Kissing and telling for the first time

EDMONTON (CUP) -- Upon visiting the official website for the upcoming film The Last Kiss, one is confronted by the question: “We all make choices. What's yours?” Apparently, this query plays a large role in the creation of the movie -- which is based on a series of pointed, careful choices, and their subsequent effects.

Of course, one of those decisions was when Lakeshore Entertainment's Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi saw L'Ultimo Bacio -- a 2001 Italian film that won five Davids (the Italian equivalent of the Oscar) -- and became profoundly affected by the tale of four men in their 30s reluctant to start wrestling with the responsibilities of adulthood.

Rosenberg and Lucchesi weren't the only ones to be touched by this poignant film. Rachel Bilson, better known for her work on the hit television series “The OC”, resolved to star in the film because she was equally influenced by the original.

“I saw [L'Ultimo Bacio], and I just thought it was a beautiful piece,” Bilson says in a phone interview. “[I knew] that to be able to be part of it would be such an honor, as well as to work with these amazing actors and recreate this beautiful film.”

Choices, choices, choices: not only does Bilson look back happily at her decision to co-star beside Zach Braff (Garden State and “Scrubs”), Blythe Danner (who won an Emmy for her performance in “Huff”) and Tom Wilkinson (Batman Begins), but she's also grateful that she got to work with director Tony Goldwyn, an opportunity she says will influence her future endeavours.

“Tony Goldwyn really gave me time with the scenes, and gave me as many takes as I needed, especially for my emotional scene,” Bilson recalls. “I had a hard time getting there, but Zach really helped me and Tony really helped me, and you can really take your time with it and try and do your best work.”

For Bilson, being cast as Kim, the young woman that the main character Michael (Braff) has an affair with, finally gave her a chance to stretch some acting muscles that may have been a little cramped on “The OC”.

“If a role comes along that's similar to my character on “The OC”, [and] if it's a good project, and [has] good people I want to work with, I would still do it,” Bilson admits. “But hopefully this [role] shows me in a different light and shows the other things that I am capable of.”

The character of Kim, the “other woman” who forces Michael to reconsider the choices of his life, could easily have been portrayed as a morally bankrupt sexual temptress. Thankfully, Paul Haggis's revisions for the screenplay allowed Bilson to keep her character three-dimensional.

“I thought it was really important for my character to be likable,” Bilson says. “Maybe show a realistic side where she wasn't just a seductress -- a temptress -- she was a very likable girl that [Michael] met and had chemistry with.”

Foundational actors aside, one of the most significant choices made in regards to the film was the soundtrack, and who should be given the responsibility to choose the right songs to correspond with the movie's nuanced themes.

That task went to cast member Braff, who won a Grammy for producing the soundtrack for the film he directed, wrote, and starred in, Garden State.

Braff went ahead and suggested songs like “Chocolate” by Snow Patrol, “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap and two songs by Joshua Radin (a friend of Braff's), “Star Mile” and “Paperweight” with Schuyler Fisk.

“I think it's really amazing when a movie has certain music in it, [and] when you leave and you hear the song again, it brings you back to that scene,” Bilson says. “I think it's really nice when a song can hand you a feeling, and I really think that Zach captured it in this movie like he did in Garden State.” So, one last question: Why should people decide to go see this movie?

“I think The Last Kiss is relatable because you see a little taste of college life mixed in with a slightly older generation and how they interact -- and it's fun,” Bilson says.

“It really starts conversation and makes you feel certain things, and I think it shows adult relationships in a very realistic light.”