Julie Bowen Reveals ‘Prom Pact’ Will Tackle ‘Head-On’ How Many ’80s Teen Movies Were ‘Problematic’ (Exclusive)

graduation agreement is the latest original film on Disney+ that’s both fresh and a nod to classic ’80s teen films. The delightful film has been updated for a modern audience: dance proposals, anyone? – and shows how teen movies have evolved since the 1980s. hollywood life spoke EXCLUSIVELY with the executive producer Julia Bowen From graduation agreement mission.

“I felt it was really important to address how problematic the 80s was and to face it head on,” Julie said. hollywood life during the film’s release date. “We didn’t pretend that we could just say, oh, that’s the 80s prom theme, and then just ignore all the things that weren’t right in those movies. But our main character, Mandy, absolutely… her jaw dropped. She talks about it. She stands up for what she believes in. She’s wearing a Ruth Bader Ginsburg necklace and Save The Bees T-shirts, so it would be appropriate when everyone around her went crazy at the ’80s prom for her to say, “No, that’s not cool, and these are the reasons.” ‘ With that done, we can enjoy the good parts of these movies, and there was large amount of good pieces”.

Mandy is played by Doogie Kamealoha, MD stands out Peyton Elizabeth Lee. is accompanied by zombie alum Milo Mannheim, who plays Mandy’s best friend Ben. breaking star Blake Draper he also plays Graham, the popular basketball heartthrob. Think about the 2023 version of sixteen candles’ jake ryan Julie revealed how Blake was cast as this pivotal character.

“Graham is such an important role and we’ve seen a lot of people cast for him. Diversity and cast were very important. But Graham, for being the privileged boy he was and for her [Mandy] to make the assumptions about him she needed, he needed to be white so that she could tell you are a privileged man. So we were in a bind because we wanted to have as much diversity as possible everywhere,” Julie explained. “In fact, Milo Manheim originally read it to Blake and we were like, ‘Oh no. God This is Ben, he is a wonderful Ben. So, casting a wide net, we sought out young people of all countries, races, colors and creeds for the role of Graham because we thought, well, maybe we can change that. Maybe he could be a privileged child of a different racial background or something.

She continued: “But then when we met Blake and he was so adorable and adorable… We had no idea he was Australian. All via Zoom, we had no idea. And then there was maybe that second or third Zoom with him, he spoke in his native accent and I loved it even more. It’s so interesting. He looks like a classic 80s hottie, and that’s what we wanted. And at the same time, it has a twist. His character is much more vulnerable, and in real life Blake is just as unusual. He is so out of the box. He’s such an eccentric guy. He dresses like crazy. He loves crazy music. Everything about him is amazing and fascinating. I think this isn’t the last time we’ll see him.”

Julie played Claire Dunphy for 11 seasons Modern familybut she is behind the scenes with graduation agreement. She said hollywood life that there have been “discussions” about her portrayal of Mandy’s mother. “But at the same time, I really wanted it to be someone else. I really wanted to be behind the camera, ”she said.“wendy [McClendon-Covey] It’s great, and I love it. I’m also not very good at being objective when looking at myself. In post-processing, when you have to for the hottest celebrity news.