This Tuesday at 8p, ABC Family is going to air their newest show 10 Things I Hate About You and there is nothing to Hate about this show. Last week, I went to set of the show you are going to want to watch and I learned 10 interesting thing about the show and the cast and now I am going to share them with you. 1 – How the show came about – Carter Covington, who created the show, has been working with ABC Family for a while with his own pilot and Greek and one of the directors he worked with was Gil Junger, who directed the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. So Carter would constantly ask him what it was like working on the movie. As Carter told us from those interactions, "the pilot kind of grew out of that. I mean, it was kind of, it’s been ten years, and I’d always wanted to do a show about high school. I mean, I grew up loving John Hughes movies, like loving. And no one’s ever really kind of captured that spirit to me in a series. And so when we kind of came up with the idea, I got the blessing from the writers of the original movie, who are friends of friends." And that is how we got the must watch show of the summer. Here is another tidbit, Gil Junger directed the pilot for the show. 2 – Location trivia – The real high school where they filmed the pilot at is the same HS that was used in the movie Heathers. Now the show is filmed on a set and it is same one that original Melrose Place was shot at when it aired on Fox. Here is another tidbit Carter interviewed for Melrose Place 1.0 as a PA at the same location where he is now running the show. 3 – Larry Miller aka Walter Startford the dad – The only cast member, as of now, who appeared in the movie is also blogger! If you need a laugh, because you will get one, check out his blog at Larry Miller Humor. 4 – Ethan Peck aka Patrick Verona – Ethan Peck had never been on a motorcycle before the show and now he is taking lessons to learn how to drive one. Doesn't he look good on one? 5 – Last one cast – Carter was having a problem finding the right Patrick Verona until they got Ethan Peck's audition tape from NY.
I was like, “Let’s keep this guy mysterious. Let’s give him a—let’s make him—let’s make the role—let’s find an actor who doesn’t have Heath Ledger or is like singing in the bleachers sort of extroverted energy who has more of this like ‘I’m this mysterious guy.’” And we couldn’t find him. We kept casting, we kept casting, and we kept casting. And I called the network. I said, “I think we need to, like, expand out of LA. Like, I’d really like to see if there’s anyone in New York and anyone in Canada.” And so we had some casting directors. And Ethan went on tape and I was, like, going, “Nah, nah,” through all these auditions. And he just walked on screen, and the first word out of his mouth I was like, “What?” [Laughs] “Whose voice is that?” And I didn’t know anything about his grandfather or anything like that. I didn’t know that he came from this past. We flew him out for the final audition with the network, so I’d never met him in person until the day he was auditioning. And it was just like a no-brainer. I mean, it was—literally, he came in and just—he read the scene and everyone was just kind of like, “Whoa.” And I’ve had a lot of talks with him because, Patrick I think we’re really trying to evolve in a fun and different way. And he’s a really funny guy, but it’s a real sort of understated humor. So we’re really trying to play with that and sort of evolve the character as this sort of anti-romance between the two of them where they constantly like pushing each other’s buttons and sort of getting under each other’s skin, but they’re really attracted to each other.
Here is a Ethan tidbit, the grandfather Carter is talking about is the legendary actor Gregory Peck. 6 – Lindsey Shaw aka Kat Stratford – She almost missed out on the role because she was filming the movie Devolved the day they called her to audition for the show.
Well it was great. I was actually doing a small independent film at the time, and I was working that day that I was supposed to have this audition. And my manager called the director, because it’s small, you don’t talk to any PAs on a small independent. You talk to the director. And John Cregan was just—he was a little upset about having to rework everything because it was a big rework. But he finally did it. He gave me the morning off. And so I went and I did this audition, and it was wonderful. I met Carter, and it was super fun. And the next thing I get this call, and they’re like, you know, “You’re going to network in a month.” And I was like, “Oh, all right. Awesome. Cool, cool, cool.” Went there and, you know, did the network thing. And I got a call that night from both my manager and my agent like, “Ah, you got it.” So it was kind of a tricky story on how I finally got to the audition, but it was so worth it. And I told that director, he’s like, “I knew it. I knew you’d get it.” So I’m very thankful to him for reworking all of that, or else it all might not have been. So.
Luckily for her the director worked it out, so she was able to audition. And she isn't the only lucky one because we are lucky to have her as Kat because she is amazing in the role! 7 – Meaghan Jette Martin aka Bianca Stratford – The day after our set visit Meaghan's film Dear Lemon Lima was premiering at the LA Film Fest and she said the cast was coming out to support her. As you can see she told us the truth because Kyle Kaplan, Nicholas Braun, Chris Zylka, Jolene Purdy and Ethan Peck were all there with her! (photo from WireImage) 8 – The show's HS bathroom – The sign on the bathroom door on the set says Ladies, but when you go inside it is a boy's bathroom. 9 – A kiss! – Coming up on the show two of the actresses are going to kiss. You will have to watch to find out who and why? And believe me you will want to watch. 10 – Things I Hate About You is fun show that anyone can enjoy with an amazing cast, so make sure to check it out on July 7th on ABC Family at 8p! It is the only time you will be looking forward to going to school in the summer!!!
5 – Last one cast – Carter was having a problem finding the right Patrick Verona until they got Ethan Peck's audition tape from NY.
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