The Cast of A Cowgirl’s Story Reveal Their Fave Scenes to Film
If you see any movie this year, we strongly recommend A Cowgirl's Story.
The film follows Dusty as she tries to make a difference by starting an equestrian drill team at her school. But there is much more to this film than this simple summary. And who better to tell you all about it than the cast?
We chatted with the film's stars—Bailee Madison, Aidan Alexander and Froy Gutierrez—about what the movie means to them, their favorite scenes to film and what they loved most about working with each other.
Scroll below to see what they had to say!
Sweety High: What can viewers expect from A Cowgirl's Story?
Aidan Alexander: You can expect a lot of messages about staying strong through tough times and how it's always good to stay open to meeting new people. You should never judge somebody until you get to know them. It's just a really important story. There are a lot of comedic elements, but there are a lot of thematic elements as well, in regards to the military family life. It's a movie that's very family friendly, but still has messages that are important and matter.
Bailee Madison: I think what I loved most about it and, from a creative standpoint, why I was so excited to be a part of it, is that it's for a wide group of people. I think the audience is really targeted towards families. I think it's rare to be able to watch a movie with your entire family and for everyone of any age to equally enjoy it.
SH: What do you hope viewers take away from the film after watching it?
Froy Gutierrez: I would just say the main message of the film is inclusivity. Be kind to others.
AA: You should always be kind to everybody, no matter your religious or political differences.
BM: My character goes through so many struggles and I think a lot of people will connect with that. There are so many times in your life where you're going to ask yourself, "Why is this happening?" Just know that when you ask yourself that question you're not alone. In 20 years, the hard times in your life aren't actually going to matter anymore. You can get through it.
SH: What does being a part of the film mean to each of you?
AA: When I read the script, I just really resonated with the movie. I thought it was a really powerful message about inclusivity. I try to promote inclusivity on all of my social media platforms as well. Our film is really diverse and it can appeal to so many different people no matter what your various viewpoints are about the world.
FG: What was really important to me is that it takes the typical framework of a family movie and then it provides these tiny messages that are a bit riskier. For me, the film isn't about religious or political differences as much as it's about people who close their hearts off. With my character especially, you see that kind of message go through. What my character experiences makes him close his heart off to other people, and you'll see the other characters in the film confront that.
BM: I'm constantly searching for scripts with multiple layers and a lot of dimension. I agree with what Froy and Aidan both said, it's a film for everybody. We do deal with heavy subject matter, but we also deal with the lightness that comes with life. Hopefully at the end of the film you get a sense of hope and a sense of fulfillment as to who you are as a person and what you're capable of. I think we all try and vocally talk about that in our day-to-day lives. I hope that was translated onto the screen.
SH: How are you each similar and different to your characters in the film?
BM: I connected to Dusty so much, because I feel like she's such a dreamer. I'm such a dreamer. Sometimes I dream too big. What I love about it is that she does dream big and somehow, someway, she has the hope and the faith to be like, "Okay, something's possible." What's cool about her is she's a regular girl who wants to make a difference and does just that. She doesn't have a social media platform. She's not an actor. She's not some glamorized character. She's a human being and she's showing that no matter who you are, there's a way to touch someone's life.
AA: Trevor's tendencies are all very waggish. He's always very mischievous and stubborn. That's something that I am very much so. He's also a very loyal and supportive person of his friends. I pride myself in knowing I show some of those characteristics as well. It's hard to describe. He's a little bit pervicacious, but still really open to everybody. I really love that and it's something I try to do every day. It was really important for me to bring Trevor to life, because he's so multi-dimensional. He's so much more than just a love interest. That's why I think the scene with me and Bailey on the mountaintop is just so cool, because it's the first time you really get to see Trevor be vulnerable and just completely open. That's something he doesn't do very often because he's stubborn.
FG: What I have in common with Jason is that we're both from Texas, so I get that culture and ranch-hand lifestyle. I know it, but I haven't ever been that gritty though. With him you see how the cycle of closing your heart off to other people starts from another perspective. His dad is pressuring him throughout the entire film and that kind of causes him to be belligerent to other people. Because he feels so pressured by somebody else, he puts pressure on another person. And so you kind of see that cycle. You see that from a very human perspective, I would say. He makes the decision to be open to other people.
SH: What was it like working with each other?
AA: I had such a good time! The thing is with this film, it's hard to put it into words. It was so amazing to go to work every day and just know that you're a part of this film that's so adamant on inclusivity and is so adamant on renouncing abnegation. It's just great and it was a really, really fun experience to wake up every morning knowing that you're being a part of film that is all about self-love and self-discovery.
BM: I think it was really important in the casting process to find good people. I was really fortunate by being able to step behind the camera and do my best to ensure everyone who was on set was there for the sake of the project. We were very lucky to have Aidan, Froy, Chloe [Lukasiak] and Pat Boone to join our cast. We all had a good time, which meant good production and good footage. A lot of stuff was ad-libbed between us. It was really amazing to have a cast that was willing to work in that way. It was fun to get to go to work and know people already. And those who we didn't know, obviously became friends.
FG: I was new to the set. They had been shooting for about a week and I had just shown up. We had the dance scene for the Cowgirl Stomp that day. I didn't know anybody. Everybody was somewhat familiar with each other, but I didn't know anyone on set. I remember being intimidated at first, but they went out of their way to include me in everything. By the end of it, we were all jamming and having listening sessions in the trailer. It never felt like work. It always felt like a party.
BM: I was also very grateful being 16 and being able to step behind the camera. I will humbly say I had no clue what I was doing. I was fortunate to have amazing people around me who were so guiding and so listening. It was amazing to get to work with your friends, but when they yelled "action," we were working. There was nothing more to it. Friendships were off and we were all there to do our best as creators. It was really cool for me, because I would have a note and you guys were so open to the feedback. That was wonderful.
FG: I remember when I had my scene with Chloe, Bailee would give us notes. For me, it was very different to get notes from someone my age. But she was very gracious about it and so kind. She was very on top of everything. Because she's an actor, she came at us from that perspective. She was never in your face, but she had everything together and ran a very tight ship.
AA: It's so true though. Obviously there are pros and cons to working with friends. It was such a positive environment to just create openly and take risks because you know that everybody there is on your side. Like Froy said, Bailee has this way about her that can't be imitated that translated into her producing. It was really, really cool to be able to work with somebody who gets it and comes from that side of the camera. She knows everything without being a know-it-all. Her presence is such a positive thing to be around. It made everything on set go so swimmingly.
SH: What was it like working with the horses?
AA: I'm very afraid of horses, or at least I was before filming. I had traumatic experiences growing up, because I'm from Idaho and I used to ride horses a lot. I remember one time I was with my uncles in Northern Idaho. Of course they gave me, the inexperienced rider, a horse with a phobia of water. We went to cross this stream and my horse bucked me off and I flew 20 feet up into the air. Since then, horses spooked me out. It was a blessing in disguise to work on this movie, because being around them so much made me realize that I had an irrational phobia.
BM: It was interesting, because I think an environment can become hectic when you're dealing with everything. When you have animals on set, there's no choice but to keep it soothing. I think that they were such an amazing add-on, because the crew members fell in love.
FG: We weren't shooting at a set ranch, it was a real ranch right outside of L.A. It was very untouched and I think that added a lot to the film itself. It was another character who also allowed us to sink into our characters very easily. Chloe and I had very good experiences with the horses, even though we're mildly allergic to them.
SH: Did you guys have a favorite scene to film?
AA: The mountaintop is my favorite in the whole movie. Seeing my character and Bailey's character connect that way, it's like the first time they really do. Everything else is juvenile teen romance. When we transcend into this mountain top scene, it's very pivotal for my character.
BM: That's really hard. One of my favorite scenes is when Pat Boone finds me on the bench. It's not even a moment for me, it's his character's moment. I think he's so beautiful in the scene and was such a joy to feed off of during the moment. My second favorite scene would be when I'm in the chapel and talking to someone who really hurt me throughout the movie. It's a scene of forgiveness. For the sake of all the cast members, I absolutely loved the dance scene. It was so much fun to film. Everyone worked so hard. It was hot and we did it way too many times.
FG: I'm going to sound so biased when I say this, but my favorite scene would be the one between me and Chloe. There's the definitive me and Chloe scene in the film. As an actor, that scene is a moment for me to get super vulnerable. It's not something I've gotten to do very often. It's kind of thematically critical to the whole film. It's chipping away at the wall that people can build up around their hearts. You just really see Chloe's character stepping up for herself and you see my character becoming self-aware for the first time.
We're so excited to see our girl Bailee Madison in this film. We've been big fans of this lovely lady for quite some time now, and HERE are just a few reasons why.