Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Jonathan Bennett

It’s been fifteen years since Jonathan Bennett became a household name for his breakout role in the cult classic film, Mean Girls. And yes, he knows his hair looks sexy pushed back. Since then, he’s become the host of Halloween Wars, wrote The Burn Cookbook: An Unofficial Unauthorized Cookbook for Mean Girls Fans, and added over 60 credits to his name. This fall, he can be seen starring opposite Fiona Gubelmann and Sean Faris in the romantic comedy, Surprise Me!. Pop Culturalist caught up with the Hollywood heartthrob to chat about all his exciting projects.

PC: Tell us about Surprise Me!, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Jonathan: What I loved about the film is that it’s a fun, romantic comedy with a lot of heart and a lot of laughs. We live in a crazy world right now with lots of negativity. This is something fun and light for people to watch and turn their brains off for a bit. That’s why I wanted to be a part of Surprise Me!

PC: The film is based on a novel by Nancy Goodman, who also wrote, produced, and directed the film. What was the collaboration like working with her?
Jonathan: It’s so much fun when you have the writer, director, and producer all in one person. They have a really clear vision for the project. Nancy knew what she wanted from the moment she wrote the script. It was our job to make that vision come true. She’s so incredibly passionate about this film, and it made our jobs so easy because she knew what she wanted. She was a delight to work with.

PC: Genie, the main character in the film, has a business where she plans surprises for others. What’s the best surprise you’ve ever given or received?
Jonathan: I think one of the best surprises that I’ve ever done was for my birthday. I actually planned a surprise party for all of my friends. I told them when and where to show up, and to bring a change of clothes. We did an overnight adventure full of events. We did everything from dodgeball and trampolines to paintball and laser tag. We also did a booze cruise! We did all of that and they had no clue what was happening. They just knew they needed to block out their schedule for 24 hours and show up.

PC: What is your relationship with surprises? Are you a fan of them?
Jonathan: I don’t like being surprised, but I love doing surprises for other people. I love it, absolutely love it.

PC: You have a Mean Girls parody cook book where you have a lot of creative recipes related to the iconic film. If you could come up with a recipe for Surprise Me!, what would it be, and what would you call it?
Jonathan: Oh, that’s a good one! Well, I mean you can’t just ask me that and expect an answer. [laughs] It took us a while to come up with Fetch-uccini, Gretchen’s Wieners, and Baby Prosti-Turmeric Latte. It takes like a whole year to do it right.

PC: Besides Surprise Me!, you’re also the host of Halloween Wars, which is airing now. What can you tease about this upcoming season and what can fans expect?
Jonathan: The fans can expect the most amazing season of Halloween Wars they’ve ever seen. The pumpkin carving is out of this world. Our pumpkin carvers aren’t real people. They’re aliens, because no one on this planet should be able to carve pumpkins the way they do, and it just blows your mind. Plus we have amazing special guest judges this season. We have the cast of Stranger Things, the cast of The Walking Dead, and the cast of Twilight all in one season.

Surprise Me! is now available on VOD and On Demand. Keep up with Jonathan by following him on Twitter and Instagram.