Jessica Rothe's Journey From Suburban Teen To Valley Girl Star

What's perhaps most memorable about 1983's classic, Martha Coolidge-directed teen romance, Valley Girl, is its "trippin'-dicular" soundtrack, anchored by Modern English's "I Melt with You," which plays over one key montage and closes out the end credits. The iconic track makes a reprise in the musical update to the charming '80s time capsule, which arrived on-demand on May 8, however it is bolstered by the addition of other popular cuts from the era, including songs by Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, and Joan Jett.


additionally to its sparkly sonic identity, the 2020 film comes with new faces and new themes. Starring Jessica Rothe and Josh Whitehouse, along with controversial YouTuber Logan Paul, the remake riffs on the story of star-crossed lovers to inspire and empower viewers to reach for the stars on their own. Julie Richman (Rothe) is a mall-cruising prep from the San Fernando Valley who unexpectedly falls for a Hollywood punk named Randy (Whitehouse), singer of the musical group Safety Recall. Their relationship pushes Julie to think outdoor her suburban bubble, break up with her popular jock boyfriend (despite what her companions may think), and eventually pursue her dream of research style design in New York.


That core story, Rothe reveals, isn't so different from her own coming of age. The actress, who has previously claimed major roles in the Happy Death Day horror franchise and the Academy Award-winning La La Land, grew up in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, to a physician father and school teacher mom. And though her family member supported her passion for acting, it wasn't up until she carved her own path in back of her hometown that realized she might turn that spark into a sustainable career. Right now, she hopes that Valley Girl inspires others to do the same.


MTV News: Valley Girl tells a story of a young girl who realizes that the world is bigger than the world her hometown cultivates. As soon as did you know your life was going to be bigger than your hometown?


Rothe: I didn't reside in an enormous city, nevertheless I grew up in Denver, Colorado, in a suburb, and had a life that was, in some ways, very similar to Julie's. I had a loving family member. We were very fortunate and didn't want for much. And I had a spectacular education, and we got to go on trips, and I had traveled in Europe.


I had this passion for acting. And the thing was though, I didn't necessarily think it may would be my job. I would watch Runaway Bride and visualize Julia Roberts and be like, "Oh well, yet she is a movie star. I just do plays if I get good grades." Nevertheless I had a drama teacher in high school who sat me down at one point and mentioned to me, "I really think you could do this in case you hope to pursue it as a career." And I think the full time I was hoping that what she was saying was true, yet didn't hope to quite believe it, because I didn't wish to get my heart damaged if it turned out I wasn't talented enough or wasn't good enough.


and thus she and my parents, who have habitually been incredibly accommodating, helped me explore what that would look like, in terms of looking at colleges. My mom and I went on a cross-country trip to look at colleges. It's scary jumping outdoor of the bubble that you've grown up in. Plus a lot of people I went to high school with stayed in Colorado, which there's nothing wrong with, nevertheless I think I knew that I wanted to experience something else and live somewhere else.


MTV News: until that point, had you just been acting locally for fun?


Rothe: It was my hobby. My dad's a physician. My mom is a teacher. We are not an artsy family member. So I just didn't really think it was an alternative [as a career]. For a while, I convinced myself that I was going to be a museum curator who specialized in chemistry so that I might restore old paintings. And then I was like, "No, you don't wish to do that. You just hope to be in The DaVinci Code.”


MTV News: Did you just be going to college?


Rothe: I did. I went to Boston University, to their drama department. I tricked my parents, because I was not supposed to apply to any conservatories, yet BU is technically a liberal arts conservatory. So I still got a diploma. That was the deal: I had to get a diploma because I had to have a backup plan.


MTV News: I feel that must be usual for people attempting to study something artistic.


Rothe: If I had a kid, I would 100 percent make them get a degree, although I know that might not directly mean anything. I totally understand why they wanted me to do that. And I'm very grateful. I think if I had moved to New York or to Los Angeles any time Once I was 17, I would have been eaten alive.


MTV News: Yeah, I mean it's like how, at the end of the movie, your character goes off to New York and then discovers her interest in style design. And there's a method of growing into your next phase.


Rothe: Yeah, and I think it is so key to stay in different places. While you are the only constant in your life, because you're moving around and everything around you is changing, you learn so much about yourself. Sort of like Julie, I came into my own, in terms of my artsy identity.


I moved to New York soon after Boston, and New York was scary. New York, for me, was like going to the punk clubs with Randy for Julie. Because it's this super cool, edgy, new place with weird smells sounds. And you also want each person to like you, nevertheless you're also afraid. And you're also sort of grossed out, although each person who's there really is so much cooler than you. Walking down the street in New York is also exactly like being in a mosh pit, for sure.


MTV News: What was your backup plan?


Rothe: Oh, there was no backup plan. My backup plan right now, because of quarantine — I've gotten okay at cutting my fiance's hair. And I can bake a pretty mean loaf of sourdough bread. And I like to paint. So maybe some sort of haircut cafe, with painting?


MTV News: What did your companions think any time as soon as you told them you were pursuing acting?


Rothe: They knew because they knew I was going away to school, nevertheless I don't think I ever mentioned to anybody, "I'm going to go to school for acting. And then I'm going to move to Los Angeles, and I'm going to be in movies." It was routinely just sort of, this is the next step. And then this is the next step.


MTV News: do you suggest that was because of nerves?


Rothe: Yeah, I think the idea of building a big bold commitment, saying, "I am doing this, and I am putting myself out there" is really scary. The thing I loved about While I moved to L.A. Is, I had this feeling of, "I would be anybody." And I might, there's so much potential and thus much excitement here, because mistakes that I've made in the past, no one is aware what those mistakes are. I get to have a fresh start.


I had also gone through a really bad breakup before I moved out here. So I think I was tired of mourning the loss of a relationship that wasn't good for me. And there was something about changing location and taking charge and taking ownership of my story that was really empowering. I certainly had another coming of age coming to L.A.


MTV News: Did you trim any characteristic of your personality along the way?


Rothe: No. The funny thing is, I think every step forward I took, I became more comfortable with just being myself. If I left anything in back of, it was the worry of other people's judgment, judgement of myself, and insecurity. That's not to mention I don't still wrestle with those things, because I do. However I feel like daily I'm stepping increasingly towards the most authentic version of myself.


MTV News: Where does Valley Girl fit into this whole journey that you've been on?


Rothe: It was such a spectacular and life-changing experience making this movie. Plus it was so much hard work, and hours and hours of dance rehearsal and singing and acting. And I had to defeat some of my own personalized demons while in the filming. Although I think that all the hard work paid off, and that we really instructed them story about a young woman who is discovering who she is, and who is brave enough to put herself out into the world. I hope that it inspires people to follow their dreams.