Autumn Reeser ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Hugh Tull
Autumn Reeser’s Junebug character, Juniper, loves the movie Say Anything — but the actress wasn’t that familiar with the ‘80s classic.
“Weirdly enough, I actually had not seen it until I was preparing for this [Hallmark] movie,” Reeser, 43, exclusively told Us Weekly of her connection to the rom-com. “I just thought I had because the boombox scene is so iconic. I assumed that I had seen it at some point in my childhood or teen years. So I started watching it with my kids and realized I have never seen this movie!”
Reeser noted that the choice to pay homage to Say Anything, which starred John Cusack and Ione Skye, was due to writer Summer Isreal Johnson’s love of the film. “That was her personal touch,” she said.
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In Hallmark’s Junebug, which premieres on Saturday, August 3, Juniper (Reeser) is at a crossroads as she approaches her 40th birthday. When her parents bring her childhood wish box over, Juniper is magically reconnected with the 8-year-old version of herself (called Junebug and played by Mila Jones) — who is not happy that the adult version of herself gave up her dream to write her own books.
Say Anything, on the other hand, came out in 1989 and followed Lloyd Dobler (Cusack) on his quest to make the high school valedictorian, Diane Court (Skye), fall in love with him before they go away to college.
While the movies aren’t the same, Reeser’s Juniper is on a similar journey to find herself and along the way maybe the right romance.
John Cusack in 1989’s “Say Anything.” Cover Images
During an early scene in Junebug, Juniper learns that her boyfriend plans to give her a pen for her birthday … minutes before he cuts the date short without any dessert.
“I gave you my heart and you gave me a pen,” Juniper says in response, giving a nod to the memorable quote from her “favorite movie” Say Anything.
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Elsewhere in the Hallmark film, Juniper wonders why she doesn’t have a “guy in my life holding up a boombox to serenade me” like Lloyd does in the rom-com.
Like Lloyd before her, Juniper attempts the romantic gesture in one of the pivotal scenes in Junebug — and according to Reeser it’s not as easy as it looks.
“The first time I tried it, the two end pieces of it fell off,” Reeser told Us of lifting the boombox over her head on set. “I almost broke our key prop. I’m sorry! They had to hot glue the boombox together because the end pieces apparently come off and turn into speakers.”
Autumn Reeser and Aaron O’Connell ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Hugh Tull
The O.C. alum revealed that she had no clue the end of the boombox could move. “Apparently, I’d never had a boombox in my life,” she teased, admitting she learned about the removable speakers only after “it fell apart in my hands!”
In addition to the nostalgia for Say Anything, Reeser recalled having a great time filming the throwback scenes as she was interacting with her 8-year-old self.
“There are a lot of scenes with Raspberry Swirl ice cream, and I did not hate that,” she said, referring to her kid self’s love of the flavor. “That was a fully enjoyable childhood moment every time that happened. And some of them, I don’t even think ended up on the screen.”
One scene that did make the cut was the rosé float debacle, which Reeser described as “eating the Raspberry Swirl ice cream in rosé” wine. “That was quite an experience,” she said with a laugh.
Autumn Reeser and Aaron O’Connell ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Hugh Tull
While Junebug is very silly at times, Reeser is hoping viewers take home a more meaningful message of loving oneself after watching.
“One of the reasons I was passionate about this story is the deeper concept of healing the inner child,” she said. “That’s the type of work that really can lead to a lot of emotional freedom and liberation when you’re willing to do that type of work to go in and bring more love to these earlier parts of yourself. And that’s really echoed in the story.”
Reeser, who is also an executive producer on the project, added: “It’s so exciting because I was there from the ground up. I feel really proud of what we all created together is very much a collaboration, and that’s my favorite way to work.”
Junebug premieres on Hallmark Channel Saturday, August 3, at 8 p.m. ET.