Boy meets girl. Boy finds watch. Watch speeds hero up so everyone else seems to be standing still. Boy and girl fall in love. Sadistic crooks want watch badly. Boy and girl save the world.
With great special effects, parents who are actually intelligent, plus two hot leads, what more can Clockstoppers, a Nickelodeon Movies Production, offer you? Not much, according to its stars, Jesse Bradford and Paula Garces.
Bradford, who was devouring a bowl of lobster bisque during this interview, was sporting a few days’ worth of stubble so everyone would know he’s not the teenager Zak he plays in Clockstoppers. You might recall his charming face from last year’s ode to cheerleading, Bring It On, or from a spate of indie cult favorites such as King of the Hill and Speedway Junkie.
And the Colombian-born Garces, who plays Zak’s friend Francesca, has a few past credits herself. She is listed in the credits alongside James Van Der Beek in something called Harvest. But she is best known as Pilar Santos on The Guiding Light. Is she still on the soaper?
“I don’t know,” Garces laughs. “They haven’t killed me off. I’m not dead. As far as I know, they haven’t recast it. As far as I know, Pilar is away in Spain, studying. I guess I could go back. That’s something I haven’t thought about. But I don’t think I’m dead.”
At least not career-wise. Garces has recently graced the pages of Maxim, growling sexily like Salma Hayek on too much caffeine. And in the forthcoming Marci X, she plays an untalented version of J.Lo employed by Jewish hip-hop record executive Lisa Kudrow.
Does this mean Garces is older than the teenager she plays in Clockstoppers? “You guys can find out how old I am,” she laughs again. “I’ll be as old as you want me to be. One of the things I’m really proud of in this film is the fact that I think I pull off I’m 16.” Well, let’s just say her birthday is March 20 and that she’s seen a few more seasons of Beverly Hills 90210 than her co-star.
And now that her co-star’s soup bowl is finally empty, he jumps in and notes, “I’m kind of tired playing characters so much younger than myself, which I had do in this film again. I’d like to sort of not be doing that any more. I’m about to be 23, and I’m at a stage in my life where I’m trying very hard to be an adult. Not on the screen, but just in my life.”
“Aww!” Garces empathizes.
“I’m trying to, like, hold my own,” Bradford continues. “This whole experience, the press that I’m doing and, like, being around this movie so much, it’s given me an opportunity to like be a kid again. And it’s reminding me that it’s totally cool to be a kid and that kids are lucky.”
“This film is very empowering for kids,” Garces adds. “This film has characters that let kids be in control and let kids be smart and have the freedom to voice their opinions, and have grown-ups actually listen to them. We also have these cool gadgets to work around.”
Another thing that’s cool for Garces is being a Hispanic actress in the new millennium–but she still reserves some cynicism about that. “Let’s be honest,” she instructs. “The powers that be all of a sudden realize that there’s a lot of money to be made from the Latino market. It all comes down to economics. That’s what’s happening. So what! We’re in style. I mean, that’s silly, but I’m taking full advantage of that. The fact that I can right now is amazing, and I’m having a great time doing it.”
Of course, what would have been a better time for Garces was getting Michelle Rodriguez‘s part in Girlfight, for which she auditioned. “I went back many times for it. Michelle and I kept passing each other on the way to auditions, and we were like….” Garces makes a tense face. “But she’s awesome, and she did a great job at least in the scene I saw. I haven’t seen the whole movie. Well, you can understand why.”
Bradford understands why. He won’t be seeing In the Bedroom for the same reason. “It was down to me and Nick (Stahl) for that. Nick got it. Good for Nick. I really wanted that one. But you just can’t see the movie when you don’t get the job.”
“Right!” Garces adds. “Especially if you’re an actor who cares, and we are. We’re very passionate about what we do. It’s a little heartbreaking. But I’m sure Michelle was great. I know she’s great.”
And life must go on, as Garces is trying to do in her adopted hometown of New York City. “I love New York. I am a New Yorker, but it’s very stressing, right, Jesse? You’re an East Coast dude.”
“I grew up in Connecticut,” Bradford says, “but I’ve lived here five years. I’m attending Columbia University. I’m almost done. I’m like a Super Senior there. I’m taking the Victory Lap.” He’s even finished his thesis, which is on Walter Hill’s gang epic, The Warriors, from 1979. “I tie it all to the kind of idea that the film was ahead of its time and kind of accidentally spoke in a big way to the emerging hip-hop culture. I got an A minus on it. It came out OK.”
As did Clockstoppers. Just ask Garces, who says it best: “I just think the film is great all over.”
