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If you missed it in the theaters, Tomorrowland is a wonderfully powerful movie about imagination, the power of optimism and pursuing your dreams. It is, by far, my favorite movie of the summer and I was ecstatic when we got a chance to sit down and talk to Tomorrowland star Raffey Cassidy about her experiences on set. If you haven’t had a chance to catch this movie yet, make a note to pick it up when it comes out on Blu-Ray and streaming devices.

Legion of Leia: First off, what was it like friend-zoning George Clooney?

Raffey Cassidy: *laughs* It was a lot of fun! I teased him while we worked and got to do a lots of fun stuff with him.

Legion of Leia: Speaking of working with George Clooney, you also had a chance to work with Director Brad Bird on this movie. What was it like to work with two giant’s of the industry?

Raffey Cassidy: It was great. I learned a lot from watching them on set. You learn so much just by being around them, it was a wonderful experience.

Legion of Leia: So did you fall victim to one of George Clooney’s infamous pranks?

Raffey Cassidy:: Actually, no, though I got to be apart of one the pranks! We were preparing a scene involving the monorail. The camera was meant to follow us onto the crowded passenger car. George thought it would be funny to prank the cameraman so we all conspired to move just off scene when entering the car so when the camera operator followed us, it would be empty. It was really funny as the cameraman panned around and saw that no one was inside.

Legion of Leia: That’s great!

Raffey Cassidy: It was was really funny.

Legion of Leia: So in Tomorrowland you play Athena, the timeless childhood friend of Frank (Clooney). Athena is such a really interesting character in that she has emotional limitations. Do you think she was really able to overcome those limits in the end?

Raffey Cassidy: Oh yes, very much. It’s one of the central story lines of the movie. She’s around Frank for his entire life and despite the fact that she doesn’t have the capacity for emotions she begins to understand feelings and how important they are to people. By the end of the film Athena has been around Frank and Casey for so long that she does learn to feel in her own “Athena” way. I liked how subtle it was.

Legion of Leia: That’s very true. It was a great balance between showing empathy without necessarily conveying emotion. How did you, as an actor, get to that place? Was there a process you went through?

Raffey Cassidy: I had a great acting coach. Before we started filming, we went over every scene and would make images in my head of what the scene was about. When shot the scene later I would focus on that image, like a memory of a scene, instead of reacting directly to another actor’s performance.

Legion of Leia: What’s your favorite movie in a futuristic setting?

Raffey Cassidy: Does The Incredibles count?

Legion of Leia: Absolutely!

Raffey Cassidy: Then I pick that. I love The Incredibles. It’s a great movie that has a really positive message about a fantastic family that can overcome any obstacle when they work together.

Legion of Leia: Speaking of positive messages, Tomorrowland is really uplifting, what did you think of the story?

Raffey Cassidy: I loved it. It’s so positive and it’s basically telling people to stay optimistic. It’s telling them they can be positive and do anything. It also promotes a love of science and wonder; it’s a great message that I really support.

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See Raffey Cassidy in Tomorrowland,  which comes home on Blu-Ray on October 13th, 2015. 

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Shaun Rosado

Shaun Rosado is creator and host of a weekly geek podcast called "Shauncastic!," where he and a rotating cast discuss everything geeky, nerdy and pop culture-y as well as the creator of "Meet At The Tavern," a blog dedicated to RPGs. He is also a frequent Twittering fool (@Pneumaz). He is married, has a dog, is a massive fan of The Flash and owns a spaceship. One of these is not true.