For actors Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin, the end of the After franchise is bittersweet. “It’s bitter because it’s sad to not be able to work with these people again and have to step out of the shoes of the character you’ve played across four movies,” Langford tells STYLECASTER. “But it’s sweet because I’m glad we were able to finish these movies for the fans. Hopefully we’ve made something that lasts and that they’re happy with.”
Langford, 24, and Tiffin, 23, play Tessa Young and Hardin Scott respectively in the After franchise, which releases its third of four movies, After We Fell, on September 30, 2021. (The franchise’s last movie, After Ever Happy, finished filming in December 2020 and is set to be released in 2022.) The movies are based on Anna Todd’s books of the same title, which were adapted from a Harry Styles fanfiction she wrote on Wattpad in 2013. Though Tiffin’s character, Hardin, is inspired by Styles, he made the conscious effort not to base his performance on the One Direction member. “When we first started, I detached the Harry Styles aspect for myself,” he says. “Harry Styles and One Direction are the inspiration, but Anna has written this crazy, amazing world of life that no longer needs them as inspiration because the characters are so well-rounded. I didn’t need to draw any external inspiration from him by the time we got through the books to the script to Hardin’s character.” Note: Venom 2 Let There Be Carnage 2021 Streaming
Though Tiffin didn’t relate the role to Styles, he did meet him once at the 2019 Met Gala, where Styles was a co-chair. While they didn’t talk about After, Tiffin believes that Styles gave him a “knowing look.” “I shook his hand, and there was a kind of thing,” Tiffin says. “We didn’t have the opportunity to talk because it was at the entrance, and it was quite full, but I feel like there was a little thing in the eyes of, like, we both knew. There was a knowing look. I haven’t spoken to him in detail about it. I hope that happens sometime.” Note: Mourir peut attendre 2021 Streaming
Ahead, Langford and Tiffin talked to STYLECASTER about how they were cast in the After franchise, what they took from the set of the last movie, and whether fans can expect them in the upcoming After prequel and spinoff about teenage Hardin, and his and Tessa’s kids in the future.
On how they were cast in After
JL: What I remember from the audition is being really busy that week with a ton of other auditions and not thinking twice about it, whereas usually I’m very careful. It’s funny how stuff happens like that. Originally, I didn’t audition for Tessa. I auditioned for another character. You audition for a lot of roles in the same week. One day you’re a mermaid, the next day you’re doing a comedy. I don’t think [switching characters] was really a challenge. I was just flattered to be asked because when I read the script and the book, I felt a lot more connected to Tessa than the other character. I was excited to have the opportunity to do it because it felt right.” Note: BAC Nord 2021 Streaming
HFT: “I was doing a bunch of auditions. The first After audition, I remember I had loads that week. I had four or five in the space of those three days. They were all getting jumbled up in my head. I was just smashing them out, almost thinking like, ‘I could be doing these better if I had more time.’ I did a callback, and there were a few people on the Zoom. I did one more, and they said, ‘We’ll fly you out for a chemistry read.’ They flew me out to L.A. I read with someone who wasn’t Jo, but in front of Anna and a bunch of producers. Then they informally offered me the role. I went back to London, and both my agents were there at the time. They sat me down and said, ‘Sorry, you didn’t get the role,’ and 10 seconds later, they were like, ‘I’m joking. You did. You fly out in two weeks.’ Then it was just super overwhelming and all the emotions in the world.” Read More: Dune 2021 Streaming
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