.

Poots plays the brainy, complicated woman Efron’s character falls for. Efron said that was one of his favorite moments in movie.

“That’s an awkward moment when for the first time he’s flustered. He’s never had this feeling before. He doesn’t quite know what it is and he’s caught off guard. That moment of authenticity, that awkward moment of a guy who’s so smooth and handles himself so well usually, and for the first time he’s forced to be authentic.”

“And that was just really acting because Zac’s never actually been in that position before. That’s all acting,” Gormican deadpanned.

Teller was the first to notice the unusual little plastic cocktail mixers in front of each of their water glasses. “I just noticed these are shaped like penises.”

“Awesome. That’s so great!” Poots laughed as she looked at the plastic objects.

“They are! For cocktails,” Efron said.

A journalist then remarked Efron seemed happy. How was life going? It was a way to bring up rehab, which the actor completed in the fall.

“I’m so happy. I feel like I’m in a great place and I’m glad that I’m here to share this moment with everybody and be present for all of it because it was an interesting year,” Efron said.

“I learned so many things, so much, but the best part of it was being able to reflect upon this experience and realize how much I had learned about myself and the kind of man I want to be and this movie, these guys, coming back to it, coming to New York and just being here in this moment,” he said. “It exemplifies what it’s all about. I’m so happy to be here. I couldn’t be happier. I’m in a great place.”

Nylon with Zac, Miles, and MBJ

What made this movie stand out to you in the piles of scripts you read through?
Michael B. Jordan: There's was only one script! [laughs]
Zac Efron: It was well-written. Tom, albeit he was a first time director, he really wrote a great script and captured authenticity, which is something I really related to for our generation. It was a story about three best friends, and I always really wanted to make a film about that.
Miles Teller: Romantic comedy, I think, pleases everybody. It's funny while having a heart. A lot of the ones I've seen in the past few years haven't been as good as the ones they were making in the '80s, so I was happy to do this with two great guys.

Did you relate to your characters?
ZE: Shit, yeah. Do you think we played them well?

Yeah! I feel like I know your characters in real life.
MBJ: Yeah, we definitely related to them. I think we're each a mix of all of every [character]. I see a lot of Daniel in me, and Jason. I've had moments in my life where I've was very emotionally unavailable, scared of commitment. I've done the serious relationship thing, tried to make it work. I've been kind of carefree, always in wing man mode.
ZE: I think all three of us get what it means to be a young man in this time and period. It doesn't matter what part we played, we all get it.
MT: Growing up as a young woman, it was finally nice to play a guy. [laughs]

Well, it's obvious you put a lot of work into it.
MT: Thank you, well, I put a lot of work into it.
MBJ: He did his best Jared Leto.

During shooting would you go out together and try out some of your characters' moves?
MBJ: We weren't going out method, in character. I wasn't sulking around. I think we're naturally wing men for one another. We spent a lot of time going out, shooting this film.

What was your favorite scene to shoot?
ZE: She just wants us to say naked planking.
MBJ: I remember when we shot B roll of us just dancing, having a good time.
ZE: Yes, yes, yes! There was a moment where they let the cameras roll--
MBJ: Put the music on blast--
ZE: And let us be ourselves.
MT: That was a lot of fun. I also liked the scenes of the three of us at a diner because that's so quintessential New York, meeting for breakfast, talking about the night before. Any scene we were all in together was fun.

Moviefone w/ Zac, Miles, and MBJ

To a large majority of the female population, a couple of weeks ago I lived the ultimate dream: I was in a deluxe hotel room in Manhattan with Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan, and Miles Teller, to talk about their new romantic comedy "That Awkward Moment."

These are about the hottest young guys in the world right now, and I'm not just referring to the insane amount of attractiveness floating around that room, with each one of them about to embark in some really crazy, potentially world conquering projects -- Jordan is set to star in the "Rocky" spin-off "Creed," where he'll play Apollo Creed's son who gets trained by Rocky Balboa; Teller is set to appear in "Divergent," based on the best-selling young adult series; and Efron will co-star with Seth Rogen in "Neighbors," a movie whose trailer seemed to single-handedly break the Internet.

Not that being in a room with these guys, who in "That Awkward Moment" play three best friends who vow to stay single until the formerly married member of the group (Jordan) has time to heal from his divorce, wasn't a little intimidating. But once Teller asked if I wanted coffee or eggs or anything and then began yelling to the small room adjacent to where we were chatting (where all the publicists, handlers, and posse were crammed) "Ethel!?!? Ethel!?!?! Can we get some eggs in here?" my worried soul was set at ease.

There's this great sense of friendship that you can really feel in the movie but I'm assuming you guys didn't know each other that well. How did you establish that?

Miles Teller: They went on a trip...

Zac Efron: Well, we had met a few times.

Michael B. Jordan: Yeah, we have some mutual friends back in LA but we had never hung out or had any bonding moments.

Efron: There's that thing that you get when you know somebody and instantly connect. We got along from the day we met. The wildcard was Miles...

Teller: That's actually my nickname.

Efron: ...We were so nervous to meet him. Remember we went to drink a bunch of tequila?

Jordan: Yeah, we went to this Mexican place. And we had never met him.

Efron: And it was the day before filming! And instantly, instantly, we became best friends.

Jordan: Well, actually we started to talk sh*t. Because it was one of those things where you hear so many good things about somebody. Like, when somebody tells you, "Ah, it's the best movie ever!"

And you say, "That movie's not that good." Everyone was telling me such great things about this guy that when I met him, I just said, "I don't like you... But I do now." But it was perfect.

Efron: And we had a couple of good nights out.

Jordan: Yeah, sometimes it just takes a really good night.

Teller: It was probably the most fun I've ever had filming a movie.

Did any of your own personal romantic philosophies made it into the movie, and just how alike are you to your characters?

Jordan: I try to make things work. I am a good guy. I don't like to entertain too many women at one time. So... I leave that to... [starts laughing]

Efron: Let me just get this out of the way because I've finally figured out how to answer it. Jason is a bit more of a player than I am. I am not as cavalier or as suave. I am not so much of a smooth player. But I know that guy. I know that guy really well. And I have had moments where I have dipped into him in real life and wake up from that and say, "Wow, that was a different guy." I've had moments like Jason, and kind of made that character out of those experiences and people I knew and made him. I think the most similar thing about us is what happens at the end -- that he learns that being there for your friends when it's most important is what makes a friend.

Teller: I'll just say that the preproduction for this movie was just me going out and having a good time. It fit this role.

Did you guys hang out a lot during shooting, or did you part ways when filming was done?

Teller: Yeah, we would get dinner together. We were on the set for the most part at the same time. But other than that we'd eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together, and Mike would play video games and I'd kill him. He'd lose his per diem to me! In "NBA2K"!

Jordan: I lost a week's worth of per diems. Yes.

Teller [to Jordan]: I remember you got pissed off at me because I was talking trash, and you were like "Seriously, stop. Stop."

Jordan: You'd lose friends over it.

Teller: Mike will.

Efron: I'm getting into it now, too. So get ready. "NBA2K14."

What are your favorite romantic comedies? Because, shooting in New York, it obviously draws a lot of parallels to Woody Allen movies...

Teller: I've never seen a Woody Allen film. I've watched so little film, and it embarrasses me when I talk to people because I do love actors and I do love filmmakers but I've never seen a Woody Allen film. I do love the movie where Patrick Dempsey is riding a lawn mower...

"Can't Buy Me Love"!

Teller: "Can't Buy Me Love." I love that movie.

Jordan: "Coming to America," best romantic comedy ever.

Teller: "Lars and the Real Girl"? Well, I guess that's more of a drama... because that movie's awesome. [To Jordan] Have you seen that?

Efron: I like a lot of Judd Apatow's comedies.

I want to ask about everyone's upcoming projects -- what's going on with "Neighbors"?

Efron: "Neighbors" is going to be insane. I have seen a rough cut and I've never really seen a movie like it. I don't really know what to say. It's just crazy.

Teller: Tell that story with Seth. When he said, "I hated you."

Efron: Yeah, so, years ago, when I had just done "High School Musical," I had always looked up to Seth and gotten his sense of humor. And I was at Sunset Tower -- there was some party that I had been invited to -- and he walked by and I just stopped him and shook his hand and said, "Hey, I just have to meet you, man. My name's Zac. I'm an actor." He said, "Yeah, I know who you are." So I said, "I would forever regret this moment if I didn't tell you what a huge fan I was and I love and respect your work." And he goes, "Really?" And I said, "Yeah." And he goes, "I kind of hate everything about you. I wasn't really expecting you to be cool." I said, "No, I mean it, from the bottom of my heart." He said, "I'm confused. Thank you. Thanks a lot." I said, "I'd love to work with you." And he goes, "Yeah... uh, me too... sure, why not?"

But he was surprised that I was actually genuine. This was 5, 6 years ago. So cut to when we started making this movie; it was a dream come true. And he still has no idea how much I look up to him. The way that the movie started and the way that it ended up was largely different and something that was pretty cool. Everybody's stoked on it. We just had a day of additional photography and it was so fun to get back to those guys. It's going to be really cool.

What's going on with "Creed"?

Jordan: "Creed" is a project that's in the process. Ryan is still writing the script. So we're waiting for the script to come in and where in 2014 we're going to get it done. But Sly is on board, ready to do it, coming back as Rocky Balboa. It's f*cking awesome. I can't f*cking wait. I am really ready to get in there and start training.

Teller: It's going to be crazy when you're calling Sylvester Stallone "Rocky."

Jordan: Woooo!

So Rocky is training your character?

Jordan: I can't really talk about the nuances of it. But he's going to be there, in the ring. It's going to be good.

And what about "Divergent." That's going to be huge.

Teller: You can't predict box office or anything. As many films that try to be in that "Hunger Games" or that "Twilight" mold there are a ton of films that didn't really do the business they thought. But I was more than happy to work with Shailene [Woodley] and Kate Winslet and Neil Burger and do something that plays in Europe, because I haven't had something they call "international value" attached to my name. But if that first one does well I'll be shooting the sequel this summer.

Ain't It Cool News:
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.

The last of my interviews for this week's release THAT AWKWARD MOMENT, I almost decided not to run for a couple of reason, neither of which is that the subjects aren't guys I wouldn't love to talk to at length at some point down the line (I actually did interview Michael B. Jordan for FRUITVALE STATION last year). No, the reason I might have held it had more to do with the ridiculously short time I got to chat with them, and the fact that these guys have gotten so comfortable around each other that crosstalk over a phone line means a rough transcription for somebody.

Still, here it is in all it's abbreviated glory, me chatting with Jordan, THE SPECTACULAR NOW's Miles Teller, and the elder statesman of the group Zac Efron, all of whom play best buddies in the film, engaging a game of dating chicken, trying to all stay out of relationships for the sake of their romantically depressed buddy (Jordan). Of course, almost instantly, they all start dating these incredible women and must keep it secret from the world. The three men do a convincing job playing friends, and while the humor is kept pretty broad, it's fascinating to watch their three distinct acting styles dance and weave around and through each other.

I'll get them with more time the next go-round. But for now, please enjoy my brief talk with Zac Efron, Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan…

Capone: Hi guys, how are you?

All: We’re good.

Capone: Good. For the sake of my poor transcriber, can you each just say your name so that she knows which voice goes with which person?

[They immediately start doing impersonations of each other.]

Capone: Maybe just once for real, gents.

Miles Teller: [laughs] Absolutely.

Michael B. Jordan: Right now or before we start talking?

Capone: Right now is good, so she can distinguish the voices as she’s going.

MJ: Obviously, the sexiest voice on the phone is going to be me, Michael B. That’s how it is. You got to pick up on that.

MT: I don't think you can hear him lick his lips every fourth word.

[Everyone laughs]

Zac Efron: And this is Zac Efron.

Capone: That’s a huge help.

ZE: Yeah, we’ll try to be distinct.

Capone: Well, the first thing I want to say is to Miles is congratulations on WHIPLASH getting picked up by Sony Pictures Classics at Sundance.

MT: Yeah, thank you so much. Sony Pictures Classics is really going to do wonderful things with it. I think they’re really passionate about the project.

Capone: I've heard nothing but great things from people that saw it. It was the opening day film, right?

MT: Yeah, it was the opening night film. Robert Redford introduced it. I got to talk to Robert Redford for like 10 minutes before that. It all happened, man. It exceeded expectations.

Capone: I can’t wait to see it. I have ask you this: Is this stuff that we’re hearing about you playing Dan Aykroyd true?

MT: So, I’ve met with the director who’s also the writer, and it’s something that, yeah, there’s a lot of interest on both sides. Nothing has been signed, so when Emile [Hirsch] said that shit at the Creative Coalition dinner, I looked at him. Because we’ve been talking about it, but at the same time nothing’s been signed. Like he told me, he said if he had known there was a mole in that place, he wouldn’t have said anything. I would be honored to play it, but there’s no start date.

Capone: The first question about this movie is I gotta ask about the outtakes at the end, and usually when a comedy runs a few outtakes at the end, it’s an act of desperation because they’re not sure that the movie’s funny enough. But, this movie has got this one outtake at the end…

MJ: We haven’t seen any of the outtakes.

ZE: Yeah, we haven’t seen them.   Capone: I don't wanna ruin it…

MJ: You can’t ruin it because we shot it, so it’s alright.

Capone: No, I don’t wanna ruin it for the people who are reading; I want it to be a surprise. But, the last outtake, there’s a surprise guest that shows up on the couch. Do you know the one I’m talking about?

MJ: Oh, yeah! Do you want me to drop the name, or no?

Capone: Go ahead and drop it. Yeah, I’ll redact it.

MJ: Well, anyway, he's is a really good buddy of mine, we were shooting in Brooklyn, and he lives not that far, and I was like, “Hey man, come by real quick.” That’s just how it is, you know what I’m saying? You build a relationship with people, and we’re friends, so I told him to stop by real quick. So, he stopped by, and it was like, “Oh, shit.” Everybody was really big fans of the show and really big fans of his. Our writer-director Tom Gormican was like, “Would he mind like just popping in real quick?” And I was like, “No, let’s do it.” It was done on the fly, so we were just happy it worked out like that.

Capone: I think the only thing that could have made it funnier was if it was actually in the movie for no reason whatsoever.

MJ: [laughs] For no reason. Yeah, that would have been too crazy. That would have thrown everything off a little.

Capone: I think the big reveal here in this movie is that men are just as susceptible to emotional attachment as women, whether they admit it or not. That’s something of a revelation in the movie world. Was that one of the things you dug about the film was that it revealed that horribly kept secret?

MJ: Yeah, you’re used to seeing romantic comedies from a girl's prospective. The process, the turmoil that she goes though in her head with her best friends, like "Sex in the City" or "Girls," all these different forms of a woman going though relationship issues. You don’t really see men go though that thought process--that locker room talk, what we actually go though between guys. I think it’s cool to shine some light on that, and maybe girls can give us a little bit more of a break. “Why isn’t he opening up to me? Why isn’t he talking to me about his feelings?” You know what? We’re just not built like that. We’re built differently. We sit around, play video games, drink beer. Our emotional process is different, so it’s cool to be gritty and raw and show everybody I guess like our process.

MT: I think that guys will appreciate it, and I think the few women that have interviewed us today to start thing off have said that they love Mike’s character and how honest and heartfelt he was, but they wanted to slap me and Zac around a little bit. In your 20s, really this movie is a heightened focus on the moment that’s between college and when you get married, and it’s that time is one of self discovery, and you have to be selfish.   If you don’t have kids and you don’t have a wife, these are really times when you can put yourself first. And you do see these guys struggling with that, with wanting to stay single and not wanting to necessarily be occupied with a relationship. But when your heart is leading you in a certain way, you can't fight it. I know I’ve had experiences where I was fighting it because I knew the girl was really right for me. I knew she might be the one that I really end up with, and that’s giving away a lot of your own personal freedom. So, I think you see three guys grappling with that.

Capone: The friendship among you three has to be convincing, or we’re just not going to buy into when there are riffs in the group. Was there a time that you guys had to hang out before shooting that made that a little bit more authentic?

ZE: Yeah. I really wanted to get the chance to know these guys. Tom the director and I, we wanted the chance to bond with each other before we all went out there, so we were able to take a trip to the Adirondacks [in upstate New York], and just hang out and vibe out. Unfortunately, Miles couldn’t make it, but Mike and I and Imogen [Poots] and Tom all bonded and chilled for four days; we hiked thought the snow and talked about our feelings and thoughts of what we wanted to make with this movie. I'd never really been a part of that process before, so that was something I was able to do as a producer. I actually felt like I contributed in that way, so that was really cool. It’s a great movie, and check it out.

Capone: Sounds like we're being cut off. Take care guys.

Sugarscape w/ Miles:
Well hello Miles Teller. To kick things off, can you give us the hard sell on why we should all be parting with our hard earned cash to see That Awkward Moment?

Well, I think it’s entertaining. If you’re gonna spend money to go to a theatre, you want to be entertained and it’s funny. It’s a nice time for comedy because everyone has seen all the Oscar movies, there’s a lot of tough material out there. It’s a nice double bill with Twelve Years A Slave I would say [laughs], a little lighter.

Definitely a bit more cheering, that’s for sure. It’s nice to see something where it’s all about the guys talking relationships too, as quite often in romcoms it’s all about the girls obsessing over their feelings.

Yeah, when you get into the film a little more, like you said, it’s a romantic comedy but it’s told from the guy’s point of view, and I think when guys are with their buddies, we do clam up and don’t really want to talk about our feelings and stuff, but then when we’re with the girl, we can be pretty cute and romantic and stuff.

Forget the girls - there is a WHOLE load of bromance going on between you three.

It’s a bromantic comedy and I think when you see a film, you can kind of tell whether it’s real or not! At the time Zac and Michael and I were making a movie about three guys trying to stay single and living in New York and that was definitely life imitating art for us.

You guys were definitely chemming.

Chemming? Is that like a Breaking Bad reference?

Haha, like you have chemistry. Not in a chemical sense.

Yeah, I stay away from chemicals.

Wise move. On that slightly awkward note, there’s a lot of fairly compromising situations during the movie - what was the most awkward thing to film for you?

Probably imagining what Michael B’s manhood would look like if it was orange for the bit where he is supposed to have accidentally fake tanned it. I was looking down there, but obviously he’s not actually naked, so I had to kind of imagine what that would look like. So yeah, I spent a lot of time the night before thinking about Mike’s junk and what it would look like if it was painted orange.

What a hard life you do lead. You didn’t take the method approach then?

No. I did not watch it, no.

We have to say we're a little bit disappointed in you. There’s a great moment where you're planking on the toilet after taking too much Viagra. How was that for you?

Yeah, well it said it in the script and it’s like, when you film it you never know what it’s going to be like, and then you get on set and they’re like, ‘Take your clothes off, this is where you’re going to be doing it’ and you’re like, this is kinda weird. I’m 6ft1 and I said there is no way my body is going to fit in this tiny space. It’s perfect for Zac, but dudes I need a little more room to wiggle.

At least you didn’t have to get totally naked like Zac.

Oh yeah, well I think that was the plan originally, but nobody told me! I didn’t get that memo.

Did you watch Zac do his scene first for a little bit of inspiration?

No way, I tried to be as far away as possible when Zac did his scene. Did not want to look at all of that.

Fair play, although it looks like you missed out on a treat. Are you as smooth as Daniel when it comes to picking up the ladies in real life then?

Oh so you think Daniel is a smoothie? Well yeah, I guess he is - he’s endearing. I would say I’m pretty good. Daniel’s probably a bit smoother because he has scripted lines, but nearly. Michael B is definitely the smoothest. I’d say I’m the best at making girls feel comfortable, which is good as that gets their guard down and then I can steal their heart! I think I’m a great wingman but I like to be the pilot too.

What do you find most awkward about dating?

Probably just the initial dating. It’s when you don’t know someone at the beginning, that’s the awkward bit. You just gotta put the time in and then the mosre time you spend with someone, you’ll see how compatible you are. If you’re not, I’ve always been really good at just cutting it off with no residual anything. Life’s too short to spend it with people you know you’re not right for.

What do you think the douchiest thing a guy can do on a date with a girl is?

Check out other girls!

That’s AWFUL. Tell us you’ve never done that.

No! Of course not. Texting and all that shit man, that’s bad too. People think it’s cool to be always in demand or to be texting people, but nah, that’s so douchey!

Your character, Daniel, is a total smoothie when it comes to the ladies, but we want to see how like him you are in real life so we’ve got a few awkward scenarios to see how you would react in real life. First up, you wake up next to a girl after a night out but you have totally forgotten her name. She asks if you want her number and is looking over your shoulder as you go to type in the name - how to you pass off the situation?

Easy. You just ask them how they spell it - or you just hand them the phone. That’s the great thing about iPhones, you just open the contact and then pass it over.

They are totally gonna know that’s what you’re doing though.

Well if they want to bring that up and make it even more awkward that’s up to them. Also if they’re getting all upset over that, that’s a sign right there. If they can play it off, that’s a good sign about a girl’s personality.

So that’s what decides whether they make it onto you’re roster or not, nice. So next up, your friend is really excited to introduce you to his new girlfriend, but upon meeting her you realize that you've actually already slept with her. How do you deal with it?

Oh man, you know I think you just don’t say anything. You just let him go for it. The girl, would she have known that we are friends? No, she’s just as shocked as you are by the whole thing. Well in that case I would have met her, if we were that good friends I would have been there when he was meeting her.

Your girlfriend accidentally posts a naked selfie you’ve sent her of yourself on Twitter, but before she manages to delete it, Zac Efron retweets it. What do you do?

Well I mean Zac’s got like 7 million followers so that’s a LOT of people. I’d be pretty upset at the girlfriend and then I’d probably be curious as to why Zac would retweet it.

Maybe he’s just seriously impressed?

Well yeah, he would be actually. I’d probably just hope that my mum didn’t see it.

Is she a big tweeter?

Oh yeah, my grandma has it too.

To be fair, they’ve probably seen it all before.

Yeah, when I was like a kid!

You have plans with your friend so you turn up at his house and accidentally walk in on him shagging a girl. What do you do?

Depends on what she looks like [laughs]. I mean I wouldn’t stand there - if I walk in then they would’ve seen me. I’d be like, ‘ARGH, sorry, sorry, sorry,’ and kinda turn away - depending on what she looks like.

Charming. And on that note, thanks Miles - it’s been an absolute joy.

Collider w/ Imogen:
Question: I missed out on the High School Musical craze, but I still feel like being cast as Zac Efron’s love interest might be kind of mind-blowing. Did it have that effect on you at all?

IMOGEN POOTS: I actually missed that, too. I didn’t really ever see any of them, so meeting Zac, for me, was like a clean slate. I met him for the first time when we did a movie called Me and Orson Welles and I did a very small scene in that, and I just thought he was the bee’s knees so this was exciting.

How about working with all three guys? They’ve got massive on-screen personas so when you’re performing with them, do you feel the need to step up your game?

POOTS: Well, they’re definitely big personalities, but I think it was more [that] I never felt like there was so much bro-y situations going on. They were very kind and sweet guys. It was a lot of fun. In fact, to the extent that, when we made the film, you don’t remember that you’re actually doing a job. You’re actually making a film even though you’re hanging out the whole time. But I never felt any sort of segregation because I was “the girl” in the movie, or Mackenzie [Davis] was the girl in the movie, anything like that. We both kind of were like, ‘Well, this is kind of hilarious. It’s just people hanging out.’

I noticed Miles picking on Mike a little bit at the press conference. Do you think they went easier on you because you were the sole female in the group?

POOTS: Oh, yeah! I think they have to be. I think [writer-director] Tom [Gormican] would scold them. But I kind of love that. I love watching their dynamic. I love the fact that Miles will take the piss out of Zac and Mike, and they all take the piss out of each other because they can and I think that’s part of who they are and how they exist together as a trio.

Is there any one special thing that you shared with each of them?

POOTS: Yeah, for sure! I keep talking about them like they’re this three-way bulk of man - or boy. [Laughs] Well, Mike, certainly I found that he’s so gentle, his manners are extraordinary. Several times I’d see him running towards me in the mornings to open trailer doors. Everyone, all the women on set loved him. Everyone was like, ‘You should just marry Michael!’ And then Miles cracks me up most. I think he’s so funny in a very subtle way, but he’s also very sweet. And Zac is just a total sweetheart and so kind. I think they all offer something different. But what I loved the most was when I saw the film back for the first time, it was so funny to me obviously knowing them and then seeing these performances they were doing and maybe playing against type or playing into type. I think Miles’ character is pretty close to him, so that was kind of funny seeing that happen.

How about working with them as actors? I imagine you’ve got your own process and so do they; is there anything you had to do to adjust to them?

POOTS: No, I think we all came with a very open mind and everyone was up for improvising and our director encouraged that, too. But we also respected the fact that there was a solid screenplay there and there was real clarity with that. It’s important that improvisation doesn’t become this indulgent thing of who can say the funniest thing. It’s actually about, let’s create something important and let’s say something in this scene. I think that was always the goal with everyone, but we were lucky, too, because we had time prior to the shoot where we could rehearse and play around and understand how it was going to work on set.

Is there anything you’re particularly proud of that you came up with on set and on the spot like that?

POOTS: I feel like a lot of my scenes were more dramatic than what the boys had going on, so it’d be odd if I sort of cracked a joke about my character’s dad dying or something really macabre [laughs]. But I would say for sure, my stuff in the movie is possibly more linear and there wasn’t necessarily a need to do that.

Did any of them do it to you and catch you by surprise?

POOTS: There was something Zac did that was very funny when we were filming around Gramercy Park. We were walking and they were about to have a conversation, and he said, ‘Guess what I stole!’ And I was like, ‘What?’ And he’s like, ‘Kisses!’ He kissed me and then ran off and I was like, ‘That’s really funny! And, god, I’ve got nothing!’ I don’t think it’s in the movie, is it? That was a funny moment. I probably turned to the camera and was like, ‘Ah! I don’t know what to say!’

You know you’re going to inspire a lot of New Yorkers to take a tour of those homes just to steal a key to Gramercy Park! Is that legitimately how it works?

POOTS: Well, I do know that we shot around Gramercy Park and we were allowed to open the door, but we couldn’t go into the actual park. And even when we were filming in Gramercy, how do you pronounce the name of it? East Village. Stufzlyizent Park? It begins with an S, S-T-U …

Stuyvesant!

POOTS: Yes! Is it that one? I think we shot in there to mimic Gramercy. But that’s kind of why it’s so special.

This movie makes me want to go in it.

POOTS: Yeah, I know. Just break in!

If I’m not back to cover your next movie, that’s what happened.

POOTS: “I saw it in the movie! It’s fine!”

Actually, that’s a good segue because everyone keeps talking about how this movie is an authentic representation of the guy’s perspective. But what’s your perspective? Are these guys dateable?

POOTS: Oh, for sure! As a troop there’s safety in numbers. There’s this false sense of security in the concept that dating or going out with somebody or having a relationship with somebody, ‘Let’s do that later. Let’s have fun now,’ but it’s like, ‘Well, what does your fun mean?’ If you’re gonna negate the idea of hanging out with one, sole other person or however you’re gonna do it, how do you not know that that’s gonna be a superior or incredible time of your life in the sense of fun? And again, I think from Ellie’s perspective, what excited me about it was she’s very much just doing her own thing and it doesn’t seem like she’s very distracted or susceptible. She’s not vacillating between one thing or the other because of what her friends are saying. She’s just like, ‘I want to date [him]. If you’re gonna be weird about it and you’re not gonna be there for me, then see you later.’ It’s not a problem, it’s sad, but I’m not gonna freak out about it, and I think that in itself, that sort of strength that she has is something that makes Jason realize that he could lose something really special. I do feel that Ellie was a really fleshed out role in that sense and that was exciting. But at the same time, a movie like this, you can’t say, ‘Yeah! The women are very much 50% of it.’ They are in the sense of the concept behind it, but the characters, it’s like, no, this is a story of three friends and I believe I play an important role in it in terms of the formula of what the movie is, but actually you can’t deny that it’s just all these ingredients together; that’s what creates the movie.

I can totally agree with that because if you weren’t in the movie, those characters wouldn’t have as many layers.

POOTS: Right. One of the things that I liked the most about it was it’s really important how when you meet somebody and you fall for them and you think, ‘Oh no! I shouldn’t fall for them. I’m not this type of person.’ Or your friends are like, ‘Well, we didn’t like his guy.’ Well, you have to know for yourself and no one else can really dictate that and I think the movie also shows that, the sense that he’s made a decision that he’s gonna give this relationship a go. It takes a while to come to that conclusion, but he does come to that conclusion, which is a good thing. So I think it’s an important commentary on the youth of today or people in their 20s.

Did you ever develop Ellie’s dating history? I was thinking that her past experiences could have influenced how she handles Jason in the movie.

POOTS: What, that she’s just a total whore? [Laughs]

You never know!

POOTS: Exactly! You never know. Maybe this is her shaping up. I don’t think she’s ever played it safe. I think she’s probably the type of person who’d find a lot of guys pretty boring. And I think she’s never dated anyone like Jason before. I think she’s going against type just as much as he is, and I think that’s intriguing to her because the first time they meet, it’s kind of electric. He makes her laugh and I think that’s the key to anything. If someone can crack you up in a bar scenario, especially considering the guy she was talking to before.

What’s the most awkward way someone ever approached you?

POOTS: Oh, there have been a number. Just like insane eye contact, and you’re just like, ‘Wow! Why don’t you just talk? What’s happening?’ There have also been numerous, awful attempts at lines. I wish I could think of a really good one. Oh! There’s a whole thing like, ‘You dropped your smile.’ And you’re just like, ‘I’m having a f*cking bad day!’ People who say that, I can’t stand it. It’s never not gonna be awkward approaching somebody. I think it’s always gonna be like, you’re gonna sidle up and be like, ‘Hey!’ I don’t know if that gets easier.

If it’s not awkward for someone, it probably means they don’t care enough.

POOTS: Yeah! Or they’re just a douchebag and they do it all the time.

That could be true, too! So That Awkward Moment could refer to “The So,” but what about for you? Is there any point in a relationship that you’d deem an especially awkward time?

POOTS: I think any relationship that is normal - I mean, there’s no normal relationship, but in terms of a flawed relationship, there’s always gonna be awkward moments within that because you’re addressing things that the world is throwing at you, whether that’s distance or whether that’s where this is going or other people and past relationships, all these factors. I don’t think anything’s ever simple. Everyone’s just trying to understand each other and whether that’s because you’re in a relationship or because you’re meeting their friends or because their meeting your brother or whatever it is, nothing like that is ever smooth running.

You ever think you’d be doubling as a relationship advisor? People might really take this stuff to heart!

POOTS: They probably will, wouldn’t they? Oh, jeez! Okay, do not take any of this to heart. [Laughs] I really don’t know. I mean, yeah, that’s another thing. People have been asking, ‘What’s your dating advice?’ I was just like, ‘I’ve got nothing!’ Seriously, I don’t think there’s any right way to do anything apart from if you’re just being you then it’s a sincere situation.

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