Britt Robertson, George Clooney and Raffey Cassidy Travel to Tomorrow

By: Lynn Barker

“What if there were a miraculous place where you could actually change the world? Want to go?” This is the intriguing invitation given to smart teen Casey Newton (Britt Robertson of  TV’s “Under the Dome” and the romantic film The Longest Ride)  by scientific genius inventor Frank Walker (George Clooney).  

Of course, she goes to this parallel futuristic dimension with young Athena (Raffey Cassidy who played young Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsman) who is not really what she seems. Can only a few dreamers and believers make a big difference?

The filmmakers decided to tell a story about a positive future for a change rather than a post-apocalyptic dystopia like the ones in The Hunger Games, the Divergent series and many more. George Clooney has a great, optimistic attitude about today’s tweens and teens. Check it out!

Q: George, what attracted you to joining this film project?

• George: We live in a world now where you turn on your television set and it’s rough out there. It can really wear on you after a period of time. We see generations feeling as if they’re sort of hopeless in a way. What I love about (this film) is that it speaks to the idea that the future is not pre-ordained and pre-destined and that, if you’re involved, a single voice can make a difference and I happen to believe in that so I love the idea that there is still so much we can all do to make something better.

Q: Do you find that growing up in the Cold War (between the U.S. and Russia in the 1960’s) made a difference as to how you look at the world?

• George: I grew up during the Cold War and I thought then that the world would end in a nuclear holocaust but everybody was pretty hopeful. There were a lot of things going on that you thought people could change. I grew up in an era where the voice of the one really did seem to matter. We had the riots that are reminiscent of what we are looking at today but we had the Civil Rights movement and Vietnam (protests) and the Women’s Rights movement and those things that you actually thought you could have a part in changing.
• If you look at the things that changed in the ‘60’s and early ‘70’s, individual voices did make a huge difference. It wasn’t governments doing it necessarily. So, I never had that great disappointment in Mankind. I always felt like it’s gonna work out in the end and I still feel that way.
• So, what I loved about the film is that it reminds you that young people don’t wake up, they aren’t born and start out their lives as cynical or angry or bigoted. You have to be taught all those things and I watch the world now and think “Well, I see really good signs from young people out there” and I feel as if the world will get better and I’ve always been an optimist, I’ve been a realist but an optimist about it. I really related to the film because it’s a story that’s entertainment but that is hopeful and I’ve always felt that way myself.

Q: Britt and Raffey, the dynamic between you two in the film is not what you would expect. How would you two describe the relationship?

• Britt: I think Raffey played (a motherly type) a lot, especially with George and me. She was constantly trying to keep us focused and, funnily enough, that’s how she is in life too. Not intentionally but she’s a professional and so focused herself. I, oftentimes, would look over at her and be like “Okay, right. This is what we’re doing” but we had so much fun together and we had such a great time. We spend a lot of time together stunt training and then filming the movie. I think our dynamic off screen helped our chemistry on screen.

Q: Raffey, were you trying to keep everybody in line?

Raffey: Well, I tried my best. I think the relationship between Casey (Britt’s character)  and Athena (Raffey’s character) is quite friendly because Athena just wants to get together with Casey to try to save the world.

Disney's Tomorrowland - Athena

 

Q: Tomorrowland looks very “space age”. What does space exploration and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) who advised on the film mean to you?

• Britt: I think NASA represents a specific hope and ties in with the movie in a symbolic way. NASA represents the unknown and the human race’s being able to explore another universe and other things that are out there. I think that’s in line with the movie in terms of theme. We’re talking about a movie that’s saying “We don’t know what our future is. It’s not determined for us and maybe if we go out there and explore and maybe if NASA wants to go and see what else is out there, maybe that will have some helpful part in making our future something to be excited about.

Q: How should Disney update Tomorrowland in the theme park?

• Britt: I think it they should just update the Carousel of Progress a little bit.

(Note: George wants everyone to be given jetpacks and fly over the park but just don’t fly over his house.)

Q: Girls, how would you make this world better?

• Raffey: I’d like to get rid of (some of) technology and have the old-fashioned times when you wrote letters to people.
• Britt: My big thing right now, living in California is I turn off my sprinklers (to help the California drought). I know it’s a small step but I’m trying to conserve on the water front. I think it’s important for everyone to take into consideration their community and the environment wherever they are and (think about) the things they can do for that specific region. That’s kind of what I’m doing but I’ll try other things.

See Tomorrowland in theaters starting May 22^nd!

Disney's Tomorrowland - Casey

 

Disney's Tomorrowland Trailer