Briana Evigan Steps Up!

Who is that hot girl in the Linkin Park video "Numb"? She's trained in hip-hop by mega-sizzlin' choreographer Shane Sparks (her first moves learned at age 11!). Pretty brunette actress Briana Evigan's dad Greg was on TV in the '80's on "B.J. and the Bear" and, later, "My Two Dads" so she's born to the craft. She gets to showcase her skills in the new dance/romance Step Up 2 The Streets (the sequel to Step Up) playing Andie, a motherless, tough street chick who calls her underground crew her real family until she gets a chance to attend the Maryland School of the Arts where she meets star dancer Chase (Robert Hoffman) and falls for him. Will she choose her homies or her new crew?

Chatting with Briana was a pleasure. Her director Jon Chu says he cast her because "I was looking for a Disney princess with an edge. She has that raspy voice like the girl I had a crush on in high school" and Demi Moore we might add. She's new enough to the game to still be herself without a guard up against the press. We chatted about the awesome dancing in the film, her training, her fave movies and music, her own high school days and a lot more. Picture this long-haired, up and comer setting her own style in satin, sleeveless blouse with copper beading, jeans and flat, brown leather boots.

TeenHollywood: Since you and Robert Hoffman just clicked so quickly, what was that chemistry?

Briana: I don't know. I had to do a 'chemistry' test with him, in my last audition, and we instantly clicked. We had to come up with a little salsa piece together, for the audition. We absolutely clicked. He's a very nice guy and very talented and very cool.

TeenHollywood: Dancing seems to come naturally for you. Has the transition to acting been just as natural?

Briana: Yeah. I'm really getting into the acting now, and am hoping to continue that more than anything, actually.

TeenHollywood: How much dance training have you had?

Briana: I started when I was 9, and then I started taking private classes with Shane Sparks when I was 11, so it's been a little over 11 years. Just mainly hip-hop, though, and then I got into salsa, African, ballet, jazz and all that.

TeenHollywood: How did you hook up with Shane Sparks?

Briana: I found him at this really small studio in North Hollywood somewhere, and there was only six of us taking class. And then, he moved over to Millennium and I continued taking from him over there.

TeenHollywood: What did you actually get from that training?

Briana: Dancing, to me, is a way of expressing myself and getting out either really great emotions or really bad emotions, whatever it is. I actually started off as a gymnast when I was very, very young, and I think that is what led me into dancing. I would just do it in my house and around my parents, and would shake my butt all over the place. I just fell in love with it when I was very young.

TeenHollywood: What did you learn about the business from your dad?

Briana: A lot. Be humble, of course. That was his number one thing with me, growing up. My whole family has taught me that, and we're all very close. But, he has told me all the ups and downs, and when it sucks and when it's great, and how to deal with it, basically.

TeenHollywood: Who's your favorite dancer?

Briana: I think Michael Jackson is definitely an inspiration. My style is not anything like his, but I love his style, of course. I think he created what everyone is doing today, in some way or another, with the up-tempo forms of dance.

TeenHollywood: What was one of the most challenging aspects of this film for you?

Briana: When I started working with [choreographer] Dave Scott. I clicked right away with Jamal Sims and Rhapsody, who is his assistant, and their dancing. They helped me get even a little bit bigger than I was. I really started with a lot of street hip-hop, so their choreography was a little bit more like Shane's for me. I continued taking dance with Shane my whole life. And then, when I walked into the room with Dave Scott, I was so scared 'cause he does a lot of popping and I had never done that before. So, I had to retrain all of my muscles to remember how to use them the way he did. It was crazy. And, watching him is so intimidating.

TeenHollywood: Would you say you can relate to your character Andie?

Briana: Absolutely. I think a lot of people can relate to her, too, because it's a girl who's had lots of problems with her family. She doesn't have a mother. She doesn't have a father. She's adopted into another family and lives in an area that you maybe don't want to live in. She's just trying to follow her dream and has all the ups and downs in the world and loses her friends and her boyfriend and her school; everything. And, she's still strong enough to be able to get through it all and go to "The Streets" [the big dance competition in the film].

TeenHollywood: Do you have friends like her?

Briana: Yeah. My family is very, very close, and it's helped me a lot. I always have that support to go back to, no matter what's going on in my life. I can always trust my family. [Andie is] looking for something to trust, to have and hold onto. I think a lot of people can really tune into that, like my friends that don't have family and don't have some of the stuff that I, fortunately, have. I think it's hard, either way. I go through the ups and downs that everybody does, but I think it could be a little harder without having that. I think it's great that people can try to find it somewhere else.

TeenHollywood: There's a comment in the movie about how your character dresses like a tomboy and that she needs to dress more like a girl. But, didn't you feel like the dress you wear in the film was the most conservative thing that you wore?

Briana: Yeah. I was in all the baggy clothes, and stuff. My stomach is showing, mostly the whole movie. But, when they put me in the salsa scene with the white dress and everything, it's very pretty. And, you don't see me with make-up on until then. It kind of changes me and I start putting eyelashes on, and all that.

TeenHollywood: How do you dress, compared to the way your character does?

Briana: Actually, I used to dress a lot like Andie. I mix it up all the time. My closet is a mess. There's all different kinds of stuff. Sometimes I wear hippie things. Sometimes I wear hip-hop things. Sometimes I just wear jeans and some boots and a tank top. I mix it up.

TeenHollywood: What do you think about the way they edited the dancing?

Briana: We did so much more choreography than what was in the film. It's crazy when we see it all chopped up and half of it is missing, and it's in a different part of the movie now, or something. But, it was really cool. I love the way they put it together. I think the editors and John Chu had great direction through the whole thing. I thought they really did an unbelievable job, and I think all the dancers were very happy.

TeenHollywood: What injuries have you sustained from dancing?

Briana: I had a torn ACL and went through knee surgery, and now I'm doing good and I'm learning how to run again. That was the only injury I've actually ever had before. It was the last week of filming, actually, and fortunately it did not stop me from any of the dancing in the movie. But, when I got home, I did have to go through surgery. Now I've been out a month and a half after surgery, and I'm going to physical therapy every day, so I can get better real quick.

TeenHollywood: This is a PG-13 film. Did you have to cut back on the sexy dance moves?

Briana: Yeah. For this movie, they really wanted me to cut back on my sexiness 'cause I just had a dance company, called E-Funk, right before the movie and we had a real sexy hip-hop thing going on. So, right when I got there, they were like, 'Get rid of the sexy. Get like a man. You'll have these baggy pants on. Get ghetto.' [we laugh] So, they definitely put a limit on my dancing in the movie.

TeenHollywood: How hard was it for you to do the dancing in the rain? That was an awesome scene!

Briana: I had my leg issue going on, so I had a big metal brace on, underneath my wardrobe. But, it wasn't difficult. I was very worried that it was going to be. But, it was so fun and our adrenalin [was going], and everybody was so pumped up. The rain would come on and we'd all start jumping. We were so excited, every time. And, we knew this was the end and we were about to be finished filming, so I think everybody really pushed through. But we were soaked!

TeenHollywood: Are you a fan of the classic film Flashdance?

Briana: Yes! That's one of my favorite dance movies. I actually think 'Step Up' might be the next series of 'Flashdances,' compared to some of the other dance movies out there.

TeenHollywood: Yep. Did you find that there was some real competition between the two crews during filming?

Briana: Oh, yeah. They had two different choreographers. Hi Hat did the 410 crew. She's very much like a drill sergeant, 'This is the way. This is the only way.' Those dancers were like machines. And, their practices were that way. Our practices were, sometimes, a little more laid back. Somebody would walk in the room, and we were all messing around. Dave Scott, who was our choreographer, was much more fun. Things were changing a lot more. We were trying to get the real feel for what our crew was supposed to be like. And, the whole month of rehearsals, we weren't allowed to see each other's routines at all. They had papers up on the windows, so that we couldn't see anything. And then, finally, the last night of rehearsals, we had a showcase for everybody and we all came together and showed [each other]. So, it was competitive.

TeenHollywood: What did you think when you finally saw the other crew's dance?

Briana: Oh, God, we were terrified. And, they went first. We were like, 'Oh, no!' They were building pyramids and jumping off each other, and we had straight on choreography, and then we had our breakers. We were so intimidated by them, at first. But, they're all really nice people, so there weren't any personality conflicts with anybody. The dancing was like, 'Woah, they are good!'

TeenHollywood: What was the most difficult scene for you to shoot, either from an acting standpoint or a dancing standpoint?

Briana: There was actually this one day that we had lost somebody on set that had been working in the production office, and that day was kind of off for everybody. And, I did have to do a little bit of a crying, teary scene, which helped because everyone was so distraught from it all. But, at the same time, it was kind of hard because my mind was not where we were at all. I don't think anybody's mind was. We were all upset about what had happened. So, that whole day was probably the [worst day] of the whole movie.

TeenHollywood: That's awful...Are you still playing with a band and playing keyboards?

Briana: Yeah, I'm definitely still playing my piano. I've been playing since I was four. My dad put me on the piano and said, 'Play. I think you'll like it' and I fell in love with piano. I don't have a rock band anymore. We were together for about three years, and played all over Hollywood. And then I got into hip-hop and I'm trying to do that. I started working with the Black Eyed Peas' production company, Grass Roots Entertainment, and have just been slowly in and out of there, trying to boggle everything together.

TeenHollywood: What musical artists do you like to listen to?

Briana: I actually listen to a lot of classic rock and a lot of dance-y, techno-ish house music. I like everything. I have the craziest iPod with a million different things. And, of course it has hip-hop because I'm a dancer.

TeenHollywood: When you were a teen, what music were you listening to?

Briana: Well, I've always loved Timbaland, for hip-hop. The soundtrack for this movie is so awesome. But, I've always really mixed it up with the music. Since I had a rock band, I've gone back and forth. I really love Sarah McLachlan, and I really love Elton John, with all the piano stuff. I have such a variety. It's gone from classic rock to hip-hop to everything.

TeenHollywood: You're a singer, too?

Briana: Mmm hmmm.

TeenHollywood: How were you in school? Could you relate to being a misfit?

Briana: Yeah, definitely. I had my troubles. I got into lots of trouble and had a great time, and had my troubled friends. And then, quickly got out of all that and got my head straight in 11th grade, and started doing things the right way.

TeenHollywood: Seen any movies you liked lately? What kind of films do you like?

Briana: I'm a sucker for all those cheesy teen movies, so if I can get anyone to come with me, I'll go see all that stuff. But, otherwise, I just saw Cloverfield. I thought that was pretty awesome. And, I love all the war movies, and all that kind of stuff. I like everything. I'm so easy to entertain, it's crazy.

TeenHollywood: We know you are concentrating on acting now but do you have any tips for wannabe dancers out there?

Briana: Keep going because it is so competitive, and I think people get very discouraged going into auditions because of how great the people are. Having B-boys and B-girls around, as popular as they are now, they go into an audition, and they ask you to freestyle at the end of whatever you've learned, and it's intimidating because your freestyle does not look like that. That's the way it was for me. I could do some simple break-dancing moves when I got the movie, but before that, it was like, 'Wow!' That's just so cool to watch that it intimidates you. But, you've just got to remember that that may not be what they're looking for. They're always looking for something so specific that they already know, when you walk in the room, if you're the girl or guy, or not.

TeenHollywood: Have you ever been the jealous ex-girlfriend, like Sophie in the film, or have you been with someone who had a jealous ex-girlfriend?

Briana: Yes, I've definitely been with people who have the jealous ex-girlfriend. I'm not the jealous type at all because, if you are going to be that way, I don't want to be with you. But, I've definitely had to deal with those situations, many times. Mostly every time. Everybody has an ex-girlfriend or an ex-boyfriend, right?

TeenHollywood: Yep. Do you have any special plans for Valentine's Day?

Briana: I'm going to go to the El Capitan [movie theater] with my whole family 'cause my grandparents can't come to the premiere. We're all going to go see the movie together. All my friends that can't come to the premiere are going to go with me.

TeenHollywood: Was the kissing scene with Robert uncomfortable at all?

Briana: No. We had gotten so comfortable, over the three months that we were there, and that was the end of the shoot. It was exciting. I had never done an on-screen kiss, or anything. And, kissing is personal, so I was a little nervous, but we were definitely comfortable together.

TeenHollywood: If you had a dance-off with the cast of the first "Step Up" movie, who would get served?

Briana: I think they'd all get served. I wouldn't dance against the people in this movie. They're too good.

TeenHollywood: How would the cast and crew of this movie describe you?

Briana: I smile a lot. I don't know. I'm a pretty happy person. They always said, 'Why are you so happy? You've been working for 17 hours, what's wrong with you?' And, I'm humble, absolutely.

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