Zoe Kazan What If

Zoe Kazan is many things: an actress in movies like The Pretty One, a theater star in plays like The Seagull, and even a screenwriter for flicks like Ruby Sparks. But a football fan? Um, not really...not even when she's watching with Daniel Radcliffe. This is one thing we learned when we sat down with the bicoastal multi-hyphenate to discuss her new movie, What If. Co-starring Radcliffe, the indie film from director Michael Dowse is a rom-com for real life— think normal clothing, classic jobs, and yes, a love triangle that's actually believable. But don't just take our word for it! Get the exclusive scoop from Kazan here, then watch it all go down when What If opens in theaters this Friday. 

Hey Zoe! So, we need to talk about What If, because it's a rare sort of movie that feels very down-to-earth. What first drew you to the part? 

I just really liked the writing and the screenplay;  i thought that the dialogue was so clever and it really reflected the way that people get to know each other. The way they flirt, or talk. I liked these two people and how they tried to make each other laugh. I felt connected to that. 

Yes, totally. Your character seemed way more real than other romantic comedy leads.

Yeah, and that's what also drew me to the part. In many mainstream movies nobody really has a job and they live in these huge apartments, and you know, she has a real job and they have a tiny apartment where I felt like someone on her budget would live with her boyfriend.  I liked the scale of it…it felt like these were people I knew. 

What was the shooting experience like?

We shot it in Toronto, which was really fun. I love Toronto, it's such a cool city. The cast hung out on set a bunch, and we were all staying in the same hotel so we got to know each other pretty well. I spent a lot of time walking through the city with Megan, or ordering room service with Mackenzie [Davis] and watching movies. Dan [Radcliffe] and I watched football together…he's really into it. 

Wait, seriously? 

Yeah! And I'm not into it at all. I mean, I'm always willing to try. Because of my boyfriend I have to be a Giants fan. I definitely have more opinions about other sports, but with hockey and football I have to go with the Rangers and the Giants. I'm not a huge fan of anything, but I like to pretend when I go to the games [laughing] 

You've been really busy, because your new movie In Her Eyes is now streaming online too.

It's crazy, because that was filmed so long ago! It was over two years ago when we shot that, and we shot it really fast and furious. I'm only in half of the movie, because it's split between me and 3,000 miles away. We shot it in eight days, and so it was all a blur. I'm really excited that they decided to put the movie out in this way. It's cool to have it available to everyone simultaneously no matter where you live. 

What movies are you into now?

I'm actually doing a play right now that's set in the '70s, so I'm watching a lot of movies set in the '60s and '70s that I feel like my character might've seen. I just watched West Side Story the first time since I was a kid, and it blew me away. I also just watched Bye Bye Byrdie, which was really fun. A lot of revisiting of old classics.

Can you tell us a little bit about your costumes in the play? 

You know, it's the early '70s, and they're still really influenced by the '60s. They haven't gotten to the whole Farrah Fawcett or disco thing quite yet. So it's a lot of shirtdresses and little A-line skirts and polyester knits. You know, I think it's really important that it should never really feel like costumes, but just feel like clothes. Finding that wardrobe is such a big part of a character. 

What If opens this Friday.