Josephine Langford and Drew Starkey‘s onscreen chemistry made it extremely easy to root for Zoey and Zach’s love story in The Other Zoey.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, director Sara Zandieh praised the costars for elevating the scenes between the characters.
“They really did have effortless chemistry. Both Josephine and Drew are so good to work with,” Zandieh shared with Us. “They not only are so great at their crafts — they’re just both such good actors.”
Langford, 26, and Starkey’s professional approach made the filming process easy and fun.
“Both of them were doing a comedy for the first time. They were both really excited to do a comedy and to work on material that was a little lighter and funny,” Zandieh noted. “They were not only really good at their craft, they were really good for production. They were easy to work with. They were very prepared and committed and they did a great job. We had a lot of fun making this movie.”
The Other Zoey follows college student Zoey (Langford) as she accidentally ends up in a love triangle between her classmate Zach (Starkey) and his cousin Miles (Archie Renaux). The situation is quite complicated because Zach — who has temporary amnesia — thinks Zoey is his girlfriend. Zoey, however, doesn’t believe in love based solely on emotions and decides Miles makes more sense for her on paper.
After Zach finds out that Zoey isn’t actually his girlfriend, the pair part ways. Zoey gets advice from her best friend Elle (Mallori Johnson) and her mother (Heather Graham) that convinces her to fight for Zach. The film ends with Zoey taking a risk by exploring her feelings for Zach.
The Other Zoey included plenty of adorable moments between the fictional couple that built up their romance — including a sequence where Zoey and Zach play various board games together.
“The game sequence was really fun to shoot. We did a lot of improvisation,” Zandieh recalled. “There’s a whole dance sequence where they’re just rocking out and we just let them do whatever they want. It was really fun. I think we let loose a bit on that sequence and that was what was required to get the best performances.”
Zandieh also revealed that nearly all of Zoey and Zach’s scenes were featured in the film, adding, “I actually don’t think we had any omitted scenes. I think almost everything made the cut.”
While Zoey ends up with Zach, many viewers were hoping for a future between her and Miles.
“I think Zoey has chemistry with both Zach and Miles. And we just ensured that every scene with both actors was just really good and would lead you down that path,” Zandieh explained to Us. “So I think it all is just in the great performances that Josephine, Drew and Archie gave. The performances within the scenes were just all so good. I think that’s what could lead you down both paths.”
The message at the center of the movie, though, is about all different kinds of love.
“It’s a romantic comedy, but it’s also a family comedy. It’s a friendship comedy [and] it’s a coming-of-age story. That’s why it’s so accessible for so many different people. You can watch it with your parents [and] you can watch it with your friends,” the director said. “But there are so many different kinds of love and relationships in this movie. “There’s the romantic pursuit but also there’s a really important friendship and it shows how friendship is such a lifeline in developing and becoming who you are.”
Zandieh concluded by discussing what she hopes people take away from The Other Zoey. “The message of the movie is ultimately that love is not a science,” she added. “Also Zoe’s journey [in] the movie is that you have to let your guard down and become vulnerable in order to grow.”
The Other Zoey premieres in theaters on October 20, and later on demand on November 10.
