Cole Sprouse and Kathryn Newton in “Lisa Frankenstein”.Photo:Michele K. Short/FOCUS FEATURES
Michele K. Short/FOCUS FEATURES
Kathryn Newtonwas a fan ofCole Sprouselong before the two became costars.
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, the Disney Channel series that starred a young Cole andDylan Sprouse, “was a big part of my life,” the actress, 26, tells PEOPLE exclusively.
“I was a really big fan of him growing up,” she says of her romantic interest in the new filmLisa Frankenstein(in theaters Friday).
“I actually met him when I was around seven years old at Bob’s Big Boy,” Newton reveals with a grin. “I asked him and his brother for a photo, and they said yes.”
Sprouse, 31, played straight-A student Cody Martin on the Disney sitcom, which aired from 2005 to 2008. He and his twin brother then reprised their roles in spin-offThe Suite Life on Deckand 2011’sThe Suite Life Movie.
Kathryn Newton at the Los Angeles special screening of “Lisa Frankenstein” Feb. 5.Alberto Rodriguez/Getty
Alberto Rodriguez/Getty
But Newton’s time with Sprouse beforeLisa Frankensteinwas not limited to a photo op in a California restaurant as kids. “Then I met him onRiverdalewhile I was shootingSupernaturalin Vancouver,” she tells PEOPLE. “And I had Halloween with theircast, who were so nice to welcome me, to let me hang out with them.”
After breaking out in 2012’sParanormal Activity 4and stealing the show inBig Little Lies,Pokémon Detective Pikachu, The Societyand more, Newton got in touch with Sprouse again — this time to tap into the multihyphenate’s passion for photography.
“He always asked about photographing mypoodles. And one day I just called him and was like, ‘Hey, do you want to do a shoot?’”
The “super low-key photo shoot” that followed, says Newton, involved her dogs, couture gowns and elaborate wigs. Sprouse “created a narrative where my character killed all her husbands and collected the dogs.”
As it turns out, that collaboration “was a precursor to a film, because it’s very camp and similar narrative toLisa Frankenstein.”
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“You know when you’re little and you were with your best friends and you perform and make up a dance and then show everyone in your living room and make them watch you?” asks Newton. With this “insane” movie, she says, “It kind of feels like that’s what we were doing.”
Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse in “Lisa Frankenstein”.Michele K. Short/FOCUS FEATURES
Sprouse, she adds, is “an incredible actor, just a really great guy.” When Williams first approached her with the role of Lisa, Newton says she had to “sit with the fact” that Sprouse’s monstrous character is mute for much of the movie.
“All that meant is I had to really assess that I could do what it takes to bring this role to life, because I felt like you couldn’t hold back.”
Lisa Frankensteinwill be brought to life in theaters Friday. It costars Liza Soberano, Henry Eikenberry, Joe Chrest andCarla Gugino.
source: people.com
