You might be going through some pitchy withdrawals from the Pitch Perfect franchise. Don’t worry: We’re there with you. Thankfully Bellas alum, Brittany Snow, is busy feeding us some quality content from new movies, directorial runs and projects galore.
Seriously, we thought we were busy squelching our weekly identity crisis while simultaneously drowning out our chordate TA. However, Brittany Snow has been continually working on her long-time project, Love is Louder; directing her short film, Milkshake; and acting in Someone Great. Along with Love is Louder, which bolsters a supportive community for everyone, Brittany has also translated her empowering mission statement into her directorial debut. Beyond fostering a healthy environment and a women-centric crew on Milkshake, Brittany also told us about her supportive friendship with Anna Camp and working with empowering coworkers. TBH, if you haven’t seen your bestie in ages, you might want to preemptively grab the tissue.
Also, don’t worry: There aren’t any contextual spoilers for any of Brittany Snow’s upcoming films.
Celebrating #LoveisLouder at the @jedfoundation #JEDgala2018! @BrittanySnow pic.twitter.com/zUD8YgpnsO
— Love is Louder (@LoveisLouder) June 5, 2018
Her Campus: You star in the upcoming rom-com, Someone Great, alongside Gina Rodriguez, who also produces the Netflix movie. The movie itself is teeming with empowering messages about getting through breakups and empowering other women and friends in your life. Are any other lessons you hope viewers take away from this film or from your character Blair, specifically?
Brittany Snow: I think the really great message about Someone Great is that Jen Robinson, who wrote it, wanted to make a story about how no woman needs a white knight at the end of their movie to save them. You can be your own white knight, either for yourself or for your friends. And this is a story about, you know, friends getting through a breakup. And that your memories are so important to you, but they don’t define you or your relationships and how you choose to have those relationships is what defines you. With my character, Blair, [she] thinks that her life needs to look a certain way, and she has a very strict set of goals for herself. What I learned throughout the movie is that I really do need to let go and let myself live, and that it’s okay to not have everything worked out exactly how I thought. I can change and I can grow, and having those experiences is more important. So, each character in the movie goes through a different sort of lesson and it’s really about them all going through it together, and I think that’s a great message for women as well.
HC: Definitely. I think that’s a very influential message too, especially with Blair, because she kind of redefines what perfection means to her after going through these trials and tribulations.
BS: Yeah. She’s a very perfect type of girl, and she really likes how other people see her and she likes being kind of that staple of perfection. And I think, throughout the story, she realizes that that’s not real, and she can have these experiences and really let go and make her own idea of perfection.
HC: I think that’s a beautiful message to inspire other people. Since Someone Great focuses on self-empowerment and empowering others, were there any unique ways you or your co-stars helped inspire each other on or off set?
BS: Oh, yeah. We all really, really got along. We just instantly bonded and the dynamics between us were really great. Because we’re so different and we’re all pretty big personalities, it seemed like that would be hard for us to all get along because we’re all very loud and animated. But, it actually worked really well, and we support each other completely. We told each other everything, and we had so many stories. And the girls really helped me through a specific thing that I was going through. I was up for this job and I ended up turning it down. But they really, really coached me through it and made sure that I was making the right decision for me, in my life. It was just little things like that that made it great to go to work every day and just know that you’re supported by strong, working, smart and passionate women. And it’s important for us.
I love these women and this project so much. Excited @JennKaytin ✨ https://t.co/OuLBScJ7ny
— Brittany Snow (@Brittanysnow) March 27, 2018
HC: I bet that made it, like you said, easier to go to work, but also made you want to go to work because you had that supportive and fostering environments.
BS: Oh, yeah, definitely. It was one of those movies where I was really excited to go to work every day and I couldn’t wait to see them. Jen, who’s the director of the movie and a good friend of mine, she created a set where we just all got to play around and laugh, but also really inspire each other and teach each other things, and that was really cool.
HC: That sounds like the dream environment for any vocation.
BS: It really was. It was really hard to leave. We all cried because we didn’t want this to end because there aren’t many sets you go on and you just feel so inspired and supported.
HC: Definitely. Then you also recently directed and wrote your own short film, Milkshake, which focuses on the breadth of this relationship between a stage mom and her daughter. What initially drew you to create this project, and what inspired you to develop your career as a director?
BS: Well, I wrote this for many reasons, but it was definitely something that I felt I needed to write for me. I grew up as a child actor and was around a lot of stage mothers. It really was formed by this idea that I wanted to play with, which is that what you do is more important than who you are. And what is that fine line between a parent pushing their kid to be the best, or pushing their kids to be the best for them? I wanted to kind of ask a lot of those questions and have people watch it and wonder, did my parents push me too hard? Or was that because they loved me so much? Also what success really means and the validation that you get from doing something that makes you feel high, in a way, or fulfilled. And so, Milkshake was a therapeutic thing for me to write and then direct.
My friend Anna Camp stars in it and getting to direct her and Shree Crooks was just such a magical thing. I’m very proud of it and hope people like it.
HC: What was it like to work with Anna again, this time as the director?
BS: It was so great. Anna is one of my best friends and we have this innate understanding that we don’t even know where it came from, but we just get each other in such a way. We laugh at the same things. We have the same sense of humor, and so it was really easy to direct her because I know her so well, and I know what type of direction she needs. And, I know what kind of support she needs. Our communication is really great. So, I think, it’s going to be hard to direct anyone else after that because I knew so, so well, how to make sure that we collaborated in that way. She’s a talented actress and I think people will really be interested and excited to see her in this role.
HC: Absolutely. Do you have any memorable experiences working with her on set?
A couple days ago we wrapped my short film #MilkshakeMovie. Directing @TheRealAnnaCamp @iamjrbourne #shreeCrooks & more was a dream. Thanks to all of the crew involved & the most incredible cast of friends. pic.twitter.com/xrwJjW4KQw
— Brittany Snow (@Brittanysnow) March 22, 2018
BS: Oh, yeah. I mean, she made me cry a lot. The whole experience made me cry. And I guess it was hard because we know each other. There was a lot of laughing and this isn’t really a funny short film at all, but we just cracked up the entire time. She became such a mother figure and a mother type to Shree, which was really fun to watch. I mean, I don’t know if there were any funny anecdotes or anything like that. I’ll have to think about that.
HC: Do you have any advice for college-aged women who might currently be working with their friends on a project and might be struggling to find that balance between personal and professional relationships?
BS: I mean, I’m a big proponent of making sure you work with your friends. I know that’s sometimes difficult because you don’t want to mix business with friendship, and that can be hard. But, I love doing that. I think that your friends, if they are good friends, are the people that really want you to succeed and want to make sure they support your dreams in that way. Getting a bunch of your friends together and creating something, I think, is this everlasting sort of bond that you need for friendship. That’s what it’s all about: creating cool things in the world, and just having the balls to do it, I guess. Just doing it, even though it’s hard. Even though there are roadblocks and there could be fighting or disagreement or different opinions, just knowing at the end of the day, you’re creating something together because of your friendship. I think that is really important. And stating what you want and being strong in that.
HC: That’s awesome! You launched Love is Louder back in 2010, which helps communities create a more positive and supportive world. How do you think college women can help enact a more connected and supportive environment on their own campuses?
BS: I co-founded Love is Louder with the idea that everyone should feel connected and supported. That’s such a huge problem, specifically for teens and college-age kids that they feel like they’re alone or disconnected. Or maybe they don’t really fit into a particular group when really there are communities of people that are going through the same exact thing and feeling the exact same way. To be able to go to a place, specifically online, and meet other like-minded people and feel like you’re not alone, it really helps so much. There’s so many Love is Louder clubs and groups on college campuses now that have Love is Louder days and assemblies, and create art pieces and statements that just kind of allude to the fact that you’re not alone and that everyone gets to be together in this. I hope that remains the message and that people continue to do that. So, I definitely think it’s super important. I would love for college people to still be using Love is Louder in whatever ways they see fit to help them.