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August 2009
BRING IT ON: FIGHT TO THE FINISH
| An Interview with Christina Milian

BRING IT ON: FIGHT TO THE FINISH
An Interview with Christina Milian
By Wilson Morales


August 31, 2009





After Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku and Gabrielle Union did the first 'Bring it On' back in 2000, few suspected it would develop into a successful franchise with four straight-to-DVD sequels. Now comes the fifth installment, 'Bring it On: Fight to the Finish,' starring Christina Milian in the lead role.
Directed by Bille Woodruff ('Honey,' 'Beauty Shop'), the movie features Milian as Los Angeles cheer squad captain Lina Cruz, who with her best friends, Gloria (Vanessa Born) and Treyvonetta (Gabrielle Dennis), have high hopes of winning the Spirit

Championships based on the team's fiery fusion of Latin and hip-hop moves. Instead, Lina's world is turned upside down when her mother remarries and her family relocates to Malibu, where she is forced to adjust to a new home, a new stepsister (Holland Roden) and a new school with a less-than-stellar cheer squad.

Always ready for a challenge, Lina takes on the daunting task on transforming the Malibu Vista High Sea Lions cheer squad into a championship team, but she will have to get past the award-winning Jaguar team and its captain, Avery (Rachele Smith). Lina's budding romance with Avery's brother, Evan (Cody Longo), only intensifies the rivalry. With the stakes higher than ever, Lina devises a bold plan that could blow the Jaguars right off of the competition floor and lead the Sea Lions to victory.

Milian, who recently became engage to rap artist Dream, talked to Blackfilm.com about her role in the film, using her Spanish language on screen and her upcoming album.



What was the attraction to being part of this franchise?

Christina Milian: I am a fan. I have all the DVDs, and I've watched the reruns over and over again on TV. It's not something that came out of nowhere. I wasn't thinking about doing this because it's the cool thing to do. Knowing that it's the fifth installment actually makes you a bit nervous.There are fans and people who are consistently buying 'Bring it On' movies. What also attracted me to this is that my fan base tends to be females and girls, and I would like to be a good representative who inspires them. With characters like Lina, she goes through an arc where a lot of people will try to bring her down, but she's confident in herself. There aren't a lot of films these days that sort of inspire that. I felt this film was positive. I have two younger sisters, and I've been their role model. I'm not perfect, and by doing a 'Bring it On' movie, I hope that it continues that legacy of upward mobility for young females.


What did you want to do with your character that fans hadn't seen in the other films?

CM: I wanted her to have spice. The other lead characters in the previous four films were square, but the things that they were doing were different from Lina, because my character was dealing with certain prejudice, and she's fighting that. I think she's feisty. She knows what she wants. If you find something that you have love for and have passion for, why not be your best at it?

 




Were you a cheerleader in school?

CM: I wanted to be. I was getting ready to audition and everything. I was learning my round offs for a whole summer. I was told I had
to learn that and other stuff for the audition, and I had to make a choice between being a cheerleader in school or going off and starting my career in acting and singing. I chose the latter.


Although it's well known that you are of Cuban descent, is this the first time you've spoken Spanish on screen?

CM: Yes. This is the first time I've used my Spanish language on film. It's also the first time I've played a Latina character. In most of my films, my ethnicity isn't a factor. In 'Love Don't Cost a Thing,' my character had only her mom. We don't know where her dad is. There wasn't an emphasis on my culture, except for in this film. It was nice because I have a lot of people and fans, especially Latinas who always ask, "When are you going to play a Spanish role or sing a Spanish song?" This was my opportunity to do that and represent them.


 

How was it working with director Bille Woodruff?

CM: We worked together once before on a video, but this was also amazing. It was everything I expected as far as what the movie ended up looking like. Working with him was a lot of fun, too. We had that one-on-one relationship already. It was important for us. We needed a project to work together on, and this was perfect. Not only is he great at shooting choreography but he knows how to make the lighting work for you. It's almost like watching a big music video, where the colors pop to your eyes. It's the movie experience. With movies that go straight to DVD, the quality is different, but this film is definitely up to par with theatrical releases. He was inspirational to all of us, and even when the stress was happening, he was like, "We only have three shots, and the day is about to be over." But he was calm about it.


How was working with the rest of the cast?

CM: The cast was awesome. I literally felt like I was in high school. What's funny was that some of the cast were still in high school or had just graduated from there, and somehow when you are surrounded by that atmosphere, you become a kid again. We had a lot of fun, and there were no attitudes. Everyone was cool.


Did you stress yourself over the cheerleading work?

CM: Oh yeah. Tony G, who was the choreographer, was like a real cheerleading coach. You have to get it right, and you have to do it clean. There was never a moment during rehearsals where the work seemed easy. I had to learn 20 routines for the movie and had a month to learn it, which was five days a week, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. There were long days, but it was well worth it. To learn so much, my memory was frazzled.


Do you have a song on the soundtrack?

CM: Yes. I have a song on the soundtrack. They asked for it and, of course, I was able to provide. It's called 'Gotta Get to You,' and it's at the end of the movie. We shot a music video for it. It was a lot of fun to actually shoot something specifically for the movie.


What's next?

CM: After this I have a new album coming out. It's been finished, but I just finished my deal with Interscope Records. Now, we are just trying to get the stars to align and get everyone on the same page as far as picking the right single. I would like to put out two singles at least. Nowadays, you have to inspire people to go out and buy an album.


Is there a theme to the album?

CM: The theme has a lot to do with what's going on in my life, just being a female and growing into a woman. Every song has a topic that expresses true emotions. I also have hot, fun records that are great for the club. It's a fun album.


How do you balance life between music and films?

CM: I do it with a great team of people who help me sort my schedule. Usually when I do a film, I don't work on music, because when you are doing a film, you become the character, so it's hard to come out of that element and go into a studio and be back to yourself and write a song all of a sudden. You're also tired. The hours you put into making a movie are long.


What keeps you grounded?

CM: I love photography. That's one of my hobbies that I do in between time, as well as traveling, and I've taken up golf. That's really soothing and relaxing to do, except if you're not playing well.
What do you think will entice people to go and get this fifth film of the franchise?
CM: Well, I think the love of all the 'Bring it On' films. And the comedy, the music and the choreography represent it in every way.










 

 


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