By Ashley Spencer
Leaving his 'Naked Brothers Band' days behind him, 18-year-old Nat Wolff is all grown up and starring in this month's big-screen comedy 'Admission' (in theaters March 22). J-14 sat down with Nat on a rainy day at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City to chat all about 'Admission,' his real-life college drama, and what it's really like to kiss Selena Gomez.
J-14: You've been on such a Hollywood journey! Did you ever think you'd go from your success with 'The Naked Brothers Band' to starring in a movie like 'Admission' with some of Hollywood's biggest stars?
Nat Wolff: I'm really lucky the way things worked out. I went from the Naked Brothers show, which was such an amazing experience and perfect for when I was that age to doing music full time to now getting to work with Tina Fey and Paul Rudd on 'Admission.'
J-14: Is it true that you had to beg your parents to let you become an actor when you were younger?
Nat: My mom's an actress and my dad's a musician, but they both discouraged me from going into the business at first because it's a scary place. So they made me prove to them -- and also prove to myself -- that I really wanted to do it and that I was going to put 100 percent into it. So I put up a sign on my bedroom door that said, "I want to be a child actor," and I guess they just saw my dedication. I'm glad they made me fight for it.
J-14: 'Admission' centers around the college admissions process and how nerve-wracking that can be for your character. Any plans to experience that in your own life?
Nat: I was actually in the admissions process while I was making the movie! I took the SATs and Tina Fey heard about my results, and she announced my two good SAT scores -- she didn't announce the bad math one -- to the whole crew. In fact, the script stressed me out in a good way because it was so realistic and was making me nervous and uncomfortable about the whole process. Anybody going through the college experience is going to love 'Admission' because it really sheds a light on it that I don't think people have really seen.
J-14: You got to work with Selena Gomez in the upcoming indie flick, 'Behaving Badly.' What was that experience like?
Nat: She's an amazing actress and she's so famous, but she has so much poise and grace and she really loves all her fans. She really cares what they think. We were friends before, butI didn't know her that well. We have the same agent and we would kind of see each other at things, but during the movie we became really close, really good friends.
J-14: And you even share an on-screen kiss! Awkward?
Nat: No! She's beautiful and it was great getting to kiss her. We were both in relationships at the time, but it was just a fun day of work -- it didn't feel like work.