Though it’s sort of flying under the radar, the ‘Jem & The Holograms‘ movie is chugging right along and it sounds as if things are going very well. Recently, Stefanie Scott, who plays Kimber, Jem’s keyboard-playing sister, opened up about the process of filming the adaptation, based on a cartoon and toy line that came out before she was even born! (Feel old?) Despite not experiencing the popularity of ‘Jem’ during its heyday, the young actress seems to have committed to doing her best and to making fans proud.
Scott revealed that she and Jem actress Aubrey Peeples have actually already played sisters in the past. “I’ve known Aubrey since I was 10 and she was 13. We did the production of the ‘Sound of Music’ together, where we also played sisters — we hadn’t seen each other since. But, all of us have a really special bond, and I say that as genuinely as possible. I feel like we really became a big family.”
Further along those lines, she expressed that working with director Jon M. Chu was a great experience and hinted at the tone of the movie.
“Our director for ‘Jem and the Holograms’, Jon Chu, is the coolest dude — he was just one of us. And, when you’re working really late nights, you kind of have to have a really good relationship with everyone. He was hilarious and crazy! Every morning at 4 a.m., when we were still shooting, he would get on the microphone and let the extras come on stage and dance to help keep their energy up. He was just awesome, not to mention his vision to bring ‘Jem and the Holograms’ to life. Yes, it’s ‘80s and fun, but it’s also so bright and out there. To turn all of that into a modern-day coming-of-age story is hard to do.”
Finally, she discussed her role as Kimber and the “band’s” process of preparing for their roles.
“She is so fun and feisty! I think it was something I just adapted to the more I went through rehearsal. We had two weeks of rehearsal and band practice before we started shooting — I had to learn the keyboard. We were all really nervous on the first day of band practice because we never performed in front of so many people before. Also, we didn’t want to disappoint all of the ‘Jem’ fans, so it was nerve-wracking. But, after the first day of rehearsal, our choreographer had us stay an extra hour and go crazy by running around the room and doing a bunch of hair flips. Ever since then, I think it was a lot easier for us.”
I don’t think anyone expects this movie to be anywhere near as big as ‘G.I. Joe‘ or ‘Transformers‘, but ‘Jem’ has a devoted fan base and even an annual convention where fans can cosplay, do Jem karaoke, and show off and purchase custom Jem dolls.
As a bonus, check out this year’s SDCC exclusive Integrity Toys Jem doll, Rock ‘N Romance Jem, an extremely rare doll from the original line. Only a couple hundred were ever made and only sold in France, after Hasbro decided not to continue the doll line. The existing dolls sell for many thousands of dollars… when they pop up at all. If that’s too rich for your blood, you can buy this updated version, although as an SDCC exclusive, don’t expect the production run to be much higher than the original doll’s. (Riot doll sold separately.)
Will this modern film be Truly Outrageous?!
Source: Refinery29
