Sofia Carson & Nicholas Galitzine Open Up about ‘Purple Heart’

Looking for a romantic movie to binge-watch this weekend then look no further than Netflix’s ‘Purple Hearts’. Inspired by the 2017 book of the same name, the film tells the story of Cassie (Sofia Carson) a struggling musician with health issues who agrees to a marriage of convenience with a soon-to-be deployed marine named Luke (Nicholas Galitzine).

Things take a turn for the couple as tragedy strikes and their fake relationship becomes very real, very quickly. Sofia Carson and Nicholas  Galitzine sat down to chat with Dave Morales about the driving force behind the film, the love story.

Purple Hearts, Credit Netflix

Fools Rush In

Love can come fast but filming love on a movie set can come even faster as Carson explains what it was like meeting her costar Galitzine.

“We met the day before we started filming, we met officially first through zoom when we were in the casting process. I knew instantly that he was Luke. A couple of months later we met literally the night before,” said Carson.

She added, “We would joke because on our first day on set we got married, the second day we professed our love for each other,  then he got shipped off to war, and then by the end of the week our characters made love. so we had one week to really get to know each other.”

Getting It Right

Portraying a member of the military Nicholas Galitzine explains his thoughts and approach to the role.    “I think we often think of members of the military who serve as these two-dimensional characters in a way,” noted Galitzine.

“We understand that they serve our countries, they want to protect the nations that we are from. But we don’t often texture them with the many difficulties that they have to go through.”

Purple Hearts, Credit: Netflix

In the film, Luke is wounded while on active duty, Galitzine expresses sympathy for the difficulties service members experience.

“These are very textured human beings that are incredibly brave to go off and put your body and life on the line for the people you love. It’s something that we can’t ever fully appreciate but you can try to empathize…” commented Galitzine.

Trying to honor members of the military by getting everything as accurate as possible. Galitzine tells Morales how he had someone checking his every move.

“I love the specificity of every little detail, the buttons all have to face the exact right way. When my salute was just a tiny bit off, James Dever our military correspondent was quick to shout across the set and tell me to do it right. It was very educational but I had a lot of fun,” joked Galitzine.

Singing Her Heart Out

Contributing to the soundtrack of the film Carson expressed what it was like being part of the process. “This project allowed me to do everything that I love to such a beautiful and grand level. Being part of writing the soundtrack for this film was a joy and an incredible and emotional journey,” said Carson.

“While we were shooting, I headlined two shows as Sophia Carson in San Diego. I would run backstage, change into Cassie, come out and perform as Cassie so we could capture it for the film.”

She added, “My favorite part was a challenge as a songwriter to not write songs for yourself or from your point of view but from someone else’s. To dive into Cassie’s heart, to tell her story, and tell Cassie and Luke’s story was beautiful. I hope people love the music as much as we loved making it.”

‘Purple Hearts’ starring Sofia Carson and Nicholas Galitzine streams on July 29, 2022, on Netflix. 

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