Sidelined: The QB and Me hit Tubi last weekend, bringing with it a host of actors with a wide range of experiences. Before the film’s release, we chatted with director Justin Wu to learn all about working with this special cast and his favorite experiences on set.
Sidelined: The QB and Me is based on the Wattpad YA novel “The QB Bad Boy and Me” and follows high school quarterback heartthrob Drayton, played by Noah Beck, and Dallas, a headstrong dancer, played by Siena Agudong, as they fight their feelings for eachother as a grad future threatens to keep them apart. Drew Ray Tanner plays Dallas’s older brother and Drayton’s football coach Nathan and Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek plays Drayton’s dad.
Justin is an award-winning Toronto-based director and photographer. His directorial TV debut was on the hit Netflix sitcom Kim’s Convenience and Sidelined: The QB and Me marked his first studio feature!
This cast featured actors with a wide range of acting experience, especially the two leads. This film marked Noah’s debut lead role, while Siena has been in the entertainment world since she was five years old. Justin said Noah loved to learn on set and was committed and dedicated to the craft of playing Drayton. His charisma from TikTok also shone through, and it helped to have Siena beside him because she’s a pro and brought a wealth of expertise.
”Noah naturally has so much charisma, we all know him from TikTok already and he is energetic and friendly.”
“Siena brings a wealth of experience and expertise.”
Despite the range of experience, Justin said their chemistry on screen is so special and we totally agree.
“The chemistry both [Siena and Noah] brought was so vibrant and just jumped off the screen.”
It also helped that Noah’s on-screen dad was James Van Der Beek, who has been acting for decades. Justin said everyone on set brought different strengths to the table and he himself also learned a lot from James and gave him freedom to do what he wanted with his character. Talk about an amazing first movie dad!
“You just have to lean on every [actor’s] strengths.”
The movie was filmed in Victoria, British Columbia, and Justin said it felt like a summer camp where the cast and crew were always hanging out and exploring and that contributed to the special chemistry and connection felt in the film.
“I was just so moved about how we as a cast and crew bonded together.”
Thank you, Justin, for chatting with Young Entertainment! Make sure to follow him on his Instagram at @justinwu. Watch the rest of the interview where we ask him more about working with this cast and directing the more intimate scenes. While you’re there, be sure to like and subscribe to our channel for the latest news in young entertainment.
Consider this:
- If you are directing a project, have open conversations with your actors everyday. Make sure they are comfortable and be open minded to their ideas.
- Lean on everyone’s varying levels of experiences and find and use people’s strengths with anything you do.
