Interview with Kids in America director Josh Stolberg:

Q:  What is “Kids in America” about?
A: “Kids in America” is the story of what happens when an authoritarian principal cracks down on free speech at a high school.  It’s inspired by real events that took place in schools across the country.  In the film, seven teens are encouraged by a passionate teacher to band together to stage a series of demonstrations to protest the hypocrisy they see in their school administration.

That’s the “plot” of the film.  But it’s also a story of teen comraderie.  It’s a love story.  It’s about discovering who you are and what you’re capable of.  I hope it motivates people to fight the injustices they find in the world around them.  Oh, and did I mention all the teen sex! Just kidding...

Q:  (laughs) Is that what inspired you to write “Kids In America”?
A:  I had been writing scripts for big studios for the past few years.  And although I enjoy writing “popcorn” movies, when I was given the opportunity to write a film that I would direct myself, I wanted to make something that I thought would affect positive change.  I didn’t want to preach, but I did want to tell a story that was important to me personally.  If you’re going to devote a year or more of your life to something – which “Kids In America” took - it better be worthwhile.

Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying that movies with a strong message are the only important ones, there’s great value in laughing and going on dramatic journeys, but Andrew Shaiffer, the film’s co-writer and I felt that this was the type of film that we needed to make right now.  There have been a gazillion teen films made before “Kids in America”, so we decided that if were we going to do a teen film, we wanted it to be different – to make a film that was politically savvy, but still had tons of comedy and romance and rich characters. 

Q:  What do you think this movie says to the kids of America?
A:  A lot of adults complain that kids today are apathetic and don’t care about anything but themselves and their Playstations.  But one of the reasons that kids don’t seem to be speaking out is because adults aren’t giving them the chance to be heard.  Censorship is rampant in the school system.  Teens are expelled for speaking their minds.  Student newspapers, run by teachers, routinely censor editorial topics such as school drug use, poor teaching, the overwhelming stress of getting into a good college, and teenage sexuality and pregnancy, causing many teens to go to the internet to have their opinions heard. 

The reason things don’t feel “fair” as a kid, is because they aren’t.  Teens are expected to act like adults, but aren’t awarded the same freedoms and, more importantly, the same respect that adults enjoy.  And how can kids deal with the very real pressures of being an adult when they aren’t allowed to speak out.  Parents are too busy dealing with their own lives - the divorce rate is over 50%, the adultery rate is over 70%.

The world is a hard place, and the solutions, in turn, are not easy.  This is a movie about teens who create their own release valve.  It’s about students who challenge, not just authority, but the underlying hypocrisy that threatens to break the spirits of kids.  “Do as I say, not as I do” has become the mantra of the older generation.  Well, in the eyes of these kids, it’s time for some accountability.  

Q:  You said this movie was based on real events.  How did those events help create the characters for the movie.
A:  Well, first, let me say that none of the characters in the film are based on actual people.  But they were all inspired by real teens.  Months before Andrew and I were asked to write the script, I saw a girl named Rachel Boim and her father, David, on CNN talking about how she had been suspended from school for a personal story she wrote in her journal.  I couldn’t get the story out of my head.  Here was this girl, a good student, who was expressing herself creatively, privately, no less, when her journal is confiscated by the school authority, read without her permission, and she gets thrown out of school for it.  It was shocking.

So Andrew and I started doing research and found that this was not an isolated event.  Teens’ first amendment rights are routinely violated.  And the “no tolerance” rules adopted by many schools after Columbine, while interesting in theory, sometimes do more damage than good because they don’t take the specifics into account.  We are supposed to be creating, in our schools, an environment where kids can be challenged.

It feels like we’re going backward in many ways.  Just today, I read on CNN.com that there was a principal in California at Lemoore Union High School who cancelled all future student dances because of so-called “freak dancing”, “Dirty Dancing” if you grew up in the 80s.  It’s right out of the movie “Footloose.”

Q: Do you have any stories about how the actors were chosen and what they may have learned from the experience?
A:  Our cast is unbelievable.  I was so lucky to work with so many talented people, both in front of and behind the camera, especially for my first film.  The process was sort of a snow-ball effect.  Andrew and I were really surprised when a few of his “famous” actor friends read the script and they all committed to the project.

The casting of the seven teens - several of whom had never acted in a film before - was daunting because the whole film rides on their performances.  We held weeks of auditions and finally had six of the kids cast with perfect young talent, but we hadn’t found our lead yet.  We were sitting around with one of the girls we had cast and we asked her who her dream choice for Holden was.  The first name off her lips was Gregory Smith.  I was familiar with Greg from “Everwood” on The WB and realized that we had written the part for him without even knowing it.  He was perfect.  The principal and teacher were two of the last roles cast.  Malik Yoba blew us away when we met with him.  He cared so much about the character and, upon talking with him, I discovered that his personal stories were so similar to the characters’ that I just had to cast him.  And I’ve admired Julie Bowen for years.  She was such a pro, she elevated everyone’s performance.

As the first day of production loomed, we continued to sign these amazing actors.  I kept thinking I was going to wake up and it would all be a dream.  Rosanna Arquette, W. Earl Brown, Kim Coles, Amy Hill, Elizabeth Perkins, Charles Shaughnessy, Adam Arkin, Nicole Richie, George Wendt, Samantha Mathis (who I had a massive crush on in high school).

Q:  What was the reason for the real life testimonials at the end of the movie?
A:  As I mentioned before, the film was inspired by these kids, so we thought it was only appropriate to give them a voice in it, as well.  Plus, I heard so many times throughout the writing process notes like “that would never happen in a high school” or “a student wouldn’t get suspended for that.”  And I wanted to show that this wasn’t dreamed up just for a movie –it was real, and it happens every day in high schools across the country.  I’m not saying that all administrations are guilty.  There are some amazing teachers out there who selflessly give so much to the kids, but it’s not always the case.   

Also, personally, I wanted to include the testimonials to give back to these kids.  To thank them for their strength.  I don’t know if I would have been that brave at 14 or 15. 

Q:  What do you hope will result from this movie?
A:  I hope the film will inspire, not only teens, but adults in general to take positive steps to effect change in their world.  Talk is important, but action can really make a difference – even on a small scale.  That’s why we’ve launched this website, so that you can share your personal experiences with others and gain the confidence to take that first step.  Make some noise!

We’ve developed this web site not only to give props to the film, but also for kids to make some noise on our site and share their experiences with others.  We’re hoping that by giving you the opportunity to connect with other kids, it will help provide the confidence to take that first step.

For more information about the film;
Contact Marcy Engelman and Co. tel (212) 645 9222