Posted in: Disney, Movies | Tagged: better nate than ever, disney, movies

Better Nate Than Ever: Tim Federle On What Real Memory is in the Film

When it comes to writing, a writer usually leaves a little piece of themselves behind in the work. Whether that is a small thing like having a character react to a situation the way you reacted to a situation to a memory from your life ending up in the book or script. When it comes to Better Nate Than Ever, director and writer Tim Federle admits that the latest Disney+ original is "pretty autobiographical."

"You know, I was the last kid chosen for dodgeball every week in Pittsburgh throughout most of the '90s," Federle said during the Better Than Nate virtual press conference. "And one of the amazing things about being a writer and a director is you get to take all of the setbacks and turn them into plot points. And not everybody gets that gift. But when I pitched the movie to Disney, I sort of said it's like Billy Elliot meets Ferris Bueller. And I really wanted to create a family movie night that had a little something for everyone, one of those sort of classic coming-of-age stories. And as a kid with big dreams, whether your dream is Broadway or to be a chess champion or go to the Olympics, I think many people can relate to the idea of feeling different and wanting to find their people. And I was really proud of how it all came together."

Federle was asked what specific memory from his childhood made it into Better Than Nate, and he explained how he used to take the bus from Pittsburgh to New York City.

"Well, I used to take the bus when I was a teenager from Pittsburgh," he explained. "I would take a Greyhound bus after school at night. I don't know why my parents let me do this. And I would take the bus, and then I would go to an audition the next morning. So, I'd take the bus, a 10-hour bus trip. I'd walk to the audition. I auditioned for Radio City. I got cut, and I walked right back to Port Authority and took the bus home, and it was the dream because I was never happier than when I was making, like, a dollar a week because I was surrounded by like-minded people. And that means so much more than the vanity metrics of follows and comments and likes and money, and it's not about any of that. It's about coming together with a group of people of like-minded souls to make something, and I think I had that dream from the time I was a teenager crashing auditions, unsuccessfully, by the way."

It's not very often that you hear someone say they have good memories about the Port Authority Bus Terminal, but there had to be someone in the world that did.

Summary: In Disney's comedy adventure Better Nate Than Ever, 13-year-old Nate Foster has big Broadway dreams. There's only one problem — he can't even land a part in the school play. But when his parents leave town, Nate and his best friend Libby sneak off to the Big Apple for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove everyone wrong. A chance encounter with Nate's long-lost Aunt Heidi turns his journey upside-down, and together they must learn that life's greatest adventures are only as big as your dreams. Based on the award-winning novel.

Better Nate Than Ever, directed by Tim Federle (High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special), stars Aria Brooks (All That), Joshua Bassett (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), Michelle Federer (New Amsterdam), introducing Rueby Wood, with Norbert Leo Butz (Fosse/Verdon) and Lisa Kudrow (Friends). It will be released on Disney+ on April 1st.

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