Mike Vogel and Jennifer Morrison Exclusive Interview – Grind Movie Stars

We bring back to you an exclusive interview with Mike Vogel and Jennifer Morrison – Grind Movie Stars – where they share personal and private insights.

Read here about some of the favorite Jennifer Morrison movies and tv shows her networth and other information. Likewise Mike Vogel movies and tv shows his networth and his other expereinces.

by: Emerson E Brown
Feb 14th 04 – One of the oldest talks with Mike Vogel and Jennifer Morrison together

Grind Movie - Mike Vogel and Jennifer Morrison

Grind Movie Stars Exclusive Interview

Switch asks Grind Movie stars Mike Vogel and Jennifer Morrison, “Can I Get Fries with That Interview?”

Grind , the latest film to feature skateboarding, opened up in theaters on August 15.

Switch sat down with stars Mike Vogel and Jennifer Morrison to talk about this road trip comedy about four friends on a quest for the holy grail of skateboarding: a sponsor. Over chili cheese fries – ironic if you see the film, the actors reveal what happens when Hollywood hits the half-pipe.

Switch: It seems like every time skateboarding surges in popularity there’s a film made about it. So, what do you think distinguishes Grind from other skate films?

Mike Vogel: I think the big thing about Grind that we want to stress is that – especially since I came from that world – the last thing we wanted to do when we made this film is make Hollywood’s version of a skateboarding movie. First and foremost, it’s a road trip comedy. It’s a fun, funny movie that happens to have some cool skateboarding in it. I think the big difference between this one and a lot of others ones is that because skateboarding has gotten so popular this is the first time, I think, skateboarding has been captured like this on 35mm film. There are other instances, but I mean released to such a wide audience. I think that this is the first time that this has been done.

Jennifer Morrison: Quite honestly, I haven’t seen past skateboarding movies like Gleaming the

mike movie the grind

Mike Vogel: You haven’t seen Gleaming the Cube! What’s wrong with you?

Jennifer Morrison: Oh, I live under a rock. What can I say? What’s really cool about this project is that because we had so many pros, like the best guys in the sport, skating either as themselves or as skate doubles in the movie, we were completely immersed in that world the entire time we were filming. Everything that we portray on film, we were living in the middle of the entire time. So, we were really able to have that fun, crazy, silly comedy stuff going on and have the whole story going and, at the same time, have the authentic really, really crazy good skating.

Switch (straight-faced): So, do you guys think this will be like the North Shore of skate movies?

Mike Vogel: I’m scared to death that people are going to take this thing and say “Oh, my God, look, another cheesy…” when it wasn’t what were trying to do. It was a fun time and a lot of great skate…

Jennifer: All the pro skateboarders got to hook-up with all the hot extras.

Mike Vogel: So what better life is there.

Switch: Yeah, there’s a ton of cameos in this film. Is there a standout in either one of your minds? Who was really fun to work with or did some just really stand out?

Jennifer: I think one of the funniest moments of the movie is the Ryan Sheckler scene.

Mike Vogel: (laughs) And, the thing is that in all the previews it’s just not as funny when he’s like “I’m 12, punk.” It’s not as funny without the “bitch in it. Or when he says, “How about you and me lose this dead weight and hit the strip clubs.” I love that coming from a 12-year-old. (And) I love Bobcat (Goldthwait). I think he’s just the fricking tits. I love that guy.

Switch: Did you guys impress any of the skaters with your skating abilities?

Jennifer and Mike: (laughter)

Jennifer: Probably not.

Mike Vogel: I had Bucky Lasek on his knees by the time I got done. He didn’t even know what to do.

Jennifer: They were great. I had never been on a skateboard before so those guys all taught me how to skate. It was awesome.

Switch: I’m sure it was fun for them, too (cheesy nervous laugh).

bam skater

Mike Vogel: Yeah… You’ve seen the movies in the past where it shows someone standing on a board or whatever and then cuts to this picture where there like a little speck on the screen and you’re like “I wonder if that’s really them.” Obviously, we know that no one’s going to think, “Oh, these guys did all the skating in the movie,” but at least we hope that we did enough to warrant that, “okay, that’s kind of believable. Alright, I understand it wasn’t all them, but they made the attempt.”

Switch: On the flipside of that, do any of the skaters get any props for their acting ability.

Mike: Oh, hell yeah!

Jennifer Morrison: They were awesome. We had so much fun with them. It was so cool to have all of them on set. We didn’t know going into it. We were like, okay, we don’t know if they’re going to hate us. We don’t know if they’re not going to want to be there. But, the thing that we learned quickly was that if they didn’t want to be there, they wouldn’t have been. Which is what I think is really cool about the sport. They only do what they want to do and they’re really there just because they love the sport. It was cool because once we got there every time they were skating we were standing around cheering and freaking out. And, then, every time we were doing acting they were standing around behind the monitors like “Dude, how’d you do that. That was so crazy.”

Mike: Brian Sumner’s officially giving up skateboarding to become an actor. He was beside himself.

Jennifer: Do your little impression of him. It’s so good.

Mike Vogel (mimicking Brian): Brian Sumner. Hey, how’d you guys do that? I – I just want a chance to get…w – wha’do I got to do to get in front of the camera.

He was dying for a chance to speak – so funny.

Switch: The movie is all about friendship and obviously, you guys had a blast this movie. That’s what skating’s all about to a lot of people beyond doing a really cool trick. Was that driving force behind all the filming?

Mike Vogel: Every kid wants that taste of freedom to get out of town and pursue their dream. What I loved about the script, it totally spoke to all those – like it’s not in the movie, it’ll be in the DVD, we actually filmed sponsor me videos…

Jennifer: Which were really funny.  I can’t believe that they didn’t end up in the movie.

Mike Vogel: Yeah. Not enough time. But, every kid that’s ever skated has made about 8 of these things, and it’s just so funny to see how they totally got a hold of little parts of the sport that just made it so genuine. As far as the friendship thing, that’s the times that you remember best when you’re out with your boys and just tearing around.

Jennifer: That’s what I remember best. When I’m out with my boys and I’m just toying around.

Switch: So, let’s talk about you for second then, Jennifer. Since you piped up. Besides hooking up with all the hot skater guys, do you think your character sets a positive example for girl skaters?

Jennifer Morrison: I hope that’s what comes across. That’s what was cool to me when I looked at the script. At first, I was like, oh, dude, they have some chick chasing the pros. Oh great, this is going to make girls look stupid. As was just as surprised as anybody when I was just reading the script the first time when it turns out that she’s one of the pros they’re trying to impress.

Switch: Yeah, the payoff for girl skaters is really big.

Jennifer Morrison: Yeah and so it’s cool because there really is that crew of girls out there that are really amazing. Lauren Perkins who’s my skate double is totally sick. She totally tears it up and all the guys that have been skating forever will give her props for that. She’s amazing. These girls are like 13, 14 and 15 and they’re all over the place. Lauren’s like, “Oh yeah, when I need a break from skateboarding and I just need to get my mind off of it for a little bit, I’ll race motorcycles. I’m like, dude are you even old enough to drive a motorcycle? So, it’s so cool to see girls that it doesn’t even phase them. They don’t think twice that this is a boy’s sport. They don’t think that at all. They just go out and do it. It was fun to portray that and bring it to the screen, and also be really secure in, speaking as Jamie, who I was as a person. When these guys are underestimating her, she doesn’t get in their face and go, “Dude, I’m a pro. What the hell’s your problem.” I think it’s kind of cool that it’s minus those kinds of insecurities that are bred into girls societally.

Mike: That’s a good word.

Switch: So did you hear any real stories from Lauren or any other girl skaters about being underestimated or getting any grief for being a girl skater?

Jennifer Morrison: Lauren didn’t really seem to have any stories. I think that maybe she’s always been such a good skater. I don’t know. We really didn’t get into that so much. She was talking more about the events she skated, and the lifestyle and all that stuff. She was talking about some crazy water fight they had at the hotel or something, and I was like, oh, my gosh, you’re so young to be traveling the world and be in these hotels.

Switch: So, how is the acting lifestyle versus the skating lifestyle?

Grind Movie - Jennifer Morrison

Jennifer: It depends on what actor you are. Skaters don’t have to show up anywhere on time and we do. But, not all actors do, so…

Mike Vogel: I guess in a lot of ways they’re very much alike. It seems like there’s a lot more of a rebellious image to skaters. It’s like that rock star image.

Jennifer: And, they are rock stars, dude. It’s so crazy.

Mike: Yeah. I think people look at actors and they’re like, oh a bunch of freaking prisses.

Jennifer: You know, the show was really authentic – minus like Mike obsessing over his hair.

I’m kidding. You know all those pro skaters and all the time they spend doing their hair every morning.

Switch: So, is the party scene in the movie pretty accurate of the skating lifestyle?

Mike and Jennifer: Nooo!

Switch: That’s why all our readers want to be pro, you know.

Mike: They all want a chance to line up and do a pop dance like that. Oh my God.

Jennifer: I think we felt like the more stupid, insane stuff we could do the better.

Switch: Were there any Jackass moments on the set?

Mike Vogel: Nah, dude, they were totally out of their element. They were put on an organized set, where their sets consists of we make the rules and that’s how it goes. Now, there stuck in a place where they have to show up on time, they have to say lines, they have to hit their mark here and do this.

Jennifer Morrison: They were awesome, though. I thought they were so good and they brought so much to the whole film.

Mike: Bam did such a great job. I was really impressed.  It’s such a great element to have there, but I think it still could have had some more Jackass moments.

Jennifer Morrison: I did, too. Bam was so funny one day when we were in that club doing the stupid dance thing. He’s looking at these rafters that were in the building and he’s like, “I’m gonna jump off those.” And he announces it and he starts trying to find ways to climb the walls. Everyone ones like what’s he doing. I’m like oh he’s going to jump off the rafter on his skateboard. They’re freaking out and telling him about insurance policies. He’s like, “Whatever, dude, I don’t care if I get hurt.” He didn’t understand that it wasn’t okay on the set. Finally, they told him you might break the building.

Switch: What do you want skaters that go see this movie to get out of it in the end?

Jennifer Morrison: I hope that they really enjoy seeing the skate footage — not only enjoy it just because it’s a fun , crazy movie. It’s just so cool to see skating shot the way it’s shot in this movie. We’ve all seen a ton of skate videos on DV, but just to see it on 35mm film, captured this way with all these guys who are so at the top of the sport. Hopefully, they walk away from it psyched to see skating shot that way.

Mike: Matt Goodman, the second unit photographer, is apparently really big in the skate filming world?

Switch: Yeah, he’s from 900.

Mike Vogel: Yeah. He’s in credible. He’s skating the pool with Brian Patch and everyone else holding a 35mm camera stacked into his waist and riding up the transitions, passing inches from these guys. I was more impressed with watching how it was done and seeing how it all comes out. But, in the end, it’s about having a good time.

Mike Vogel and Jennifer Morrison Exclusive Interview – Grind Movie Stars
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