Here's What Happened When We Went on Set with Bella Thorne and the Cast of 'Shovel Buddies'
1/6The sun's going down as we watch the cast of Shovel Buddies prepare for a night shoot amidst huge flood lights and even bigger mountains of dirt. The flick—produced by Awesomeness Films and starring Bella Thorne, Kian Lawley, Alex Neustaedter, Philip Labes, and Anton Starkman—takes place mostly over the course of a single night. "The tone of this movie has to be in the shadows," writer Jason Hellerman explains. "For these characters, in the darkness of their own lives, it's weird if it's sunny out."
The plot, which centers around a group of friends trying to complete the dying wishes of a leukemia patient, Sammy, is bound to have its share of serious moments. Surprisingly, there's plenty of humor here too (think the darkly funny kind). When Sammy's friends receive a posthumous Snapchat request—to bury him in his football jersey—they wind up accidentally stealing the body. You probably don't need us to tell you this, but things start getting a little out of control after the unintentional body snatching.
It's the kind of story that will make you laugh and cry in equal parts, mostly because it feels so true to life. That definitely has a lot to do with Jason's inspiration; his own friend Mike was diagnosed with stage IV leukemia, and passed away. To come to terms with his own feelings, Jason channeled his energy into rewriting the script until he felt he had fully tapped into his characters' emotions. So if you watch this and notice that the characters are behaving and reacting like actual, non-imaginary people would to a friend's death, you're right. As Bella puts it, many of the characters give off certain first impressions, but there's definitely much more complex stuff to be unraveled underneath.
"People tend to be glamorized when they pass away, so the film is about realizing who someone is, in both their positive and negative qualities," echoes Philip, who plays Sammy. His positive qualities? "He made it about trying to enjoy your life while you're alive."
Click through our slideshow for the full scoop on the shovel buddies, introduced by the ones who know them best: Bella, Kian, Alex, and Anton.
BONNIE OSBORNE2/6Bella Thorne as Kate, Sammy's Sister
"Kate tries to fill a void that she wishes Jimmy [Alex] could fill, but he doesn't—because he dates her character in the film, then leaves her alone and stranded. And then her brother dies on her, so in order to fill that emptiness and sadness, she fills it with boys. She has no other way."
How Bella relates to Kate:
"I see the scared little girl…she's very bad and tough, but you know there's little moments that I hope we captured on screen where you see she really is scared and uncomfortable and self-conscious. She just wants someone to love her. If you don't know that about my character, then you kind of don't understand her short, rude, abruptness in the film."
BONNIE OSBORNE3/6Alex Neustaedter as Jimmy, Sammy's Best Friend
"Jimmy is really the mold for everybody. He brings everyone together in the beginning, and towards the end when it starts to break down, he has to make huge decisions to turn it around. I think what people like most about his character is that he never gives up. He has huge dignity throughout the entire thing, and that's what makes him special."
How Alex relates to Jimmy:
"He's very adventurous, and like myself, he doesn't give up. He's also athletic, so he's able to use his body a lot of the time. He's a very physical guy. Throughout the script, he's carrying Sammy, and I think that just shows how much compassion he has and how much he cares about his best friend who's passed away."
BONNIE OSBORNE4/6Kian Lawley as Dan,(Sammy's Other Best Friend
"Dan is a badass. He gets himself into trouble a lot by saying what's on his mind; he speak freely. He doesn't really care about other people's feelings. But deep down, he does care a lot about his friends. Dan's more direct, he doesn't beat around the bush. Overall, he's badass though."
How Kian relates to Dan:
"My character is very outspoken. He speaks his mind and doesn't really care about other people's feelings when he says it. That doesn't necessarily mean that I do that! But sometimes I say things that probably shouldn't be said, at the wrong times. I'm one of those people that giggle at a funeral, just randomly. But he still has values and values his friendship with Sammy—he's authentic."
5/6Anton Starkman as Lump, Jimmy's Brother
"He's Jimmy's brother, and he's kind of always there because he just wants to be a part of everything. They don't necessarily give him approval at first, though, because he's younger."
How Anton relates to Lump:
"It's funny because Kian—Dan—he's actually as old as my brother who's 19. And Alex is 17, the same age as my other brother. So when my mom told Kian and Alex that, they were like, 'Oh, so your family is basically Dan, Jimmy, and Lump.' I was like, 'Yup!'"
BONNIE OSBORNE6/6Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for Shovel Buddies, out next year.
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