Dan Levy and Noah Reid on the romantic movies that inspired EW's 3 Schitt's Creek digital covers
Prepare to swoon — Dan Levy and Noah Reid are bringing the romance for EW's three Schitt's Creek digital covers.
Onscreen, they play David and Patrick, respectively, the business partners who became so much more as their surprising and instant fan-favorite love story has propelled the final season of the Canadian comedy towards their impending nuptials. So offscreen, EW got the actors to recreate three iconic romantic movie scenes for our Schitt's Creek digital covers celebrating the upcoming finale wedding event.
From Sixteen Candles to Casablanca to Notting Hill, Levy and Reid held nothing back at the shoot (which took place in January, before social distancing measures were enacted to stop the spread of the coronavirus). Getting into character for each of these scenes was easy for Levy, whose favorite films are rom-coms. "The fact that we can take a trip down memory lane together is a wonderful thing," he tells EW. But for Reid, the classic romance films were "all new" territory.
"I get to learn about a genre that I know very little about," Reid adds while Levy teases, "By the time that this is aired, you will have watched each and every one of these films, correct?"
"Because I will have been forced to see them [by] Daniel Levy," Reid says.
Below, Levy and Reid walk fans through each of the three romantic movies that inspired EW's digital covers, what it was like shooting them, and more. Plus, check out behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot, featuring photographer Brooke Nipar.
Sixteen Candles
EW
The first digital cover comes from the 1984 John Hughes classic Sixteen Candles starring Molly Ringwald. Anyone who's seen the movie knows what happens in the birthday cake scene, but Reid was out of the loop. "So we're there about to kiss over the cake and you have no idea?" Levy asks.
"Well, that's in the title... there's candles on a cake and so you assume it's somebody's birthday and that's nice," Reid says.
"So while I was caught up in the moment and thinking we're reliving such a classic cinematic moment, you were thinking what?"
"I hope I don't burn my face on these candles."
Casablanca
EW
Shot in black-and-white to pay homage to the 1942 classic Casablanca, Levy and Reid's second set up took a bit more preparation. They used additional contouring makeup and special fabric colors to make sure it looked like the original.
Filling in Reid on the final scene of the film, Levy explains, "Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, they're saying goodbye to each other. They're both in statement hats. And it's just a quintessential romance. It is beautifully shot. Impeccably made."
Reid jokes that "romances are best with statement hats," and Levy reveals that "the biggest challenge of this entire shoot was finding a hat small enough to fit [his] tiny, tiny skull."
"You do have a small head," Reid says, as Levy adds, "Teeniest, tiniest skull on the planet."
Remarking that the '40s were a "great era for romance," Reid then wonders, "What is it about a really fraught goodbye that makes for a great movie moment?"
"And a lot of things involving airplanes," Levy adds. "And airports... [It's] a Love Actually thing. People chasing each other through the airport."
"[There's] something definite about an airplane," Reid says. "Somebody's leaving... It's a pressure cooker."
"I think that knowing you're never going to see someone again really gives clarity when it comes to rom-coms," Levy says. "That is what makes people realize, 'No, I need to chase you through an airport.'"
Notting Hill
EW
Bringing this scene to life from the 1999 classic Notting Hill starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts was a personal highlight for Levy.
"Notting Hill and Bridget Jones's Diary are my two favorite romantic comedies of all time," he says. "We are fortunate enough to be reenacting that. I do not have a floral dress on, but I am giving the same vibe, especially with a clog Birkenstock... which I think was the key to the look. And the pregnant belly, which is up to you to decide right now. Bridget Jones's Diary, Notting Hill [are] two of the greatest comedy screenplays ever written. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that."
When Reid replies, "Wow," Levy asks him, "You have not seen either of those films?"
"I feel like I've seen Bridget Jones's diary," Reid replies.
"I don't think you have named one thing that happens in it," Levy challenges. As Reid starts to answer, Levy jokes, "If you say she writes in a diary — " just as Reid says, "She has a diary."
But Reid reveals that he does have a surprising childhood connection to one of Notting Hill and Bridget Jones's Diary's stars. "I did actually though have a look in middle school that was dedicated to Hugh Grant because my sister made me part my hair in the middle," he says, noting that it's similar to his look in this digital cover.
"I appreciate the Hugh Grant center part happening right now," Levy says, as Reid replies, "I was a little bit triggered to look at myself in the mirror. It's a difficult time."
Reporting by Shana Naomi Krochmal
EW has been following the sixth and final season of Schitt's Creek in a weekly podcast, EW On Set, featuring exclusive cast interviews taped on location. Watch Dan Levy break down previous seasons as part of our BINGE series on YouTube.
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