Pop-Culturalist.com

It’s the summer before college, and change is in the air for a close-knit circle of friends in the new film Banana Split. April (Hannah Marks) and Nick (Dylan Sprouse) break up leaving their friend Ben (Luke Roberts) stuck in the middle. When Ben introduces his childhood friend Clara (Liana Liberato) to the mix, things get a little complicated.

Banana Split is actress and writer Hannah Marks second feature film (she’s also an executive producer on the film). It premiered this weekend at the LA Film Festival, and we were able to chat with Hannah, Dylan Sprouse, and Liana Liberato. The natural chemistry and banter between the three actors is kinetic. It’s clear that slipping into the world of Banana Split was a blast for each of them and an experience they’re eager to share with audiences.

PC: Hannah, you’re one of the screenwriters for the film. What was the inspiration behind Banana Split?
Hannah: I’ve been writing this for a while. I was inspired by my own teenage heartbreak and friendships. And, of course, as it became a real film, things have changed and become fictionalized.

PC: What drew each of you to this project? 
Liana: Hannah and I have known each other for, like, a decade so I actually had sneakily seen drafts of the script when she was writing it. So I secretly was hoping I could play Clara.

Dylan: Honestly, the script was funny. It’s hard to find good, comedic projects like this one.

PC: Was it easier working with a first-time director?
Hannah: I had known Ben [Ben Kasulke] for a long time so it was easy to work with him. And, he really understands actors. I was kind of surprised at how great he was with actors since this was his first time.

PC: There are a lot of complex relationships within the film between friends, ex’s, family, etc. which was your favorite to explore?
Hannah: I loved working with my sister, played by Addison Riecke.

Liana: I actually liked my relationship with Luke Roberts. [Their characters, Clara and Ben, are childhood friends.]

Dylan: [joking] Ugh, no one; just myself. And my dog! Actually, I had a lot of scenes with you [directed at Hannah]; we had all those montage scenes. That was good.

PC: You mentioned earlier that there were so many previously-established relationships before filming (Hannah being friends with Ben; Hannah being friends with Liana). But, there were some new folks joining everyone. So, how did all of your characters’ close relationships in the film seem so organic?
Dylan: We were all friendly. We all hung out at the hotel outside of the set; we all had a lot of similar interests. So, we all got along really well. And, in this business, that’s not always the case so we were really lucky.

PC: The film shows how social media and technology can make life more complicated and challenging. What is your relationship with social media?
Hannah: When this was originally written, social media was all, like, Facebook. Then it was all Twitter, and now it’s all Instagram. So we had to update references. But texting is still a thing so that could stay [in the script]. It’s crazy how fast things can change in, like, six months.

Dylan: All of us have been in the business long before social media was a thing. So, social media is a weird thing as an actor.

PC: The script doesn’t hold anything back. Do you have a favorite line from the film?
Hannah: Oh, this is so hard.

Liana: What were my lines again? [all laugh] Maybe when I had to eat the hot dog at the diner. Basically, anything from the diner scene with Luke Roberts. And, during the drug scene we got to make up a lot of our words.

Hannah: Like “Garmoo.”

Liana: That was a lot of fun.

PC: Nick is obsessed with Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.” Do you all have a guilty pleasure song?
Dylan: You know, I don’t normally like Ed Sheeran, but I’d say my guilty pleasure song is his “Castle On The Hill.” [all laugh] I’ve listened to it a bunch. That’s embarrassing; it’ll be spread around now!

Hannah: Junglepussy’s “Bling Bling.”

Liana: Taylor Swift’s 1989 album. That was everything.

Learn more about Banana Split by following the film on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.