15 Minutes with Raffey Cassidy and Thomas Robinson #TomorrowlandBloggers

15 Minutes with Raffey Cassidy and Thomas Robinson

Last week during my Tomorrowland press junket we had fifteen minutes to chat with two stars of the movie.  Raffey Cassidy who plays Athena and Thomas Robinson who plays young Frank.  The scene with Thomas and Raffey at the beginning of the movie at the World’s Fair made my kids want to see Tomorrowland in theaters.  When chatting with the pair we had to find out what was their favorite scene from the movie.  Thomas said he liked the ‘Blast From the Past’ scenes.

At the time of our interview both kids stated they were thirteen but the movie took some time to film. Thomas shared that he actually started filming two days before his eleventh birthday.  So he was actually ten when filming started and Raffey was eleven when the cameras started rolling.  It took Brad Bird about one and a half years to complete the movie.

During the film Young Frank and Athena develop a relationship when they are young, and Raffey and Thomas seem to also have a friendship as well.  They both agreed it was fun and cool to be on the set with each other.

Raffey currently live in England but she shared with us her hopes for moving to California, “the weather would be more reliable here than a lot of places,” said Raffey comparing it rainy weather where she currently lives.  I have to say I was quite impressed with her character Athena, before seeing the movie I didn’t realize how big her role was in the film.  Without Athena’s drive and determination who know’s what would have happened.

There’s a scene in the movie where Raffey is driving a car.  We asked her if she was actually driving and she said yes, she learned how to drive for the movie.  Before filming started they training for two months to learn stunts and action scenes.  Thomas actually completed twenty hours of indoor skydiving classes to prepare for one scene in the movie.  He was proud when he told us it was the equivalent of 15,000 skydives.

We wondered what the kids took home from the set and souvenirs, especially Thomas.  We asked did he have the jet pack at home.  He laughed and said no, it was very heavy.  The actual pack weighs in at 40 pounds and according to Thomas the so-called light version was 39 pounds.  He couldn’t stop smiling when telling us about those packs.  Raffey said she took home a few pieces of rubber glass from a scene she filmed with Britt Robertson.

Both actors shared their plans to continue their educations and attend college.  Raffey has plans to attend British University while Thomas aspires to be a chef and attend culinary school.  Both said they plan to continue acting.  One of the last things we asked both kids was what they wanted people to know about the film.  Thomas said that it’s a reminder to remain optimistic and reach for the stars.  Raffey’s responded saying hopefully it impresses people and encourage them to believe that one person can change the world.

About Tomorrowland

Dreamers Wanted…Disney invites you to an incredible world of epic imagination where anything is possible. Buckle your seat belt, as the director of The Incredibles takes your family on an action-packed thrill ride.

Join former boy genius Frank (George Clooney), optimistic, science-minded teen Casey (Britt Robertson), mysterious Athena (Raffey Cassidy) and the brilliant David Nix (Hugh Laurie) in a world of pure Disney imagination. Tomorrowland transports you on an inspiring and magical journey of wonder and adventure to a place where if you can dream it, you can do it.

Disney’s Tomorrowland will be released on Blu-ray combo pack, Digital HD, and Disney Movies Anywhere on October 13th.  Visit a Disney Store or online to pre-order.