The Last Song The Movie in Gloucester, MA

• Info
• Cast & Crew

• Genre: Drama
  
  Synopsis:
  In a Southern beach town, a man (Greg Kinnear) tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Miley Cyrus) through their shared love of music.
  
  Release Date: -0/31/2010
  Running Time: 108
  
  Rating: PG - Parental Guidance Suggested
  
  http://touchstone.movies.go.com/thelastsong/
  
• Cast:
  Miley Cyrus, Greg Kinnear, Liam Hemsworth, Kelly Preston, Bobby Coleman, Hallock Beals, Nick Lashaway, Carly Chaikin, Nick Searcy, Kate Vernon
  
  Crew:
  Director - Julie Anne Robinson, Screenwriter - Nicholas Sparks, Screenwriter - Jeff Wie, Producer - Adam Shankman, Producer - Jennifer Gibgot, Executive Producer - Tish Cyrus, Original Music - Aaron Zigman, Cinematographer - John Lindley, Production Design - Nelson Coates, Costume Designer - Louise Frogley, Film Editor - Nancy Richardson
  
  Production Companies:
  Offspring Entertainment
  
  Distributors:
  Walt Disney
  
  Notes:
  - Notes provided by Touchstone Pictures - ``There are a lot of themes in ``The Last Song. You've got faith, forgiveness, family-if you get it just right, these are themes that touch viewers, because they recognize them in their own lives. Nicholas Sparks Based on best-selling novelist NICHOLAS SPARKS' (``A Walk to Remember, ``The Notebook) latest novel, ``The Last Song is set in a small Southern beach town where an estranged father (GREG KINNEAR) gets a chance to spend the summer with his reluctant teenage daughter (MILEY CYRUS), who'd rather be home in New York. He tries to reconnect with her through the only thing they have in common-music-in a story of family, friendship, secrets and salvation, along with first loves and second chances. ``The Last Song is Sparks' 15th published book. Though several of his previous titles have been adapted to film, including ``The Notebook, ``Message in a Bottle and ``Nights in Rodanthe, ``The Last Song is the first to make it to the big screen within the first year of publication. It's also the first for which he has written the screenplay. The film stars MILEY CYRUS (``Hannah Montana) as Veronica ``Ronnie Miller, GREG KINNEAR (``Little Miss Sunshine, ``Invincible, ``Baby Mama) as Steve Miller, KELLY PRESTON (``Jerry Maguire, ``Addicted to Love, ``The Cat in the Hat) as Kim Miller, and newcomer LIAM HEMSWORTH (``Knowing) as Will Blakelee. The cast also includes BOBBY COLEMAN (``Friends with Money, ``Martian Child), HALLOCK BEALS (``Letters from Iwo Jima), NICK LASHAWAY (``The 40-Year-Old Virgin), CARLY CHAIKIN (``The Consultants), NICK SEARCY (``The Ugly Truth), and KATE VERNON (``Battlestar Galactica: The Plan). Directed by JULIE ANNE ROBINSON (``Weeds, ``Big Love, BBC pilot ``Viva Blackpool) in her feature film debut, ``The Last Song is produced by JENNIFER GIBGOT (``17 Again, ``Step Up) and ADAM SHANKMAN (``17 Again, ``Step Up), and executive produced by TISH CYRUS. Co-producer is DARA WEINTRAUB (``Pineapple Express, ``Superbad). The screenplay is written by Nicholas Sparks (``The Notebook, ``Nights in Rodanthe) & JEFF VAN WIE. Director of photography is JOHN LINDLEY (``Legion, ``Imagine That, ``Pleasantville, ``You've Got Mail) and editor is NANCY RICHARDSON (``Twilight, ``Step Up). AARON ZIGMAN (``The Ugly Truth, ``My Sister's Keeper) is the composer. Production designer is NELSON COATES (``The Proposal, ``Antwone Fisher, ``Runaway Jury) and costumes are by LOUISE FROGLEY (``The Men Who Stare at Goats, ``Quantum of Solace, ``Good Night, and Good Luck, ``Syriana). From Touchstone Pictures, ``The Last Song is rated PG and hits theaters on March 31, 2010. A TALE OF FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP, SECRETS AND SALVATION Best-Selling Novelist Nicholas Sparks Hits a High Note in Latest Endeavor Writer Nicholas Sparks became a literary superstar in 1996 when overwhelming word of mouth made his novel, ``The Notebook, a publishing phenomenon. Sparks' inspirational stories about the extraordinary lives and loves of ordinary people have won a worldwide audience, and his latest novel ``The Last Song, is no exception, debuting at No. 1 on both the New York Times and USA Today best-seller lists. Sparks' deep, sometimes funny and always affecting books have become the basis for a powerful movie franchise. His bittersweet love stories have inspired box-office hits and critical favorites that include ``Message in a Bottle, starring Kevin Costner and Robin Wright Penn; ``A Walk to Remember, starring Mandy Moore; ``The Notebook starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams; ``Nights in Rodanthe, starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane; and most recently, ``Dear John, starring Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum. A film adaptation of his novel ``The Lucky One is scheduled for release in 2011. As ``The Last Song heads for the big screen, it marks the beginning of a new chapter in Sparks' career. The author's 15th published book is also his first screenplay. At its heart, ``The Last Song is a poignant journey for a father and daughter who have lost touch with each other and are struggling to find a way back. At the same time, it explores the uncharted territory of young love, as the emotionally closed off Ronnie begins to let down her guard with a boy she meets during summer vacation. Greg Kinnear, who plays Steve Miller, Ronnie's father, says Sparks deals with the joy and challenges of maintaining family bonds head on. ``I read the script and I was so touched by it, he says. ``Nicholas Sparks has an incredible sensitivity towards families. He's written an interesting story about people who at the onset seem to have very little chance of connecting. In the end, not everything is tied up in a perfect bow-which is a lot like real life. Like his previous work, ``The Last Song is a love story, says Sparks, ``but it's not a romance novel, he cautions. ``This is not a dreamy fantasy. It is about real love on a number of levels-the love between a parent and child, young love blooming for the first time, the fondness and caring between mature adults. For director Julie Anne Robinson, who has earned a trio of BAFTA and Golden Globe(R) nominations for her work on British television, the film's simple story reflects the writer's profound understanding of human emotions. ``It reminds me of classic films like 'Splendor in the Grass,' says Robinson. ``'THE LAST SONG' is about forgiveness and redemption, about people who were once separated being brought together, and it's about love. It's about the fragility of human relationships and also how those fragile bonds, once broken, can be mended. The film's uplifting themes reflect the author's personal outlook on life. ``There are a lot of themes in 'THE LAST SONG,' Sparks says. ``You've got faith, forgiveness, family-if you get it just right, these are themes that touch viewers, because they recognize them in their own lives. Sparks traces the beginnings of ``The Last Song to a conversation he had with producer Jennifer Gibgot, who was looking for a project that would allow teen star Miley Cyrus to showcase her dramatic abilities. ``I had just finished writing 'The Lucky One,' he remembers. ``And I was making a decision about what I was going to write next. I try to vary the ages of the characters and their dilemmas to keep the work fresh and interesting for me, as well as for the readers. I'd recently written a couple of novels with characters who were anywhere from 20 to 50 years old, so I was leaning toward writing about a teenage character, which I hadn't done since 'A Walk to Remember.' As he began formulating his next step, Gibgot called. ``She asked if I had anything sitting around that that Miley Cyrus might like, Sparks says. ``Well, I didn't have anything sitting around. I'm not that prolific. But she told me Miley loved 'A Walk to Remember,' so I really put some thought into it and took five or six weeks to develop this story. Sparks presented the producers with a fun, yet emotionally driven father-daughter story. ``Both the screenplay and the novel were written with Miley very much in mind, he says. ``But I write to write a great story and I had to balance those things. The finished product is definitely not a Hannah Montana movie. It's an ensemble piece with a talented cast that will appeal to audiences of all ages. Ronnie is a really compelling female character going through things that a lot of teenagers are going through. She's forced to really grow and mature through the course of the film. Cyrus was thrilled to tackle her first dramatic role in a film by Nicholas Sparks. She says that ``A Walk to Remember and ``The Notebook had a huge impact on her life. ``His work has great, positive messages, notes the young actress. ``To me, the best thing is that kids love it, but it's also mature enough to appeal to adults. It's unusual to find that kind of balance. Sparks collaborated with longtime friend Jeff Van Wie to write the screenplay. ``We've known each other since college-more than 25 years, says Sparks. ``Jeff is very successful in the business world, but he always dreamed of writing a screenplay. When Jennifer asked if I would be willing to do a script, I thought Jeff and I could do it together. We had written together before, so we knew we could work well together. Even though he lives in the Northeast and I live in the South, we had phones, we had email and we talked endlessly every evening. The result, according to Kelly Preston, who plays Ronnie's mother, Kim, is ``heartbreaking and life affirming at the same time. ``Nick's work has so much depth, the actress continues. ``He writes about simple things that happen in real life, about finding the beauty in small moments. Nicholas has a beautiful way of looking at the human condition that allows him to write in the head of a 17-year-old as well as he can any adult. FINDING THE RIGHT DIRECTION Julie Anne Robinson Sets the Tone For producer Adam Shankman, the privilege of translating novelist Nicholas Sparks' work to the screen comes with a great sense of responsibility. ``We are interpreting his work and he has nothing but giant mega-hit books, says Shankman. ``This is a big emotional story that reminds us that there is something bigger than us out there. It reminds us that love comes in a lot of different forms, that forgiveness is important for our own personal growth. I have a history with Nick, after directing 'A Walk to Remember,' which was a really good experience for all of us, so I feel accountable. Once Sparks began writing the story, the film began to gather momentum rapidly and it was critical to find a director who could handle the emotional and logistical complexity of the story. ``It came together very quickly, says Jennifer Gibgot, ``because there was such excitement and enthusiasm from Miley and the studio to make the movie. Nick decided he had to write the script before the novel and we began looking for a director while he wrote the novel. The producers selected Julie Anne Robinson, an accomplished director in Britain. ``Julie Anne had done a film for the BBC called 'Come Down the Mountain,' says Gibgot. ``It was about a young man who has a brother with Down syndrome. She got unbelievable performances out of a group of young actors. We knew Julie Anne could offer inspired support and guidance to all of the actors and help Miley transition from comic roles into this dramatic one. ``Her passion for the actors was obvious on set, Gibgot continues. ``She eats, drinks and sleeps their performances. She was so specific and thorough in what she needed from the cast for every scene. Shankman, who describes Robinson as an ``actor's director, notes that she learned from some of the most acclaimed filmmakers of our time, including Stephen Daldry, who guided Kate Winslet to an Oscar(R) in ``The Reader, and Sam Mendes, who did the same for Kevin Spacey in ``American Beauty. ``She has great energy. When she watches, she stands and rocks, as if she's in the performance with the actor. Each actor is a unique artist in Robinson's eyes, and she adapts her directing style accordingly as she discovers how each one works best. ``With Greg Kinnear, I had a lot of long conversations with him in advance, she explains. ``We talked a lot about the script and the character because he is quite a cerebral actor. But I would never rehearse with the young actors, even if I had all the time in the world. They can get bored and tired and the magic can be lost very quickly. I think what they give you instinctively is often right on the money. Robinson likes to work up close and personal with her actors, eschewing the on-set monitor for many shots. ``I need to see what's on the faces of the actors, Robinson says. ``The monitors are so grainy and pixilated, I can't see their eyes to see if they mean it on a very basic level. When I feel the actors are inhabiting the emotions and really going deep, it excites me. I get thrilled if I can't see the artifice. It also becomes a quicker process, because if the actors have a question or if I have a note, I'm right there. The film's story is both universal and intensely personal to Robinson. ``Everyone I talk to about 'The Last Song' relates to some aspect of it, she says. ``My response to the material was greatly affected by the fact that I'm a parent. You see parents making mistakes in this film. When you are a child, you expect your parents to be perfect and when you're a parent, you realize you are just a person and you do make mistakes. That strand of the story really resonated with me and I think everyone will understand and relate to it. The film, says Robinson, is a realization of the vision she brought into her initial meetings with the producers. ``It was the best creative experience of my life. And I've had a lot of creative experiences that I've really enjoyed. The people involved with this process made it uniquely wonderful. They let me do my thing, which was great. MAKING ``THE LAST SONG SING Miley Cyrus Tackles Her First Dramatic Performance while Greg Kinnear Delivers Signature Style Navigating the emotional highs and lows of Nicholas Sparks' nuanced script was a challenge for even the most experienced actors in the cast. ``It's a simple story, but the actors have to go on huge journeys emotionally, says Robinson. ``Nick Sparks has a profound understanding of human emotions. He's laid it all out for them to go through the whole range of emotional experiences on screen. Robinson was not familiar with her leading lady's previous work when she signed on to direct ``The Last Song, but she was quickly won over by Cyrus' natural talent and charisma. ``She has this amazing star quality, says the director. ``She just glows, and when she walks on the set, everybody knows it. Sometimes I cannot believe she's 16 years old. She's got a tremendous range. Cyrus' enthusiasm and commitment impressed everyone on the set. ``Miley is a dream, says producer Jennifer Gibgot. ``She is such a consummate professional, you forget how young she is. Her dedication, energy and kindness are extraordinary. Miley always kept the atmosphere on set light, but she was very committed to being present as an actor. With so many things to focus on, including an upcoming tour, her music and the TV show, the fact that she was so keenly focused on this movie was really impressive. The young actress says she's grateful to have had so much support from Robinson during a challenging shoot. ``If you don't really bond with the director, I think it comes across on screen, says Cyrus. ``Julie Anne was so much fun. She went above and beyond to create a bond. It was important to me that she had confidence in me. Cyrus says the predicament her character faces in the film rang true for her. ``When her parents separated, she made some bad choices. But she starts to find her way to being a happier person through faith and love and friendship. Those are the most important ingredients to happiness and they are things in life that we sometimes overlook. ``I love music and I love entertaining, adds the teen star. ``It makes me so sad to think of not doing this. So it makes me sad that someone with the talent that Ronnie has would deliberately cut herself off from it. Living without music in my life would be like having no air to breathe, and for Ronnie, it's much the same thing. She gives it up to prove a point to her dad and, really, she's just cheating herself. The role required Cyrus to expand her musical horizons by learning piano, which she says she picked up quickly. ``Maybe it was easier because I already play guitar, says Cyrus, who plans to continue her piano studies. ``I learned not just how to play a song but how to play it like a classically trained musician, the way to sit, the way you look when you're at the piano, the posture, the fingering. It's a lot more discipline than just casual playing. The learning experiences are a part of my job I really love. So many people dream of learning something like this and I'm getting this experience along with making a movie. The actress hopes this will be the first in a series of roles that allow her to stretch and grow. ``I think it's really important to look for roles that are challenging, says Cyrus. ``This came up at a crazy time. I had a tour, I was working on the show; I thought it might be impossible to fit this in, but it all fell into place. It was perfect, because that's what this movie's about-things coming together so beautifully against all odds. During the production, many of the cast members developed close friendships. Cyrus and Greg Kinnear, who plays her father, found an instant bond. ``Greg is a lot like my dad in real life, says Cyrus. ``He's very mellow, but he's very funny and everyone just seems to fall in love with him. He was kind of like a father figure to me while I was in Savannah, because my dad wasn't in Georgia with me. We would sit down on the porch and just talk about what was going on. We had a great relationship that I think came across on screen. Kinnear was impressed by his young co-star's work on the film. ``This role asks a lot of Miley, he says. ``It's full of complex emotions. She did really well. Miley has a great heart and she's a real pro. I admire that. She takes it seriously, but at the same time, she keeps the environment charged with a lot of fun and a lot of energy. She's an incredibly impressive 16-year-old. The actor, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar(R) for his role in ``As Good as It Gets, plays Steve Miller, a concert pianist who left his family to concentrate on a career that didn't pan out the way he hoped. Steve is now trying to reconnect with his two children before it's too late. ``Steve wants to reunite with his kids and get to know them again, says Kinnear. ``There are a lot of things that are unknown at the start of this movie, and they're revealed over the course of the summer. The actor's light touch was essential to keeping the character grounded in reality, say the filmmakers. ``Greg's performance in 'Little Miss Sunshine' is one of my favorites, says Gibgot. ``He so beautifully and effortlessly lent that very uptight character some humor. Steve is somewhat of a tortured father and Ronnie doesn't make it easy for him. But Greg has the ability to bring some levity to a very serious role. The commitment he made to the role of Steve stayed with Robinson. ``Greg is so detailed, she says. ``I've worked with a lot of really great actors and Greg is definitely one of them. He cared so deeply about every aspect of his character, he would phone me up over the weekend with questions about a scene. He was Steve all day every day. The Miller family's fractured dynamic struck a chord with Kinnear. ``I was touched by the difficulty of trying to make permanent connections in a family that's had a seismic rift in its infrastructure, says Kinnear. ``The parents are split up for reasons we don't explore, but it seems like no one is necessarily at fault. But, as always, kids have taken the hit and in this case, the oldest daughter, Ronnie, is in that vulnerable stage where anger and hostility can be a real outlet. She's mad as hell and she's not going to take it anymore. My character is trying to repair that and resuscitate a sense of family. But Steve has a secret that he's keeping from his family. ``He's trying to protect them, but until they have that information, there's no way for this family to move forward, says Kinnear. ``I think Nicholas Sparks has a wonderful way with secrets. It's dealt with very effectively. The father of three daughters, Kinnear is acutely sensitive to the challenges that come with the territory. ``Father-daughter relationships are particularly complicated, he says. ``Steve's relationship with his daughter is strained, to put it nicely, but he's trying. He's swimming upstream, because she's full of salt and vinegar and has a lot of preconceived ideas about her father. Some aren't entirely true, and that will be discovered. In addition, Steve is tormented by the belief that he is responsible for the destruction of a local church. As penance, he is trying to rebuild the structure's stained-glass window. Kinnear studied with a local craftsman to learn the ins and outs of making stained glass. ``It was amazing to learn about, says Kinnear. ``You think of stained glass and wonder how do they possibly do that? It seems like some crazy science that nobody could ever master. But there's a simplicity to it that is great. You need to know exactly what you're doing and it takes years of time and effort and skill to master it, but I ended up feeling like it's a climbable mountain. Kinnear's preparation of the role also included taking piano lessons. ``I would say I could fake the piano before, says Kinnear. ``But when you're training to be a concert pianist, the fake tinkering skills are the first thing that have to go. I had to start all over again and work with an instructor. I think I'm officially hooked on the ivories now. His newly honed musical skills allowed him to entertain the crew on set with his covers of classic Journey songs. ``It was my way of motivating the crew, he says. ``All I had to do was threaten to play and they went to work. Like Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth is entering a new phase in his career with ``The Last Song. A budding star in his native Australia, Hemsworth is starting over as an actor in Los Angeles. Landing the role of Will Blakelee for his first major role in an American film was a huge leap for the young actor. ``Liam has fantastic charisma on screen and he's got great energy, says director Julie Anne Robinson. ``He reminds me of one of those old-time movie stars, like Gary Cooper. He has a laconic nature and is very relaxed on camera, but there's a lot going on behind the eyes. Like many of Sparks' characters, Will has secrets of his own that are weighing him down. ``He's charming and charismatic on the surface, says Hemsworth. ``But his secrets are getting in his way. He acts the part of a cheerful, popular guy, when in reality he's not happy at all. When he meets Ronnie, he finds someone equally confused who has lost something important. As the summer goes on, they help each other grow as people. She doesn't make it easy for him, but in the end, she's worth it. His role in ``The Last Song required Hemsworth to pick up several new skills in a hurry. For one, the young actor had to be certified in scuba diving before the shoot. After growing up surfing and free diving in Australia, Hemsworth certainly had no fear of the water. But the rigorous training program was harder than he expected. ``We had three days to get certified, and we spent every day in a 20-foot tank in North Carolina, basically for the whole day. At the same time we'd have two or three hours in the classroom every day to learn all the rules. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. It sounds easy-you know, just put a mask on and you go under water. But there's a lot more to it than that. In addition, Hemsworth, who had never played volleyball, had to learn enough to be convincing as a player with college-scholarship potential. ``When I auditioned they asked me if I could play volleyball and I said, 'No, but I'll learn.' The volleyball coach was a really good player; I think he played in the Olympics. We played twice a week, two hours at a time, and that was the longest two hours of my life. Hallock [Beals] and I were basically saying nothing for that two hours except for yup, okay, uh huh, yup, and the coach would just tell us how bad we were. It was excruciating! Kelly Preston, who plays Ronnie and Jonah's mother, Kim, is a Nicholas Sparks fan who was drawn to the writer's inspirational themes. ``It's such a beautiful love story, Preston says. ``And so well written. I love Nicholas Sparks as a writer. His books and movies are very truthful. I think he must have a very rich life, because he is so in tune with how people deal with each other and resolve things in their lives. I hope this movie brings people a few moments of happiness-and maybe a few tears. ``Nick's work has so much depth, Preston continues. ``He writes about simple things that happen in real life, about finding the beauty in small moments. Nicholas has a beautiful way of looking at the human condition that allows him to write in the head of a 17-year-old as well as he can any adult. Preston says she had a personal motivation for accepting the role. ``Miley asked me to play her mom in it-how could I say no? I've known Miley for a few years and I adore her. She's smart, she's funny, she's so talented, and she's every bit as great an actress as she is a singer and performer. She's got great depth. It's an honor to play her mom. Preston has equally complimentary things to say about the rest of her on-screen family, Greg Kinnear and Bobby Coleman. ``Greg is an effortless actor, she notes. ``We developed a very relaxed relationship. It was easy to play scenes with him, because he's such a wonderful actor. And Bobby Coleman is a little firecracker. He's so full of energy. I did a very sweet scene where he's saying goodbye to his dad, and it's heartbreaking. He's young, but he's got some chops! Coleman, who is 12, plays Ronnie's brother Jonah. ``We probably auditioned hundreds of kids before we found Bobby, says Robinson. ``I kept saying, 'I don't want a Hollywood child.' I wanted someone quirky and charming, but not in an obvious way. You need to care about Jonah the way Ronnie does. Bobby is a loveable boy and a unique person and that communicates itself on screen. He was the only one we auditioned who made us laugh and tore our hearts out as well. That's something all of the actors had to be able to do. The youngster discusses his role with the aplomb of a much older actor. ``What I really liked about this movie is the way Nicholas Sparks talks about how you need faith and love and family, he says. ``At the beginning of the movie, that was the problem with our family. We didn't have enough faith in each other to believe that we weren't trying to hurt each other. We didn't have love and we wouldn't call each other friends. ``Jonah is a happy, excited kid who lives life with joy, he adds. ``He likes to talk to his dad and tell him the thoughts he has, and he likes to play and fly kites. One of Coleman's favorite moviemaking perks is learning what he calls ``awesome new things. Since Jonah is helping his father with the stained glass project, Coleman also got a tutorial in the craft. ``I always imagined a big furnace or a big blowtorch melting it together, he says. ``But you start out with a piece of paper. You draw what you want to do. Then you get the glass you want to cut and use it just like tracing paper. You cut the glass with this blade and it makes this little scratch. Then you just tap it and it snaps in half. You make puzzle pieces out of the glass, and mold lead strips around the pieces to fit them together. You solder the joints of the lead strips, and there it is. You have a stained-glass window! As the youngest cast members, Coleman and Cyrus engaged in some on- and off-set high jinks together. ``I'm usually the youngest one on the set, says Cyrus. ``It was nice to be able to be the big sister for once. Coleman believes the fun they had off-set made them closer when they were in character. ``It definitely created a brother-and-sister bond, because when we're doing pranks, we're doing things brothers and sisters would do. ``The whole experience was awesome, sums up Coleman. ``I loved Savannah. It's not like California where it's like the state flower is concrete. In Savannah, there are plants and trees and fish and alligators. It's so pretty. The film features a number of other up-and-coming young actors as the friends and ``frenemies that surround Will and Ronnie. Hallock Beals plays Will's best friend and volleyball teammate, Scott Thomas. ``I probably played a couple of times on the beach as a kid, says Beals. ``When they asked me at the screen test if I had played volleyball, I told them I grew up playing it. Of course they found out the truth when we had our first practice. Luckily, Beals had Hemsworth at his side as he learned. ``I couldn't ask for a better partner to go through it all with than Liam, he says. ``We worked out at the gym and practiced volleyball every day. Nick Lashaway landed the role of neighborhood bad boy Marcus, a flamboyant risk-taker with a unique and eye-catching hobby. ``He rules the waves of Tybee and gets what he wants when he wants it, says Lashaway. ``He's kind of a vagabond. He probably drinks too much, gets into trouble and doesn't care. When Ronnie comes to town, he wants her, but she has no interest. And he doesn't like it. When Nicholas Sparks created the character, he wanted Marcus to have a signature quirk. After seeing several mesmerizing videos of people juggling fireballs on YouTube, Sparks decided to work the sport into his script-which meant Lashaway had to learn to do it. ``First, I had to learn how to juggle, Lashaway says. ``I practiced in Los Angeles for a month or two before production. Then we worked with special fireballs-they had a little bit of lighter fluid on them and the flame was manageable. We wore special gloves soaked with fire retardant. I definitely felt ready, but the night we finally did the scene, the flames were really high. The balls were completely engulfed and hard to see. I meant to do all these cool moves with them, but it was all I could do just to catch them! Encouraging Marcus' antics and enabling his bad behavior is his girlfriend Blaze, played by Carly Chaikin. When Ronnie arrives on Tybee, Blaze thinks she's found a kindred spirit in the punked-out, rebellious teen. What she finds out is that in Ronnie she has a true friend, one who has her back-even when Blaze betrays Ronnie. ``Blaze is a tortured soul with a heart of gold, says Chaikin. ``It takes her friendship with Ronnie to get her back to that heart-of-gold part. She's in a very unhealthy relationship with Marcus when Ronnie meets her. She believes that is all she has in the world, so she'll do anything to hang on to that. ``What I love about the character is that, with Ronnie's help, she finds a way back, Chaikin says. ``Ronnie is the only person who encourages Blaze to change and make the right choices for herself and, finally, Blaze is able to step up, to regain her strength and courage. I love the range of what Blaze goes through from beginning to end. TYBEE ISLAND: ONE OF GEORGIA'S BEST-KEPT SECRETS An Old-Fashioned Vacation Spot Provides the Perfect Backdrop The filmmakers selected tiny Tybee Island, off the coast of Georgia, as the setting for ``The Last Song. Tybee boasts three miles of pristine beaches and an old-fashioned pier, as well as a string of funky shops hawking beachwear and beer amid theme restaurants, bars and quaint clapboard cottages. With a population of just under 4,000 people, its homespun char