At the core of New Line Cinema's
epic musical “Rock of Ages” is a boy-meets-girl love story woven into classic,
only-in-Hollywood dreams of fame. To play the young lovers Sherrie and Drew,
the filmmakers chose two of today's most promising stars, Julianne Hough
(“Footloose,” “Burlesque”) and Diego Boneta (TV's “Pretty Little Liars”).
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| Diego Boneta |
The
opening scene of the film follows a beautiful, if somewhat naïve, girl named
Sherrie Christian, who has just hopped a bus from her small Midwestern hometown
in pursuit of her Hollywood dream to be a singer. When she takes her first
steps on the Sunset Strip, she thinks she’s found paradise.
Hough
was cast as the wide-eyed Sherrie, who lands at the epicenter of the rock ‘n’
roll scene. “She just wants to make something of herself, even if she’s not
going to be the biggest rock star in the world. She wants to be around it, the
excitement and the energy of a city like that. It makes her feel alive.”
 |
| Julianne Hough |
Prior
to casting Hough in “Rock of Ages,” director Adam Shankman had an opportunity
to direct her in a music video for her latest album. “Julianne blew my mind,”
he says. “She has an extraordinary rapport with the camera; her beauty and
talent is right there in a really big way.”
Arriving
in town with hopes high, Sherrie immediately experiences a bit of a rude
awakening. The disappointment doesn’t last long, though, as she’s rescued by a
handsome young man, Drew Boley, who offers her what she needs more than
anything in the world: a job.
Boneta
won the role of Drew after a nationwide search. “Drew is a barback at The
Bourbon Room, a legendary club like the Whiskey, where all the bands play,”
says Boneta. “He’s a rock star in his heart, and he’s a good, honest, romantic
guy.”
“We
saw thousands of people for Drew,” Shankman relates. “Diego’s audition tape
came across my casting website, and after I watched it, I just had that
feeling. I called [producer] Jennifer Gibgot and said, ‘I think I found the
guy. I’m looking at him right now.’”
Gibgot
recounts, “We brought Diego in, and the moment he walked through the door, Adam
and I just looked at each other and said, ‘That’s Drew.’”
Being
hardworking young performers on the rise themselves, it wasn’t difficult for
either Hough or Boneta to understand the hopes and dreams of their characters.
“Sherrie
and Drew are both in L.A. for the same reasons, they have essentially the same
goal in mind, so they click, they really connect,” Boneta attests. “At first,
they help each other out at work, but there’s a definite attraction; things
between them just grow from there.”
Hough
agrees. “Drew and Sherrie are the couple that you root for,” she says. “They’re
young and learning about life and being in a relationship, and excited for the
future. It all seems perfect until they have…a big misunderstanding.”
“Rock of Ages” is distributed
worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
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