"Julie and the Phantoms" Star Charlie Gillespie On the Impact of "Unsaid Emily"
Fans of Julie and the Phantoms can't get enough of the show and its catchy songs, but there is one track in particular that is tugging at their heartstrings more than the others. In the show's fourth episode, Luke shows Julie some of his songs that he had been working on and she ended up finding one about a girl named "Emily." But the big reveal and the story behind the song was something that fans would never forget.
Seventeen talked with Julie and the Phantoms star Charlie Gillespie about the impact of the song and seeing fans reactions to it.
*Major spoilers for season 1 of Julie and the Phantoms below!*
What was "Unsaid Emily" about?
It's not revealed until episode 6 that the song was actually about his mom, Emily. Luke ended up writing the track as a way to apologize after leaving his parents over a fight about his music career. While he initially intended to make amends with them, he died before he was able to. During the episode, it's revealed that Luke visits them ever so often and that he came to see them on his birthday. He was able to blow the candle out on his cake to try to give them a sign that he's there with them.
In episode 8, Julie visits his parents with Luke right behind her. She ends up handing over his handwritten lyrics to the song "Unsaid Emily" in hopes that it will give them peace knowing that he wanted to make amends with them. Luke also performs the song as they read through them in the show's most emotional moment.
What has Charlie said about the song.
In an exclusive interview with Seventeen, Charlie revealed that he never expected the song to hit viewers as hard as it did.
"We're waking up with messages and emails from people talking about like how they lost a grandmother, or their parent, a sibling, or even an animal and how their lives have changed for the worse since those moments," he said. "But then, watching the show, and they're coming out and saying, 'You guys really helped me reflect on on what used to make me happy and I'm gonna make the effort to bring that back into my life. Some are little kids, others are a little older, but I couldn't have imagined it."
He also noted that it brought the show's production back full circle, especially remembering what executive producer Kenny Ortega noted to the cast and crew as they filmed the series.
"I called Kenny up and he's like, 'What did you think I was trying to do? I would never pick a project if it's not gonna mean something to somebody. Or something that people would just sit down for four and a half hours and it would just be something to waste their time during the day. I want people to come out of something with my with my work. I want it to change for some folks.' For some viewers,[Julie and the Phantoms] is entertainment. But for others, it's really a strong message and I'm blessed to have been a part of that."
You Might Also Like
