Out of this year's April movies (and all the spring movies, TBH), Música is the one that will stick with me for a long time. The 2024 movie, which follows a street performer named Rudy living with synesthesia, is holistically sensory and colorful, and engages both your heart and your brain. It's truly unlike anything I've ever seen, which is exactly what I tell stars Camila Mendes and Rudy Mancuso over Zoom. Turns out, the unique concept of the movie was thrilling for Camila, too!
After a 7-season stint on Riverdale, and her recent The Devil Wears Prada-esque rom-com Upgraded, the actress says she's excited to engage with new concepts. "I think right now I'm just looking to do something that I haven't done before," Camila says. "That's always what I'm looking for, just having something be a little different than the last thing I did to keep it exciting for me."
Falling For "Música"
Image via Prime Video
Like any good rom-com, Música features a memorable meet cute — and it's just as unique as the rest of the movie. It's love at first sight when Rudy sees Camila's character Isabella in their local fish market...then accidentally gets hit in the head with a fish. Thankfully, it doesn't stop Rudy and Isabella from getting to know each other, and the duo spends an afternoon in the park talking about music, family, and their futures. As someone who feels personally victimized by online dating, I have to ask Camila Mendes and Rudy Mancuso's best advice for pursuing a crush in the real world.
"The truth is that the characters themselves, Isabella and [Rudy's other love interest] Haley, yes they are based on kind of culminations of experiences and people, but more than anything, they're also symbolic and representative of two very different directions Rudy could feasibly take," Rudy tells me. "And ultimately [he has] to make that decision for himself. So where Haley might represent a safer route, you know, Isabella kind of introduces this adventurous spirit and also encourages Rudy to stay true to who he is. So I guess my advice for people would be to ultimately try and find their own path, but support yourself with others who encourage you to be you."
Camila Mendes & Rudy Mancuso's Chemistry Is More Than Movie Magic
Image via Prime Video
After I bring up the scene in the park, the co-stars (who are a couple IRL!!!), reveal to me it was the first scene they shot together. "That's when it really felt like the chemistry was alive," Camila says. ("That was day one. Ambitious first day," Rudy adds).
And you can totally feel their chemistry as a viewer — the actors have an electricity between them, yet you can tell they're incredibly comfortable around each other. I never would have guessed it was their first scene!
"Getting to do that with him on the first day really set the tone for the project," Camila continues. "I got a taste of what he was like as a director, and while he was directing, he'd come back and talk to me for a bit and we'd have our little chemistry and then he would go back to filming."
The actress admits it's been "very effortless" to balance working together, playing their characters, and getting to know each other in real life. "I think it just kind of weaved into our lives very naturally," she adds.
"We spent a great deal of time developing together," Rudy says. "Cami, as co-star and co-producer, was [really involved] in the evolution of the script and the role and the characters and the themes. So as we developed, we got closer and the lines began to blur between Rudy and Isabella, and Rudy and Camila."
For Rudy Mancuso, "Música" Was A Family Affair
Image via Prime Video
The lines also began to blur for Rudy in a whole new way because his mom also played a role in the movie! When I ask about filming scenes with her, Rudy immediately pulls out his phone. "That's so funny — you're saying that and I have three missed calls from my mom right now," he says. "It's dangerously authentic, this film. I mean, Cami can attest to just how how viciously real these these moments...and the dynamic between my mother and I [were]."
"A lot of it for her was improv-ed," Camila adds. "Obviously [she'd] stick to the general script, but Rudy really would let her kind of run with her own interpretations of things and give her own spin on every line. So it really is authentically your mom."
"That's one of the most fun parts of shooting this," Rudy continues. "I mean, I'm not as qualified and trained as an actor as Cami, but as an actor on this film, as I said, the lines are always blurred. I mean, we'd set up multiple cameras and just talk."
Camila Mendes Dishes On The Future
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While Rudy Mancuso and Camila Mendes are laser focused on getting Música into the world, Camila says she'd love to work with Brazilian actress Bruna Marquezine in the future ("We've been Instagram friends for a while and I feel like that would be a great person to collaborate with one day"), but she also wants to make a movie that impacts others' lives the way two of her favorite movies impacted her own.
"Requiem For A Dream traumatized me when I was younger, but in a way that was like, 'Wow, like I wanna make movies like that one day,'" she says. "And then I think in a [positive way], I remember being so enamored with [Moulin Rouge] when I was younger. That movie felt so magical to me."
"One of the first films I've ever seen was Central Station, Central do Brasil. It's a Brazilian film and my mom showed it to me probably a little younger than I should have seen it," Rudy admits. "It made me want to make films and it made me want to compose music for films. Because the score was just as beautiful as the filmmaking execution."
"I'm obsessed with film compositions and film composers," Rudy continues, and we bond over our love for film scores. "Everything from going for a run to listening to music on a trip or a plane — it's usually film scores. But, I'm all over the place. [Camila] has introduced me to more music than probably anybody I've ever met."
"I'm like, 'You ever heard of Ice Spice?'" Camila jokes. "Honestly, I'm listening to the new Ariana Grande album because it just came out and I've been going through it, picking my favorites. [I] listen to a lot of Kali Uchis...when I want to be in a good mood."
Image via Prime Video
I can wholeheartedly say that movie fans will want to add Música to their watchlist when *they* need to get in a good mood, too. The spring flick is everything romantic movie lovers could want — and it might just make you look at the world in a whole new way.
You can watch Rudy Mancuso and Camila Mendes in Música on Prime Video starting April 4. Watch this interview on our YouTube page, and check out this year's upcoming Summer Movies too!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Lead image via Prime Video.
