Jesse Bradford and Paula Garces: Frozen in Time

Dark-haired 20-somethings Paula Garces and Jesse Bradford make a cute couple in the new Sci-fi adventure Clockstoppers although both are attached to others in real life. When we chatted in Los Angeles, the two actors were casual in jeans (she wore a cute long-sleeved stretch top with a painting of the Indian Goddess Shiva on it). They talked about their experiences in their first Sci-fi film, working with Star Trek's Jonathan Frakes as their director and their personal interests and unique climbs to fame.

Teenhollywood: So, Jesse, did you do any of the bike stunts in the movie?

Jesse: No, not even a little. I can ride the bike but the most I did was ride with no hands. All the tough stuff was Eddie (stunt guy). But I really played the guitar which was cool. I've been in a couple of bands and look forward to getting a new one started up. I'm biding my time until one of my very best friends that I've known since Freshman year in high school gets out of college. He's a great drummer. I'm hoping we can find a bass player, somebody who knows how to sing and get it going.

Teenhollywood: What are your musical interests?

Jesse: Jazz and Blues and Rock. Hip-hop is a huge influence but I'm not going to pretend I can rap.

Teenhollywood: Both of you, what was it like working with Jonathan Frakes as director?

Jesse: Frakes is fantastic. The Sci-fi thing didn't really matter. Him already being an actor makes a big difference. If you've got a little experience on camera you know what it's like and it's easier to convey to another actor what you want. He's a class act, a really cool guy.

Paula: I think Jonathan is an amazing director. He makes his sets a lot of fun. He's a huge guy, 6'2" Star Trek dude that is not afraid of physical comedy so he was always falling about, always joking with the crew. I think the reason he does that is because he wants his films to project that feeling when it's needed. It made me comfortable on my first film.

Teenhollywood: Paula, what is your background? What was growing up like?

Paula: I was born in New York, grew up in Spanish Harlem. I have a younger sister. My father is an architect still living in South America, Colombia. I'm very much a New Yorker. Economically, we were limited. In the summers Mom didn't want her daughters to be hanging out in the streets so she called local dance and art schools to see if they had any scholarships and we'd go audition. Growing up almost every summer I had a scholarship. I took drawing classes for free when I was 12. Mom was a very smart lady alone with her kids. She took me to a dinner party once when I was 13 and I met an agent there. After doing the soap Guiding Light I can memorize a script very quickly.

Teenhollywood: Jesse, what did you learn from directors you've worked with like Baz Lurhman and Steven Soderbergh?

Jesse: I don't know but I hope it was all by osmosis and shoots out of me when the time comes. I watched these guys do their thing. Probably the most important thing I learned was from Nick Perry who directed Speedway Junkie. It's to know exactly what you need in terms of coverage. You can plan out all the amazing shots you want but if you're missing that one close-up you need then you've f-ed it up. Map it out. James Ivory was the best actor's director I ever had. He lets you try it and then, in five words or less, let's you know exactly what he needs or what you're not doing.

Teenhollywood: Did acting come naturally to you?

Jesse: My first job was when I was eight months old, my first movie when I was five. It's always been there. Acting kind of found me. It fell into my lap. It remains something I want to keep doing.

Teenhollywood: What was it like working with all those special effects and against a green screen?

Jesse: No props or reality to it. It's hyper non-reality, just this green bubble around you. It was a technical thing. "Okay, get your wrist higher."

Paula: It was hard in the beginning because you don't know what you are looking at. When you are working against a green screen, it's just a wall and the director will tell you that you're looking at a monster chasing you or whatever and you have to use your imagination; take yourself back to that moment in time when you thought everything was possible. You have to be open and believe. We did get to shoot the paintball guns. They had pellets.

Teenhollywood: Jesse, what is your "motto" with the opposite sex?

Jesse: If they're not into it, they're not into it. I'm not gonna bug them about it. Truthfully, I've been involved for about two years now so I don't even remember (the dating game).

Teenhollywood: Paula, what is your idea of an ideal date experience?

Paula: Well, my husband took me to the ideal date. We just went to Central Park and went on the merry-go-round and ate hotdogs and soda. I think it was the conversation. He was very smart and had something to say to me. Most girls want that; a guy that has something to say. We're newlyweds. We've been best friends for years. He owns a deli in New York.

Teenhollywood: How did you handle guys back when you were in school?

Paula: Oh, I was the little chubby girl with the Spanish accent. When I came back to the states from South America I forgot English so I had to learn it again. I was made fun of. I wasn't the pretty girl like (my character) Francesca was.

Teenhollywood: Jesse, what got it all started for you recently?

Jesse: Bring It On came out and made way more money than anybody expected and the phone started ringing. This business is very fickle in that way but they should want whoever is current in the movie that made all the money. I'm hoping that happens with this.

Teenhollywood: Did you choose to be a teen heartthrob?

Jesse: I only got a publicist two years ago so, before that, I had a couple of movies come out where I could have been primed for that. There were opportunities throughout high school but I steered away from it. I think everybody wants to be famous in some shape or form. Part of me does, and part doesn't. To achieve what I want in my life, acting, directing and music, I would have to achieve fame so it's a total perk and a price you have to pay (at the same time).

Teenhollywood: What's your real dream?

Jesse: I really want to be a rock star. Getting up on a stage in front of a thousand people and playing music, that's a thrill for me.

Teenhollywood: Paula, have people compared you to Penelope Cruz? You look a little like her.

Paula: I haven't gotten that but thank you! She's a beautiful Spanish woman.

Teenhollywood: This is your first big starring role. Do you hope it can launch you in Hollywood?

Paula: I certainly hope so. When I first read the script I was really attracted to the role of Francesca because she was such a positive role model for girls, especially for Latino girls. She was the regular girl next door but just happened to be from Venezuela and that's it. She was so smart, played sports, which I didn't do growing up and I think a lot of girls should do that. She was never a damsel in distress. She helped her guy out a lot. I think I'm a regular girl but from Colombia. I was able to be very wholesome and sweet but could voice my opinions, not be the mousy, girl. Very much in control. She comes up with ideas and they work.

Teenhollywood: Was there a message in the film other than don't abuse power?

Jesse: Sort of trying to bridge the gap between a father and son who aren't communicating properly. But Zak does have to learn not to abuse power.

Paula: Both characters tell young kids to be themselves, dream, take control and make sure you voice your opinion and ask your questions.

Teenhollywood: Paula, what is with all the Latina actresses being so hot now?

Paula: We're in style now. Spanish people go to movies. We buy music. The powers that be had forgotten us for a long time. We're a huge market. The smart people tapped into it and saw how much money the Jennifer Lopezes and Ricky Martins were making, it was 'why didn't we do this before?' Nickelodeon makes it a conscious effort to tap into various ethnic groups. If you see their programs, it's a rainbow. But it comes down to economics.

Teenhollywood: What do you both think is the ongoing fascination with Science Fiction?

Jesse: I read a lot of Sci-fi books growing up. A lot of my favorite books were Ray Bradbury, Aldous Huxley, Kurt Vonnegut, Frank Herbert, the Dune series meant a lot to me. I like it because it's using the fiction aspect to send a message in a creative way. You can create a world in which everybody burns books like in Farenheit 451.

Paula: It's because it makes you think. When the movie, TV, show or book is finished, you think about the possibilities of your world, the wonder of science. I think that's why kids love it. Kids automatically want to learn and ask questions. Kids might go home from this film going 'Wow, I wonder if there's a mad scientist somewhere making this (time freezing) watch right now?' When I saw the first screening, the kids were explaining to their parents what was going on. They knew and really grasped the concept of hypertime faster than any grownup.

Teenhollywood: Jesse, what is your favorite Science Fiction movie?

Jesse: I wouldn't call it my favorite but I just bought Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure on DVD. That's a great popcorn movie. The cinematographer was our cinematographer on Clockstoppers. If you can call Dr. Strangelove a sci-fi movie, then probably that one.

Teenhollywood: Jesse, there are two cool cars prominently in the film. Which car did you like the best, the '65 Mustang or the BMW?

Jesse: The BMW. That Mustang was strictly a picture car. You pop open the hood and it didn't even have an air filter, barely running. What I really want is a '68 fastback, or '67, like black. I'd take the Beamer but I'm more of an old car person.

Teenhollywood: Zak in the film is desperately trying to buy his first car. What was your first car experience like?

Jesse: I inherited a Volvo then graduated to a Volkswagen Rabbit which was a convertible and stick but (still) my parents' car. I wanted a Volkswagen "Thing". Never got it. Got out to L.A. and my buddy mentioned a Baja Bug, a dune buggy. Then that's what I wanted. That was my first car. I was 20. It's trashed now and I've got to fix it.

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.