Stargirl is a wildly successful novel by Jerry Spinelli that became a hit movie on Disney+. The film tells the story of 15-year-old Stargirl finally going to public high school after being homeschooled her entire life. The film explores teen angst emotions, pushing against conforming and embracing your own self-expression, as well as first love. And now, we get a sequel to the hit 2020 film with Hollywood Stargirl!

HOLLYWOOD STARGIRL

Hollywood Stargirl picks up where the first film left off. However, don’t expect it to follow the 2nd book, Love, Stargirl. This is a whole new story. During the press junket with the actors, as well as director/screenwriter Julia Hart we learn why.

“… I love, love Stargirl and I love Jerry’s books, but I was excited about taking her out of Mica and into a larger world. To show [Stargirl’s] journey on a grander scale…Grace and I had a lot of fun in the development process of the sequel. Grace was 14 when we made the first movie and she was 17 when we made this one. That’s a huge difference. And we really wanted to honor both Grace’s growth as a young woman and also Stargirl’s and how they’re different and how they’re similar. 

The most exciting thing for me about making the sequel and the most important thing to me was that the movie be from Stargirl’s perspective because the first movie and the first book is obviously from Leo’s perspective and it’s how he sees Stargirl. And so it was really exciting to just get to have a whole movie through her eyes and mind.”

HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY JOINS THE CAST

https://youtu.be/TvzZZILR24A

Hollywood, Stargirl gets a boost of star power with this bold move to Hollywood. Judy Greer (The Thing About Pam) plays her mother. Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) plays Roxanne Martel, a lost singer/songwriter. We also have Judd Hirsch (Independence Day) as the grumpy neighbor, Mr. Mitchell.

When talking with the trio of leads, Tyrel Jackson Williams (Terrell), Elijah Richardson (Evan), and Grace VanderWaal (Stargirl) I asked if any of these powerhouses gave them advice that will stick with them for their careers. Well, they don’t remember any of it. Which I find hilarious. They just absorbed the entire experience and made lifelong friendships.

GRACE VANDERWAAL DOES IT AGAIN WITH A BRAND NEW SONG

The theme of Hollywood Stargirl is figuring out your own way. The line, or some version of it, is said throughout the film. Stargirl is even tasked with writing a song and Roxanne (Uma Therman) tells her she just has to figure it out. 

So, with the help of Mike Elizondo, he and Grace wrote the title song in two days. But, that doesn’t mean Grace always thought she could pull it off.

“This [song] was a planned [as] write a song about the movie. And I’ve never done that. I’ve never, like, been asked to write anything about anything before…So I was, like, really nervous ’cause I was like, “Oh god, everyone thinks I can do this. And I’ve, like,never done it before.” But it worked out. I did it…It was really, really fun. I was so honored that I got to write a song for the movie again.’Cause I love writing and I love the movie and it was fun.”

Hollywood Stargirl debuts on Disney+ on June 3rd, 2022! Make sure to check out this heartwarming, coming-of-age film!

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