Exclusive Interview: Colin Woodell Talks I Love America, His Experience Working on His First Rom-Com, and More

Colin Woodell is one of Hollywood’s most versatile young actors. He’s brought complex characters to life on the stage and screen. Past credits include Devious Maids, XOXO, Unfriended: Dark Web, The Originals, The Purge, and Dying City. Currently, he stars in the must-see rom-com, I Love America.

I Love America follows the adventures of Lisa (Sophie Marceau) who decides to transform her life by leaving Paris for Los Angeles. Her children have left the family nest and her famous mother, absent throughout her life, has just died: Lisa therefore needs a fresh start.

She reunites with her best friend Luka (Djanis Bouzyani) who has made a name for himself professionally in America by opening a famous drag queen bar, but his love life is as complicated as it is prolific. Luka makes it his mission to help Lisa revive her long-dormant love life by creating a profile for her on a dating app. Through uncomfortable dates and an unexpected romance with John (Colin Woodell), Lisa finds out that the real reckoning is with herself, if she can finally forgive the person who was her first love… her mother.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Colin about I Love America, working on his first rom-com, and more!

PC: Throughout your career, you’ve brought these dynamic characters to life on the stage and screen. What is your process for deciding what projects you want to go out for? What was it about John and this script that attracted you to the role?
Colin: That’s a great question. I’d say the thing for me that is most telling as my career has gone further and further is that I’ve been trying to continue to change what I do as much as possible. It stretches you, and it works different muscles. I really enjoy playing darker roles in projects with darker subject matters, but I wanted to try something that was fun, silly, romantic, and endearing. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to do that.

So as I continue to move forward, it’s important for me to try to continue to change it up as I go from one project to another as I said. I want to stay fresh and try to utilize as much of my ability as possible.

PC: This story was inspired by Lisa Azuelos’ own experiences. What was it like collaborating with her as you brought her personal story to life on the screen?
Colin: It was incredible—talk about a personal story. It was therapeutic for her to write this story. She was able to let go of a lot of things that she had previously held onto. She told me this was the easiest script that she’s ever written. She was able to write it in such a short period of time for obvious reasons. But that’s also intimidating as an actor. Because you feel like you’re encroaching on someone’s story and you want to do it justice. You’re a little precious about things.

But she immediately dismantled all those fears and allowed me to take as many liberties as I wanted. I was able to collaborate in such a way where I could create my own personal story for John and journal in his voice to find out who he was and to create that backstory. Then I presented it to her. She was very excited about it. We were able to use a lot of it for the film. A lot of what the connective tissue is between John and Lisa and what actually brings them together is their personal histories. That’s one of the big things about the two of them.

PC: You and Sophie have this undeniable chemistry. Was that instant? How were the two of you able to build that trust that you needed to tackle your characters’ journey while filming during a pandemic?
Colin: It’s funny because she’s such a good actor. I could have been a goat or a dog and she would have had chemistry with me. I swear to God, she’s incredible. She’s so charming and so giving as an actress. She has this bubbly energy that’s infectious. I don’t think I really had to do much.

That being said, I was so intimidated working with her. She’s a legend. I was totally terrified of it. The first scene that we ever filmed was one of our lovemaking scenes. I was in over my head freaking out about it. She made me feel so comfortable.

It was one of those things where you don’t really know if you have chemistry. You’re in the flow of things, and there’s a bit of a language barrier. She spoke English, but she didn’t really communicate in English as much as another actress would have. We let it all out on camera. I think it played really well. It’s awesome to see it.

PC: It definitely does. Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is your first major venture into the romantic-comedy genre. Did anything surprise you about the experience? What was the biggest takeaway for you?
Colin: Just to have fun. Don’t take it too seriously. Be playful. Improvise. You don’t have to worry about anything. I totally got it in my head about archetypal romantic leads like Jude Law and Colin Firth and all the iconic romantic comedies that we loved as millennials. I realized, “No, the more you do, the harder your job becomes. The more you are just you and have fun, that’s the key recipe to making a good rom-com. But man, do I love it. It makes work just so pleasant and fun. You don’t have to dwell over dark stuff and all that. It’s a blast.

PC: Los Angeles as a place has such a profound impact on all of the characters, and you have close ties to the city. How has LA shaped the artist that you are today?
Colin: Oh, wow. That’s a really great question. LA is my home. I’m not from there originally, but I went to college there. I think that’s where you learn to become an adult and find what you love. I have two older sisters who both live in LA. It’s become this safe place for me. Anytime you get the opportunity to film in LA, it’s a blessing. You’re so happy about it because everything films elsewhere.

But it’s very rare to tell a story about LA and to honor it in a way that is not only symbolic of the history of film, which is what Lisa really honors in this film, but also representative of present-day LA and what brings people joy about the city. It’s not just this thing that you see on the movie screen. It’s actually a beautiful place full of life and diversity, and it’s a character in its own right in this film. That’s something I did not know if she was going to be able to pull off, but she sure did.

PC: Speaking of Lisa, music plays such an integral role in all of her films, and I Love America is a tribute to disco. Were you a fan of disco heading into the film? Was there a different appreciation for the genre after?
Colin: You know what’s funny about that? My mom used to teach aerobics long before I was around. She always had Sylvester and all this different disco music on. Any music your parents listened to, you were like, “Please stop playing this music.” That was disco for me. I would rather listen to jazz or even opera. I couldn’t stand it.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been like, “Why didn’t you like this as a kid?” This music makes you move. It makes you dance. I love how much disco music meant to her and how much LA is a character in the film. So is disco. But that was actually one of the first things I said to Lisa after I saw the film. I was like, “This might be the best music of any film I’ve seen all year long. I don’t know what the budget was for our music, but you killed it.” The music is fantastic. I was really, really happy about that. It makes you want to move, dance, and have fun.

PC: One of the major themes within the film is rewriting your own narrative, which is part of the reason why John joins these dating apps. Was that something that you connected with within your own life? Being an actor, so much is out of your control. How were you able to draw those parallels?
Colin: That’s a great question too because you do have to draw parallels. I personally (whether I’m lucky or not) have not had to envelope myself in the world of dating apps. But I have many friends who have and who have many success stories and whatnot. But I haven’t had to do it, so therefore you have to, like you said, pull from things.

I definitely think as an actor, you have to trust way more than you would like to. It requires you to put yourself out there every single time an opportunity or audition comes your way. You don’t know if it’s going to be worth you taking all this time and maybe missing a friend’s birthday or whatever it may be, just for this thing that may or may not work out.

It’s the exact same thing with relationships. You have to take this leap of faith. You have to put the work in. You have to be vulnerable. You have to try your hardest. Not only to get to know that person, but also to really expose those inner layers of yourself. That’s something John is willing to do. That’s also why John at one point in the film gets hurt by her: because he has let his guard down. He really made this effort. He feels like it’s not being reciprocated. But ultimately, they both find that they’re just scared, and that’s totally normal.

PC: As an actor, how do you create this space for yourself to dive into those more vulnerable moments?
Colin: I actually find those moments surprisingly easier than the moments of being goofy and silly. I don’t know if that’s because I went to acting school and you have to let your guard down and go to those places. But I think because you know you’re manufacturing it, you’re making it up a little bit, it can be a little bit easier for you to not judge yourself.

I do think a lot of it is about what we just said earlier about making it personal for yourself, but you also have to listen to your scene partner. At that moment in the film, I couldn’t go too big because if Sophie wasn’t at that point, then it feels inauthentic. It’s about listening, being tapped into the other person, and making sure that pain is real for yourself—while making sure it doesn’t feel like you’re overacting.

PC: What do you hope audiences take away after they see the film?
Colin: I hope it’s an escape. We need some life, love, and laughs. I think this film provides all of those things. It’s just a nice way to take a step away from your phone, take a step away from the news. There’s a lot happening on our planet right now. It’s really a nice reward that we owe to ourselves to escape into a film that makes us laugh and makes us happy. This film is perfect for that.

PC: In addition to I Love America, you have tons of exciting projects that are out now and also in the works. Can you tell us about Ambulance and anything else that you’re working on at the moment?
Colin: Ambulance just came out worldwide, but officially came out in America on April 8th. It’s this fun, high-octane, very thrilling Michael Bay film with an incredible cast led by Jake Gyllenhaal. I play this fun, quirky character who’s totally in over his head and not a professional. He is freaking out. It’s a fun little role. It’s very cool to be a part of this film and work with some incredible actors and filmmakers.

At the moment, I’m filming this incredible TV series. We’re doing a limited series. It’s a prequel to the John Wick franchise. It takes place in the ’70s and I get to play a pretty iconic character from the franchise named Winston Scott, played by Ian McShane, who is an all-time great. I had big shoes to fill there. I’m having a lot of fun, and I’m really excited for fans to see that. It’s going to be a cool one. I can’t wait.

To keep up with Colin, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch I Love America on Amazon Prime Video today.