Feb 4, 2010 - Just about every actor in Hollywood has a role in the romantic comedy Valentine's Day, hitting theaters - appropriately enough - on Friday, February 12th. Garry Marshall, a man who knows his way around the rom-com genre, helms the film and gathered together big name actors, along with some up-and-comers, to tell the story of what's supposed to be the most romantic day of the year.
Jennifer Garner, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Queen Latifah, Shirley MacLaine, Ashton Kutcher, Jamie Foxx, Patrick Dempsey, Eric Dane, Topher Grace, Bradley Cooper...See?

I wasn't joking about the 'every actor in Hollywood' description...are the adults having to deal with the anxiety surrounding Valentine's Day. Joining them in a storyline set in high school are Carter Jenkins, Emma Roberts (Julia's niece), Twilight's Taylor Lautner, and big screen newcomer Taylor Swift. Jenkins and Roberts play a couple who are plotting to use the Valentine's Day holiday as the day to lose their virginity.

In this exclusive interview, Jenkins (last seen in Aliens in the Attic) talks about life on the set of a Garry Marshall production as well as working with Emma Roberts and the two most popular teen Taylors on the planet.

Exclusive Carter Jenkins Interview

There are no aliens involved in Valentine’s Day I assume.
Carter Jenkins: "No, no, this is not a story about aliens on Valentine’s Day, I guarantee."

So what was it like on a Garry Marshall set?

Carter Jenkins: "It was incredible. He's a living legend of a director. And if you know anything about him as a person, he's just hilarious.

This man’s like a grandpa on set. Everyone loves him. He's just a nice guy. He's so caring about everybody on the set and he loves the people he works with. And, yes, it was incredible. He's a great director."

He always makes his cast and crew play softball. Did you have to play?

Carter Jenkins: "I did play softball. Yes, we played a Valentine's Day cast and crew softball game. I did okay. There was a lot of practice."

Was it the old guys versus the young guys?

Carter Jenkins: "No. I don't know how the teams were formed. But no, I wasn't on Garry's team - but he pitched the whole time. It was great."

"I've never been on a set like the Valentine’s Day set because it was such a happy place. And I think that's because on the project the director sets the tone of the whole set, and he's just a happy guy and makes the set a happy place. He does a lot of things to bring the crew together and bring the cast together, like the softball game, and so it just kind of makes everybody buddy-up. Everyone's friends outside of work."

This has such a huge cast. Did you get to interact with everybody?

Carter Jenkins: "No. I didn’t work with most of them - or even meet some of them. My storyline is with Emma Roberts and it kind of intersects with Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift. But other than that, those were the only actors in the movie that I worked with that you'd know."

And your specific storyline involves you and Emma Roberts trying to take your relationship to another level on Valentine's Day?

Carter Jenkins: "Yes, exactly. We were attempting to do the deed for the first time, lose our V cards to each other on Valentine’s Day."

Most of the roles you've done in the past are younger. Is it easy to make the transition to these more mature roles?

Carter Jenkins: "Yes, because I'm growing up as a person and so it's great that it happened this way, that the kind of roles that I'm getting are more mature. It’s good because I'm playing my age and I'm not like 25 playing 18 or something. I am 18 and this is a kind of subject that is very prevalent for a young man of my age, you know?"

Exactly. You put that very gently.

Carter Jenkins: [Laughing] "Yes, yes, yes. Very PC, you know."

It's great that you're allowed to grow up because so often actors get stuck playing younger.

Carter Jenkins: "Yes. I think that's good for me because I don't look really young; I think I look my age, so it makes it easier as an actor. I don't have to try to remember what it was like when I was 11 and have to play that."

When you watch the trailer and commercials, Valentine's Day looks like - not to use this term in a derogatory manner - a chick flick. Is this movie for guys too?

Carter Jenkins: "I would say yes, this movie is not just for women. I mean here's two reasons for...okay, three, here's four – I’ll give you five reason for guys to see this movie. Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Julia Roberts. Shirley MacLaine - there's a sixth one."

And what about your onscreen love interest?

Carter Jenkins: "Emma Roberts, Taylor Swift... The list goes on."

So now you're up to eight reasons.

Carter Jenkins: "Eight reasons, yes. 20 reasons to go see the movie. I saw the movie recently and guys will go see the movie with their women because they want to see it. But I don't think they’ll have a terrible time. I think they’ll enjoy it, I really do. They’ll be surprised. It’s a great date movie - it’s the ultimate date movie. It's the ultimate romantic comedy date movie and not just for women. Taylor Swift is in it."

A lot of the cast of Valentine's Day have said the appeal of the project was just to be working with Garry Marshall. Was that basically the case for you?

Carter Jenkins: "Yes. Well, obviously, it was a dream job. I was one of the last main actors to get cast and I had to pinch myself every day on the set. I felt like somebody made a mistake and I ended up with this role. But I'm very, very grateful and just thrilled to have done the job. But yes, to work with Garry was...he's a legend. I actually did a movie that his son directed a couple of years ago and Garry acted in it, so I kind of had a relationship with the Marshalls and I think that helped me get the role. I still had to audition; they still made me work for it. But yes, the fact that I had known them for a while, I think, helped. "

Page 2:Working with Garry Marshall and Hanging with Emma Roberts, Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner