Amanda Crew is the lucky lady who scored the coveted role of Zac Efron’s love interest in Charlie St. Cloud, which hits theaters today — check out BuzzSugar’s review here. In the movie, Amanda plays a world-class sailor who’s about to set out on the voyage of her life when fate brings her together with Zac’s character, Charlie. The actress told us that her leading man was not only great to work with, but was also more than gracious to his fans while on location in Vancouver. She also insisted there were no nerves when they filmed their steamy love scene! At the junket, Zac played coy about his sailing skills when we sat down with him, while Amanda revealed his secret rapping skills. Here’s more from our interview:

PopSugar: Did you have any sailing experience before the film?
Amanda Crew: No, none. We worked with personal trainers before the movie, but I’m not very athletic by nature. I definitely had some bruises.

PS: Did you and Zac train together?
AC: We trained in the harbor together but we weren’t on the same boats. He picked it up really fast and I . . . didn’t. [Laughs]

PS: So there was some healthy competition?
AC: Yes, there was.

To read the rest of Amanda’s interview, just read more.

PS: Were you a fan of Zac’s before working with him? What do you think will surprise people about his performance?
AC: I hadn’t seen High School Musical. I think what will surprise people is this vulnerability and rawness he has to him. He wasn’t afraid [to show that].

PS: There’s a pretty intense love scene in this movie. Did you two get a chance to know each other before shooting it?
AC: Yes, we had a few weeks. So we did get to know each other and build [a relationship]. Plus, there are lights and lots of people around, so . . .

PS: So there were no nerves?
AC: No nerves.

PS: The movie has a lot of surprises. Did you see them coming when you read the script?
AC: No, I didn’t. There are a lot of twists and turns and I liked that. I liked that it wasn’t just your typical love story.

PS: Charlie makes some pretty big sacrifices for Tess in the movie. What’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for you?
AC: Nothing [extreme]. I think it’s the little things, the thought behind it. If you want to spend time with me, that’s enough!

PS: Did you have any crazy experiences with fans during the shoot?
AC: Zac’s fans would wait hours to just get a glimpse at him . . . and he would sign every autograph and take every picture. When you do that, you’re giving so much of yourself, and he’d do it after a full day of shooting. I don’t know if I’d have the energy!

From Pop Sugar

When Charlie St. Cloud’s (Zac Efron) younger brother Sam (Charlie Tahan) dies in a tragic car accident, in which Charlie was at the wheel, the accomplished young man with a bright future ties himself to his small town life because of a promise he made. So, when Tess Carroll (Amanda Crew), a high school friend and gifted sailor, returns to town and catches Charlie’s eye, he begins to develop feelings for her and quickly discovers what it’s like to live again.

During a press interview for Charlie St. Cloud, actress Amanda Crew talked about what an honor it was to even be considered for the role, how she connected with her strong-willed character, what it was like working with Zac Efron and the importance of seeking out great roles. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

Question: What was your auditioning process for this? Did you know that Zac Efron had been cast, when you went to audition?

Amanda: My agent sent me the script and was like, “This is an amazing script. You have to read this.” At the time, Zac was attached. I met with Burr [Steers], the director, first. Then, I got the call on my birthday that I’d be doing a chemistry read with Zac and was just like, “Oh, my god!” To be considered for the part was such an honor. So, I did the chemistry read and the screen test. It was a long process. And then, I got the call that I got it. I was actually in my agent’s office and I’ve got a photo of me, hunched over and crying. It was a dream come true.

What went through your mind when you got the part?

Amanda: Not a lot. I was so shocked and honored. You work so hard, and you have your ups and downs in this industry, and you question, “Is this what I’m supposed to be doing? Am I good enough? Do I have what it takes?” After all that hard work, you have that moment of, “I earned this and I deserve this,” and you’re validated. It’s a great moment.

What did you feel like you connected with, in this character, and how did you adjust your performance for the moments when you are not actually there?

Amanda: What I was drawn to in the character was the fact that it’s really hard to find strong roles for girls my age. A lot of the time, it’s just the pretty girl who serves as the love interest, and that’s it. What I loved about this character was that she’s such a strong, independent woman who knows what she wants in life. She’s unapologetic about it. She has these goals and she’s going to go for it. I think that’s a great role model for girls. Even myself, I admired this character. She’s going to sail around the world by herself. She’s brave and ambitious. Burr and I did a lot of rehearsals and worked on that, before we started shooting. I do come across as very similar to the character, in that I know what I want in life. But, the part about the character I struggled with the most was the unapologetic part. I’m Canadian and Burr was like “Stop apologizing!,” and I was like, “I’m sorry! Okay, I’ll do it!” But, I came out of the film and carried some of the character with me, from this experience, in a positive way. I’m just trying to carry that strength with me, for the rest of my life.

Since you were shooting in the Vancouver area, where you’re from, did you show Zac and everybody around?

Amanda: A bit, yeah. I took them to some places. It’s cool being in your hometown, but with tourists because you find out things about the city that you had no idea about. It’s always nice being with Zac because people are more willing to show him different stuff, since it’s Zac Efron. We got to see some cool stuff. We all went up to Whistler, one weekend, and went zip lining. We were always trying to find something to do.

Did you try to keep track of the 16-year-old girl, Abby Sunderland, who tried to sail around the world by herself?

Amanda: Yeah. And, while we were shooting, her younger brother was doing it. She got lost. I admire anyone who can do that trek, especially at that age. It’s crazy. My sailing coach that worked on the film was telling me that these people who sail around the world have to be a little bit crazy to do it because you’re spending all that time by yourself. You’re not talking to anyone and there is a schedule. You sail for four hours, and you can sleep for 20 minutes, and then you sail another four hours, and that’s for weeks on end. That’s all you’re doing, and you’re eating dehydrated food. It’s so physically demanding, but also mentally demanding. I’m sure that would mess with you a little bit.

Did you talk to any young sailors?

Amanda: We had a lot of different sailing coaches and trainers on the set. One, specifically, was this guy named Sterling Ashcroft. He’s young, in his early 20’s, so he was great. He’d always be on set. The boat is their baby. It’s their home. They know everything about it, so they don’t just stand on their boat. They do stuff. He’d constantly check in with me, so that we actually looked like we knew what we were doing.

There is this romantic Sixth Sense aspect to this film, where you guys are hooking up on screen, but that’s not exactly happening. Did you have to carefully develop how you would interact with Zac?

Amanda: Burr would always remind us where we were coming from and what part of the story it was, and he would check in with us. We had it mapped out. I don’t know what Zac and Burr did. They had their own rehearsal time. But, with me and Burr, we had a lot of that mapped out. I can’t speak any more highly of Burr. He’s an amazing director, and I’m glad I had the experience that I did because he pushed me so far out of my comfort zone, in a positive and loving way. He could see what I was capable of and could tell if I wasn’t living up to my full potential. He’d push me to this really uncomfortable place, but you know that it’s out of love and it’s something positive. You just feel really safe with him.

Are you ready for a lot of girls and teens to be jealous as hell of you?

Amanda: So far, I’ve met a lot of Zac’s fans because they would be around the set. He has really great fans. I haven’t had any mean fans. They just want to know what he’s like and, thankfully, I have only amazing things to say about him.

What was it like to meet Zac on set, the first day?

Amanda: Well, I’d met him before because we’d done chemistry reads and screen tests. It’s so interesting. The first time I met him in the chemistry read, obviously he’s a good-looking guy, but I was never that girl that had his poster above my bed or anything. But, when I met him, all of a sudden, he has this effect on people. He’s a dreamboat. All of a sudden, I was turning into a 12-year-old girl and giggling. I was like, “Where did that laugh come from?” But, he puts you at ease so quickly. He’s just so down to earth. He is genuine, he’s humble, he’s normal and he has no ego. We did a lot of rehearsals before we actually started filming, which was great because we did build this great friendship between us. I think part of that is to do with the fact that he’s not this guarded guy, who’s like, “I’m God. I’m Zac Efron.” I didn’t know him before he had all this success, but I feel like the person I’m meeting today is the same person as before all the success hit him.

With Burr being an actor’s director, what was the rehearsal process like?

Amanda: We did rehearsals for three weeks or so, before filming. We did various acting exercises, with me and Zac together, just to get comfortable and not be scared to take risks in front of each other, and falling on our faces. We did a lot of character work. He showed us a lot of old films, and gave us different actors and actresses to look at, with different techniques. He showed me a lot of Vanessa Redgrave’s work, and we watched different movies for different reasons to see this dynamic between this sort of love relationship. A lot of times, he’d just show us one scene or one moment. We did a lot of work with repetition and these actor exercises, where you just repeat back and forth. It was crazy, but it was like actors’ boot camp. We got free acting classes.

Does that make you more comfortable to be intuitive and in the moment on set?

Amanda: What was great about it was that we did so much work on my character, with the relationship with her father and all that history, so when I got on set, I wasn’t thinking about that stuff. You just know all of that. It’s all there, and that’s something I will carry with me, throughout the rest of my career, definitely.

Were there any funny moments that happened during filming?

Amanda: The sailing stuff was always a disaster with me. Zac picked it up really quickly, but I’m not very athletic. We did a lot of sailing training, and we had personal trainers to do a lot of weight training in the gym, but I’m a klutz. I had bruises all over my body, through the entire shoot, just from falling over. Before the screen test, a friend of mine who’s a professional sailor was like, “Come up to San Francisco. We’ve got this amazing boat and we’re doing a practice run.” So, I was like, “Sweet! Bikinis and champagne!” That’s what I pictured sailing to be, but it’s not. It’s a sport. My job was to run from one side to the other, which you would think is easy, but it’s not. I slipped and fell on the deck so hard, and had this massive bruise down my leg and arm. So, I showed up to the screen test, the next day, with bruises. They were like, “What happened?,” and I was like, “I went sailing. I swear, I’ll be good, if you hire me.”

How many sailing lessons did you have, before you actually started shooting?

Amanda: I don’t know. We were on the water every day, for at least three hours, then in the gym every day. I’m so glad that we did that because I never felt so physically strong. I was not just mentally connected to the character, but also physically connected, just because we had been doing all that work. Burr was always like, “When you’re doing your sailing training, don’t be Amanda sailing, be Tess sailing. Amanda sailing is, “Oops, sorry!,” and Tess sailing is like, “Yeah, this is what I’m doing, and I’m doing it wrong, but I’m doing it.” He was always just getting us to be in character.

Is there some part of Tess’ personality that you relate to most?

Amanda: Yeah, I definitely connected with the fact that she has goals and she set out to accomplish them. I’ve always been a very goal-driven person. That was definitely a part of her that I could connect with. I just have to work on the apologetic side because I’m Canadian. We apologize for everything.

Did you have a favorite location in Canada? Was there any location that you hadn’t been to before?

Amanda: We got to go up to Gibsons, which is an island off the coast, up there. We filmed some of the stuff on the boat outside of his cottage, and some of the sailing sequences were filmed up there, like when I surprised Zac with his boat and we go sailing. That was amazing. Usually, the sail boat was rigged to another boat and it’s all movie magic, but at one point, they were like, “Okay, the training wheels are off. You guys are going out in the water.” We’d never sailed together. We’d done our separate sailing. So, we sailed together and it was amazing. It was so windy, but we actually felt like we were doing it on our own. I think that was well-captured on film. But, it was mainly Zac telling me what to do because I had no idea. He was like, “Go right! No, your other right!”

Does the lack of good roles for young women make you back off and take fewer roles, in order to find those good roles, or at this point in your career, is it more important to be visible, even if it’s not in great roles?

Amanda: Everyone has different goals. For myself, I would rather take less roles and be working on films that I’m passionate about, that are going to challenge me and that I’m going to be growing from. I don’t ever want to take a movie, just for the sake of working. When I look for the next project, it’s always about, “Is it going to push me out of my comfort zone? Am I doing something different? Am I working with people who are passionate about what they’re doing?” At the end of the day, if I’m going to be bored on set, then I’m not gonna be happy. Life is too short to be doing work that doesn’t make you feel happy and fulfilled. I’d rather wait for the right project, as opposed to just taking whatever is handed to me.

What’s next for you?

Amanda: I finished a film in January, that’s an independent film called Repeaters. It’s a Canadian indie that was directed by Carl Bessai, who I’ve wanted to work with for a while. That was a really great experience because it’s a really dark role. I play a drug addict. I’ve always wanted to be seen in something like that, but hadn’t been, so it was a great opportunity and a great learning experience. Now, it’s just the patience game, waiting for the next thing that speaks to me. I’m just waiting for the right script to come along.

With all of the opportunities now on cable, would you be willing to do television?

Amanda: Television has changed. There’s obviously the generic shows, but on HBO and AMC, there are some really great series, so I’m not closed off to television. If there’s an amazing role with amazing people and a great story, I’d definitely be open to it. I did television a lot in my earlier years, so to do the high school student that’s just the pretty girl, I’ve done that before, so I don’t have any interest in that.

Was that what Whistler was about?

Amanda: Yeah. It was about the mountain and the people that lived there. It had a bit of a Six Feet Under meets The O.C. element to it. There was deceit, lies, sex, drugs and all of that.

Are you based in Canada still, or do you live in L.A.?

Amanda: I do live in L.A. now. I’ve lived here for a couple of years, but work keeps taking me back up to Vancouver. No complaints there.

From Collider

Zac Efron and Amanda Crew talk to “Good Day LA” on July 29th about their new film “Charlie St. Cloud” which is opening in theaters this weekend.

Hidden inside Charlie St. Cloud‘s story of two brothers is a role model. Tess, played by actress Amanda Crew, is set for a solo race around the world when an intense romance between she and Charlie (played by Zac Efron) ignites. Though the two are drawn together Tess stays true to her dream to sail and asks for love to be put on hold.

Amanda, a beautiful 24-year-old from Canada, who describes herself as “kind of a klutz,” is often compared to Molly Ringwald and Jennifer Love Hewitt. During our 20 minute round table discussion I got the impression that Amanda takes her work as an actress quite seriously and is one to watch in the future!

Are there any ways that you are similar to your character Tess?

So often in my age range there are roles that are just the pretty girl next door who’s the love interest. What I loved about this character is that she had so many layers to her and a lot of layers that I thought were a great role model for girls. Even for myself I admire this person. She’s strong, she’s a woman, she’s independent, she knows what she wants in life, and she’s going to go for it. She’s unapologetic about it and she’s not going to let anyone stand in the way of that.

Some of your other movies (Final Destination 3, The Haunting in Connecticut) are horror movies. Do you love doing those kinds of roles?

I just love movies with honesty in them, where you’re playing these very dynamic characters with a lot of different ranges and levels. When you explore these dynamic characters, you start exploring yourself too. I definitely left this movie a different person – in a better way I hope! Getting in touch with this strong side of Tess got me in touch with the strong side of myself. I can be very apologetic at times and you know, put other people before myself, when I should be putting myself first. I started to just kind of live for myself, instead of for everyone else in my life.”

Do you find that it takes a toll on your personal life to spend the day so emotionally raw?

It can be really draining but it’s also this feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day. You’re just exhausted, like ‘If I have to cry one more time…’ and then you get home and you’re like ‘Why am I crying now?!” But then to look back at what you did that day and just feel like you gave it your all, that’s what you want as an actor.

So what was it like kissing Zac Efron?

(Laughing) Well, I wasn’t kissing Zac Efron, I was kissing Charlie St. Cloud.

Charlie St. Cloud opens in theaters this Friday, July 30!

From BabyCenter

Zac Efron, Amanda Crew and Charlie Tahan reminisce about their time spent filming Charlie St. Cloud and how they bonded on set!

Zac Efron stars as Charlie, whose younger brother, Sam (Charlie Tahan), gets killed in a car crash just before Charlie is to leave for college on a sailing scholarship. When Charlie leaves Sam’s funeral, he finds Sam’s ghost and promises never to leave him.

However, Charlie meets Tess (Amanda Crew), a former classmate and sailing champ, and has to decide whether to stay with Sam or start living his life again.

Moviefone spoke with the three stars about how they bonded on set and became just as close in real life as they appear in the film.

To get to know each other off set, Zac and Charlie say they went to movies and hockey games and practiced sailing together.

From OK! Magazine

Charlie St. Cloud is named after the male lead, but there’s a juicy female part in it too. Amanda Crew plays Tess Carroll, a local sailor who gets Charlie to open up after the death of his brother.

Amanda Crew Meets Charlie St. Cloud

“What I was drawn to in the character was the fact that it’s really hard to find strong roles for girls my age,” Crew said. “A lot of the time, it’s just the pretty girl who serves as the love interest, and that’s it. What I loved about this character was that she’s such a strong, independent woman who knows what she wants in life. She’s unapologetic about it. She has these goals and she’s going to go for it. I think that’s a great role model for girls. Even myself, I admired this character. She’s going to sail around the world by herself. She’s brave and ambitious.”

That’s all acting, and it was a struggle for Crew. “I do come across as very similar to the character, in that I know what I want in life, but the part about the character I struggled with the most was the unapologetic part. I’m Canadian and Burr [Steers] was like, ‘Stop apologizing’ and I was like, ‘I’m sorry. Okay, I’ll do it.’ I came out of the film and carried some of the character with me from this experience in a positive way. I’m just trying to carry that strength with me, for the rest of my life. I definitely connected with the fact that she has goals and she set out to accomplish them. I’ve always been a very goal-driven person. That was definitely a part of her that I could connect with. I just have to work on the apologetic side because I’m Canadian. We apologize for everything.

While Crew was filming the movie, Abby Sunderland was attempting her own round the world journey in real life. “She got lost. I admire anyone who can do that trek, especially at that age. It’s crazy. My sailing coach that worked on the film was telling me that these people who sail around the world have to be a little bit crazy to do it because you’re spending all that time by yourself. You’re not talking to anyone and there is a schedule. You sail for four hours, and you can sleep for 20 minutes, and then you sail another four hours, and that’s for weeks on end. That’s all you’re doing, and you’re eating dehydrated food. It’s so physically demanding, but also mentally demanding. I’m sure that would mess with you a little bit.”

Between the sailing and the drama, Charlie St. Cloud was a serious movie. At least, that’s what you’ll think when you see the finished film. The sailing stuff was always a disaster with me. Zac [Efron] picked it up really quickly, but I”m not very athletic. We did a lot of sailing training, and we had personal trainers to do a lot of weight training in the gym, but I’m a klutz. I had bruises all over my body, through the entire shoot, just from falling over. Before the screen test, a friend of mine who’s a professional sailor was like, ‘Come up to San Francisco. We’ve got this amazing boat and we’re doing a practice run.’ So I was like, ‘Sweet, bikinis and champagne!’ That’s what I pictured sailing to be, but it’s not. It’s a sport. My job was to run from one side to the other, which you would think is easy, but it’s not. I slipped and fell on the deck so hard, and had this massive bruise down my leg and arm. So, I showed up to the screen test, the next day, with bruises. They were like, ‘What happened?’ and I was like, ‘I went sailing. I swear, I’ll be good, if you hire me.’”

Charlie St. Cloud opens to theaters on July 30th.

From CanMag

Amanda Crew was a guest on the talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live” this past Monday, you can watch her interview below!

Forget Zac Efron, we’ve got a crush on Canadian import Amanda Crew, the 24-year-old actress who plays the title character’s love interest in the new movie Charlie St. Cloud. (In theaters July 30th, see trailer below.)

CelebLove recently spent a few minutes gabbing on the phone with Crew (About what? Oh, you know, men, men, and, OK, a bit about sailing) and came away thinking Hey, we like this girl!

She may be a Hollywood starlet-in-training, but to us she came across as a galpal-next-door. Perhaps it was because she delivered a hearty laugh with every question answered, willingly delved into what makes a man a man and lamented with us the continually inexcusable separation of Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. Sigh.

What’s the most important quality in a boyfriend?

Sense of humor. I love to laugh. And it’s important for them to make me laugh as much as I can make them laugh. I’m a goofball. I don’t like to take life too seriously. Life’s too short, you know?

Besides, Charlie St. Cloud, what’s your favorite romantic movie?

The Notebook, that movie I can watch over and over. I’m a Canadian too, like Ryan and Rachel.

If you could time travel, what love advice would you give your younger self?

First, just go with your gut. My mom has amazing gut instincts, and I think I’ve got some of that. There have been times in the past when I’ve ignored my instincts… and I’ve had to learn some lessons. Second, to not settle. So many times we don’t give ourselves enough credit for the kind of person we are. We deserve to be treated nicely and yet we go for the guy who doesn’t treat us well. Why Do Smart Women Settle For Mr. Wrong?

I’m a sucker for a man who_____.

… is a guy! It’s so rare in today’s age with texting and email and Facebook that guys take any real initiative. Back in the day, if a man saw a woman that he was really into he would court her. Now there is no sense of urgency. When a guy says “What are you doing Friday?” and takes initiative, well, there’s something really sexy about a guy who knows what he wants and goes after it. Want Love? Take Initiative. Here’s Why.

If your love life were a song title, what would it be?

You Better Be Worth The Wait

In Charlie St. Cloud, your character is quite the yachtswoman. What can sailing teach us about being in a relationship?

In sailing, you have no control. It’s also different every single time, you can never fully master it—once you do, the wind can change, so you just have to go where the wind and ocean takes you. You have to let go of control, shift and take on the new hurdles. That’s the parallel to love, you’ve got to take each love to each hurdle.

And what about Charlie St. Cloud?

It’s a great movie about relationships. You don’t know what’s going to come in your life, but you should go with your gut, live in the moment, and when life doesn’t go as planned, you’ve just got to go with what life deals you.

From Your Tango

BlackTree TV sits down with young hottie Amanda Crew who plays Zac Efron’s on screen love interest and inspiration in the new movie Charlie St. Cloud.

One of the other pivotal roles in the romantic drama is that of Tess Carroll, a high-school friend and gifted sailor who inadvertently creates a reason for Charlie St. Cloud to escape his self-induced prison. Charlie develops deep feelings for the girl he knew so long ago, and Tess represents a chance for him to discover what it’s like to live again.
British Columbia native Amanda Crew was ecstatic to both win the role of Tess and film in her home province. Luckily for her, it was her birthday when she received the call to come in and read opposite Efron. “We met Amanda through the audition process,” says Steers. “She came in and won the part. She’s beautiful, approachable and everything we were looking for. Her personality wins you over immediately. She’s just scratching the surface of her talent.”
Crew offers insight into her character: “Tess has put a lot of pressure on herself by planning to sail around the world. It was her father’s dream for her; she’s been training tirelessly with her coach and has commitments to sponsors. It’s all or nothing. If she fails, she fails so many people. She’s in control of everything in her life and then she meets Charlie, which throws a complete wrench in her plans. She’s feeling things so strongly she can’t ignore them, yet it comes at the worst possible time…because she’s leaving in one week.”

Charlie St. Cloud’s leading lady Amanda Crew says she enjoyed filming an intense makeout session with Zac Efron, plus she reveals that Zac has a talent for freestyle rapping!