Musica’s Rudy Mancuso Discusses Casting Girlfriend Camila Mendes

Rudy Mancuso knew he desired Camila Mendes to star in Primary Video’s Música before she was even solid as his enjoy interest.

“She’s immensely talented. She’s intelligent, she’s humorous, she’s brief, she’s lovely. I had witnessed her work [including] Coyote Lake, Palm Springs and definitely Riverdale. I understood that I desired to examine a diverse facet of her,” Mancuso, 32, exclusively told Us Weekly about his now-girlfriend. “After assembly with her, I understood she had [that different side] in her, which was just embracing the Brazilian American culture and background.”

Mancuso recalled reaching out to Mendes, 29, to get her involved in Música, which is based on his personal everyday living.

“As before long as I fulfilled her — I achieved her for this project — she fairly pretty much ticked each individual box,” he stated. “[Her character] Isabella is Brazilian American and is this grounded free of charge spirit who embraces wrestle and is really family members oriented. All people attributes Camila basically possesses in authentic existence.”

In addition to enjoying Mancuso’s really like interest, Mendes was also an executive producer on the undertaking.

“She was able to personalize the character so substantially extra than I experienced even expected. When I was composing, [Camila] was closely in mind regardless of whether I understood that we’d get her or not,” he shared. “Camila and I tailored these two characters to our actual selves so considerably far more than the webpage experienced suggested. And she did a pretty superior career of protecting all the characters’ integrities and arcs — not only hers and mine.”

Música, which is available to stream on Primary Video clip, is a coming-of-age love tale centered all around Mancuso’s knowledge with synesthesia, which is a neurological ailment where by two unrelated senses are activated at the exact same time. As Rudy falls in love with Isabella, he ought to navigate the pressures of loved ones and his Brazilian lifestyle in New Jersey.

Mendes formerly praised Música for reinventing the idea of a rom-com.

“Música — which is coming out in April — I under no circumstances even perceived that as a rom-com even even though there is a whole lot of romance in it,” Mendes described to Us in February. “And when that motion picture will come out, I guess you are going to see for you. But it is not automatically a clear-cut rom-com. There’s so a great deal extra about it that is solely special to that film.”

For the duration of his discussion with Us, Mancuso broke down his eyesight for Música.

“I’m constantly hoping to feel of a way [to] just slightly exist outdoors of a handful of boxes that experience acquainted. If I’m likely to do anything that is remotely very similar to a rom-com, I’m going to consider to break all those conventions in some ways that you just can’t say it is entire on rom-com,” he observed. “If I’m likely to do one thing that is remotely similar to a standard musical, I’m heading to consider my best to split the musical conventions.”

Mancuso continued: “It was pretty a great deal a deliberate intention to not be so full into just one specific box, but have a little bit of 3 or four boxes to pull from. It’s a musical, romance, surreal storytelling [and] comedy. But it was in no way imagined as any a single detail. It was often a large amount of numerous factors. So whether which is puzzling to some folks, I know that audiences like to put tales and men and women and strategies into packing containers. To me, it just helps make it a lot more appealing.”

Mancuso not only encouraged — and starred in — Música. He was also the director, author and composer for the motion picture.

“It was absolutely a great deal of hats to use. But for me, it virtually felt additional like one big hat for the reason that all individuals distinct departments were being so woven into each and every other. Producing the scripts and composing the score and actively playing myself and finally steering the ship all felt extremely intertwined,” he included. “It certainly had its fair share of hurdles. There had been periods when I desired to just sit again and watch the image currently being painted relatively than be inside of of the painting, but I truthfully don’t know if I would’ve finished it any other way.”

Música begins streaming on Primary Video clip Thursday, April 4.