Girl Code with Jenna Ortega, Maddie Ziegler, & Megan Park

Welcome to Virtual Young Hollywood. Okay, so we're going to play a little game. It's called, it's like girl code because we thought it'd kind of tie in perfect with the film and then you guys would be able to answer the questions very easily. Okay, so I'm going to read off a like scenario and then you guys will say like how like what the girl code would be. Make sense?

Yeah.

Okay, perfect. Okay, so your best friend asks you say each other, you're like, do does this look good and say it doesn't look amazing. Girl code, do you tell her it doesn't or do you just like say, yeah, you look great.

Depends on the occasion. Like if it's going to be her wedding and she thinks it's amazing, I'm going to let her do what she needs to do. But if it's like, I don't know, she's trying to impress a guy or girl and it's like she's dressing up for a date or something. Um, then I might be like, um,

Right.

You have any other options. I think you're going to look amazing regardless, but maybe for a date night, you should go with something more like this.

That's a good way to do it. Depends on the occasion. Would you guys agree?

I'm going to be like, listen, I don't know because I'm in sweat, I've been in sweatpants for like a year and a half. So, I'm going to just trust their judgment. I'm going to take myself out of the equation.

Okay, so your friend wants to go take Instagram pictures, make Tik Tok videos, whatever. So your friend, do you just suck it up and take a million of them or do you get annoyed and you're like, okay, you've had enough, like there's too many pictures.

Uh, I say you take a million.

Yeah, I say you take a million. Like it's different if it's like my sister, I'll get annoyed at some point. I'm like, I'm over this. But if it's with a friend, you know.

More the merrier.

A million. Just get it over with, do as many as make sure they're satisfied and move on.

For your guys's personal Instagram accounts, do you usually get a million taken of you or do you usually have like top 100 and you're good? Are you guys picky or

For me personally, no. I never have photos taken of me. I hate taking photos, which is ironic considering the job that I the job that I have. But, um, no, I don't. I usually just wait way too long to post again and then I get a text from someone, they're like, hey, you haven't posted in a while, you should probably put something up. Then I take like three photos and I'm like, one of these has to work.

Totally. They're all perfect. So

You did good. I feel like yeah, I never take pictures of myself really either. Um, but I guess if I like have to dress up and do something, I'll just like bank 'em, you know, like take 'em and bank 'em and then use 'em later.

Totally. Yeah, that's that's a good way to go about it. Your friend is really upset, like they're crying or whatever. Um, do you take her side no matter what or do you like the story that she says if the other person you kind of think is right, do you tell like just tell them or do you just take their side?

I tell them. I yeah, I know if I were in the situation, I would want somebody to be straight up with me, so I think that's just my outlook on everything in life. I try to be as straightforward as possible.

I think be straight up. Supportive with what they're feeling in the moment, but straight up.

Okay, so you guys say you end up I guess liking the of course, like the same like partner or whatever, the same person, but they it was like an old fling and it's new fling. Is it girl code to be like, okay, that person's off limits or it's okay, depending on, you know, how much time has passed or whatever.

I would say a conversation needs to happen, you know. I think it I I like if that's the if that was a thing you don't like, what am I trying to say here? Um

It's girl code.

Yeah, it's girl code. But it's very much a conversation. If it's been like years, it's a conversation worth having.

Yeah. And then back to the fallout of the movie, when did you guys find out that you guys were going to be each other's cast members?

March of 2020. Did you

Yeah, we actually went to coffee together for the first time because they had, they kind of knew each other but not really and so uh the three of us went to coffee and kind of vibed and then we got shut down because of COVID. So then we didn't film again for a couple months. So and I think Maddie and Jenna hung out a few times before we started filming but yeah, it was it was March.

Yeah, and then Jenna and Maddie did you guys, had you hung out before like you guys got cast together or like you've seen each other at events? Did you ever hang out before?

No, we just kind of ran into each other at events and we did a photo shoot once a few years ago and had very small interactions since. Um so before we got cast, no. That was our first time actually sitting down with each other at something that not a work event. And then we hung out um for the day like right before we started filming. Um like and we just talked for like, I think it was like 11 hours. I think it was 11 hours. And my I just remember like on my way home, I called my mom and she was like, I thought something terrible happened to you because you haven't checked your phone for literally the entire day. I was like, no, I was just like having the best time ever. So.

That's crazy.

And that was so yeah, it was really nice. And I think we both were surprised. I know I was kind of nervous.

I was a little nervous too. I just like freaked out. And Maddie's like, I'm here. So I'm waiting for her on the curb. And I'm like, well, I'll show you where to park.

The worst part about it like The worst part is when I was turning into your apartment complex, I ran over the curb because I was so nervous. And I just remember like, I I think you were just really nice and tried to like brush it off and pretend like you didn't see it.

I looked away. I pretended it didn't happen. Turned around and I went to.

Yeah, we were both really nervous. But I think we're also so pleasantly surprised how like easy it was for us to like get along and just like, we're just very similar in a lot of ways.

She's the coolest.

That's so funny. I was so worried. I was like, I hope they get along, I hope they have chemistry, I hope they're like And then it was so funny because the first time they were on set, you know, once they'd hung out and stuff, they were just like so funny together and so hilarious and so natural and clearly had such a great friendship. So it it made it easy.

And did you know that you wanted that like them? You knew you wanted them together?

Yeah, I mean, uh, Jenna was attached to the film first and, um, and then Maddie later, but yeah, I mean they, I I hoped that they would get along and have good chemistry and they seemed really similar and, um, in personality. And so I was thrilled when they, they're both professionals, like even if they had, God forbid, hated each other, I'm sure it would have been great, but it was just such a great added bonus that they actually are so similar in real life and got along really well and are now friends. It's so it's so awesome.

I know, that's awesome. And then for your characters, what's do you relate to them in real life in any way? Do you feel?

I think there's certain things that or at least certain experiences that Vader have that can be relatable to a lot of teenagers, maybe, you know, when she smokes weed for the first time and it's that awkward. We don't really know what we're doing, but this must be cool if we do it. Or I guess some of the awkwardness. Um, because I can be awkward at times. I think some of Vader's more awkward moments or, um, I guess anxiety ridden moments were kind of reminiscent of experiences that I had growing up or just existing as a teenager. So, I mean, there's a few things, but her style is very different than mine and I I think.

Do you like diving into roles like that that are pretty different than your real life?

Yeah, it's the greatest.

Yeah. Obviously, there was probably one of the biggest similarities with me and Mia, which was the dance aspect of things. Um, it was really nice to have that because I find comfort in that. So, um, that was nice. And I think, yeah, like some similarities is just like some people perceive me as just this dancer who does this, but like, um, there I guess there's more underneath. I don't know. Um, but yeah, but there's also lots of things that that were different, but like Jenna said, it's it's so cool to like jump into someone completely different and it's it's cool as a teenager to go through um like playing that type of role. It was because it's super relatable and it's really easy for us to kind of understand, but um because we were both home-schooled and like didn't have the normal high school experience. Um, there's lots of differences as well.

Totally. And then do each of you have any like when it comes out any, are you going to be together, any exciting plans?

Are you have no idea yet.

Well, I'm in Canada, Jenna's in New Zealand, and Maddie's in LA. So we're not going to be together anytime soon, but um, hopefully in a post-COVID safe world, when this film um gets distribution and comes out, it'll be so special and magical to all be together again and be really cool.

Yeah, we haven't actually had a moment really all three of us to actually hang out just because of COVID and everything and the circumstances of the world, but I think once we do hang out all three of us together, it'll be really special.

Yeah, the last time was literally our coffee date, I think. Before we ever really knew each other, so yeah, it would be something that we definitely have to do in the future.

And then how was it Jenna communicating all the way from New Zealand and the time zones that all of you are in?

Um, it's kind of worked fortunately because while New Zealand, I am a day ahead, but it's only like a three-hour difference, which is kind of East Coast, West Coast. Kind of, I think that um, California is three hours ahead just yesterday. Um, so it's been pretty easy, but like even like scheduling, I did ADR while I was here and there wasn't much of an issue, but it was just weird being so,

We live in our future. You're living our future. Let us know how it is.

We had to do at midnight for me in Canada. It was like one in the morning doing ADR. Other than that.

Well, thank you guys so much for talking to us today and congrats on everything.

Thank you so much.