There’s nothing more thrilling and heart-wrenching than an emotionally charged romance.
How did Sofia and Nicholas initially get involved in Purple Hearts?
She handed me a script around Christmas and said, “Merry Christmas.”
It was “Purple Hearts,” or a rough draft of it.
It captures the zeitgeist of our generation so beautifully.
If love can heal these two broken hearts, love is what the world needs now more than ever.
It’s been the most thrilling five years.
It’s surreal that I can finally talk about it and that it will belong to the world soon.
These people felt very real to me; they felt very nuanced.
It was an opportunity to explore that as well, which I found very fascinating.
What is it that makes these people want to do what they do?
That was important for me.
I’d love to know how that challenged you both as actors and as people, on- and off-camera.
Nicholas: Look, [director] Liz [Allen] …
It very much helped, the fact that she was a woman.
I love working with female directors.
I think I’ve actually worked more with female directors than male directors.
Sofia: I have too.
It was super collaborative.
Sofia: Nick said it perfectly.
He summed it up exactly when he said it was immaterial whether she was a woman or not.
All that Liz wanted to pursue was honesty and truth in every aspect of our story.
It’s a very different experience than writing whatever you’re feeling in that moment.
I had to write songs through Cassie’s perspective, not my own.
It was a beautiful experience with [songwriter Justin Tranter].
He trusted me so much to find Cassie’s voice, and we did it.
I had my notes pages on my phone filled with lyrics for weeks before we started writing.
I love being able to do that.
The production experience and the caliber of the original content is soaring through the roof.
Nicholas: I’ve been very impressed by the approach Netflix has been taking.
It seems much more geared to trying to make movies that also can compete on the awards scale.
We were very lucky that we were extremely supported throughout the whole process.
But I feel like we were always very much supported.
Sofia, anything to add before we wrap up?
Sofia: It’s a privilege and an honor.
This is my second film with Netflix, and I still have to pinch myself.
I’m actually at the headquarters right now.
It was exciting because I had to be a part of pitching the movie.
When Netflix bought the movie after our pitch and believed in it so wholeheartedly, it was really exciting.
They’ve been tremendous partners every step of the way.
They’ve believed in Cassie and Luke from the very beginning.
It’s an honor to work with them to bring this film to the world.
“Purple Hearts” releases globally on Netflix on July 29.
This interview was edited for clarity.
