Interview: Christy Carlson Romano from Cutting Edge: Chasing The Dream

The Cutting Edge: Chasing the Dream follows in the footsteps of the original hit romantic comedy, The Cutting Edge which charmed audiences with its story of an unlikely pair of polar opposites who unite on the ice for a shot at Olympic gold. Bringing passion and determination to the rink, The Cutting Edge: Chasing the Dream stars up-and-comers Matt Lanter (“Heroes,” WarGames 2), Francia Raisa (Bring It On: All or Nothing) and Christy Carlson Romano (“Kim Possible,” “The Cutting Edge – Going for the Gold”).

We had the honor of sitting down with one of the stars from the new film, Christy Carlson Romano. Here’s what she had to say:

Now you play the daughter of Kate Moseley and Doug Dorsey, and you were the skater in the “Going For The Gold”? Can you talk a little bit about your character in “Chasing The Dream” for people who haven’t see it?

“Going for Gold” was everything that the first movie was but different, because we had two different people playing two different characters. It’s very common for partners to fall in love as I come to find out. That’s the reason that it’s actually realistic, because it happens all the time. The people that doubled me, the people that doubled these kids, they were all married or together.

My character is a little bit more mature in “Chasing The Dream”. She’s grown up and she’s divorced. She’s got this whole bag of tricks that were going on with her. It was a challenge, because I needed to figure out how to play that realistically and still be likable.

Now did you skate at all growing up?

Yeah.

Was it just a hobby or did you ever do it competitively?

I did it for real, I did compete. I was really bad at it, so it only lasted for about a year [laughs].

How did you come into the role with The Cutting Edge? Was that something they approached you with because they knew you had a little skating experience? Or did you audition?

No, I don’t have that much skating background at all [laughs]. I did get approached by the people that did Even Stevens, and they knew that I was a tough worker and things would be cool. So that’s what I did. When they approached me with it, I was busy on Broadway with Beauty and the Beast, so they went to MGM and got the money and the financing. Then we went and did it, and then they sold it to ABC family. So it was really exciting.

Did you do anything special to prepare for the role initially?

No, not really. I basically did what these guys (Francia and Matt in Chasing The Dream) did. I think they actually had a couple more weeks in rehearsal than we did. They also did more skating than what I did, and it looked great. I think it is better when the actors have more time to rehearse. I’m really proud of both of them, they’re friends of mine, and I’m happy that the whole thing was successful.

What was the most difficult move that you had to do in filming?

Just in general having to go from one leg to the other one was really hard [laughs].

Any funny stories from set that you can share?

Not this set actually. I know that Francia and Matt… he like kicked her in the face, or kicked her somehow and she went down. I was only set for two weeks, so it wasn’t too bad.

Do you know if D.B. Sweeney and Moria Kelly have seen the 2nd or 3rd film?

No I don’t, but I imagine that they have. They’ve both been really good, really successful. I’m sure they’re selling pretty well too.

Do you know if there is going to be a 4th film?

I’m not quite sure. I’ll keep my fingers crossed, because this one went so well. Maybe my character will be pregnant in the 4th one.

Now you were majoring in political science correct?

Yeah I was.

Are you still working on that?

I am still working on that. I’ve gone to UCLA Extension and I’ve been thinking about going back to New York. I’ve finished most of my core requirements, and now I have all the other ones that I have to do which I can do via UCLA. So I guess I’m working on that, but right now I’m pretty focused on my career, my album, and producing… and just being out here in LA as an adult. It’s very different from being out here as a child actor.

How does political science fit into your career?

It definitely fits in, not as you would think to the overall scheme of things. Political science really got me out of my head; it got me out of knowing and understanding that I was the only person in America. I just lived in Connecticut even though I traveled a lot, so I got to learn about all these other places and people’s problems. Human rights has always been my platform, and something that I’ve been very concerned with. Human rights and human needs come into play when you’re meeting people on a daily basis when you’re an actor. You want to hear their problems, and you want to help. You also want to reflect them when you’re playing a character in a movie. Humanity is a really big deal for me… understanding humanity.

What’s going on right now with your music?

Music is good. I’m putting together a band, preparing to play shows, been writing music. I’ve written a lot of music for movies. Generally, if I write a song and I don’t sing it, I’d rather get it out there for someone else to sing. So over the years, I’ve gotten a lot of songs in movies. I’m doing a lot of other things in terms of producing. There are a lot of things that I have that are in development. Kim Possible every now and then. I really enjoy working for ABC Family… and hopefully with MGM… there’s another project that we’re talking about, and I get to work with them again. They’re all great, just the Disney family in general is something that I’ve come back to, and I’m really happy to be back as an adult. Cutting Edge 3 is kind of that, my adult calling card, because before I played an eighteen year old. But now, I’m playing a twenty six year old, and it’s just so different. I’m really excited about this new vision.

Do you have any other projects that are getting ready to come out?

Not right now. They’re all in development. The strike was really crazy for a lot of different people.

I know they’re talking about the actor’s strike coming up in June.

Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. It’s murder. It’ll be fine though, you just gotta be tough.

Interview By: Emma Loggins

– Cutting Edge: Chasing The Dream