Summer of ‘69’s Matt Cornett sits down with Wonderland to talk beginnings, growing up too fast, and his role in Jillian Bell’s risqué coming of age movie

For Jillian Bell’s directorial debut, the feature film Summer of ‘69 is somewhat of a double-edged sword, in other words, the film has absolutely no relation to Bryan Adam’s smash hit from 1985, and takes a slightly more on-the-nose approach to the film’s title. Instead of reminiscing on ‘the best days of my life’, whilst slamming some crunchy chords on the rhythm guitar Bryan Adams style, Bell takes us on a slightly more literal interpretation of the title. Abby Flores (Sam Morelos), the film’s part-loveable, part-awkward, protagonist, has it on good authority that her decade-long crush, Max (Matt Cornett), loves to 69, but Abby hasn’t had her first kiss yet, let alone make it past first base. Her solution? Enlist the help of a local pole dancer – Santa Monica, played by SNL’s Chloe Fineman – to help Abby perfect her, never tried nor tested, bedroom skills. 

It’s a film that has all of the right ingredients to make for a quick-witted, swoon-worthy, can-chat-whilst-watching, rom com. Matt Cornett – given his long-lasting reputation within coming-of-age classics – was just the man for the job, to take on Abby’s heartthrob love interest, as Max. Cornett, who began his career as Zach Barnes in Nickoloden’s Bella and the Bulldogs, had to grow up fast, acting in the limelight alongside full-grown adults. He was quickly swept up, and landed headfirst in Disney+’s world of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, playing E.J, where he rubbed shoulders with Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett. It’s fair to say that, when it comes to a teen drama, Matt Cornett’s up for the challenge.

Sitting down with Wonderland, the rising star tells all on his role of Max, his thrilling breakout role as ‘flying monkey king’ in his high-school’s play of The Wizard of Oz, and all that’s in store for the American actor.

Hi Matt, thanks for chatting with us today. How are you doing? What’s been keeping you busy recently?

Thanks for having me, I’m doing so well! Thrilled to be talking about this movie and for the world to see it. The biggest thing that has been keeping me busy is anything and everything involving the release of Summer of ‘69! From press and premieres, to shoots and podcasts, all to build some excitement for this film. And of course, plenty of golf and pickleball in the middle of all that. 

Firstly, huge congratulations on Summer of ‘69! Being that the film is set in High School, let’s delve into your beginnings, what was your route into acting like?

I did theatre in school growing up and really fell in love with acting immediately. I played the flying monkey king in our school’s production of the Wizard of Oz. Playing a role so incredibly riveting, like that of a flying monkey king, really took so much hard work and research that made me love the craft. Haha but no, I really did love doing theatre and eventually had a conversation with my parents about wanting to fly out to LA to attend an acting convention and give it a shot for real.12 years later, here we are! 

Growing up, did you have any heroes or heroines that inspired you to pursue a career in acting?

Yeah, one of my favorite movies when I first started falling in love with acting was Avatar by James Cameron. Anything and everything James has done has inspired me in so many ways. Because of Avatar, Sam Worthington was my favorite actor growing up. I remember spending hours just watching different scenes of Sam playing ‘Jake Sully’ in that movie and trying to memorize the whole scene and act it out alongside the TV in my living room. 

You’ve had a really successful start to your career, with your roles in Nickelodeon’s Bella and the Bulldogs, and Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Were there any challenges in navigating a professional career as a young adult?

I think the hardest part about navigating this career as a kid is the way that you’re almost forced to grow up very quickly. You are thrown into an environment where 10 year olds are working alongside 65 year olds. You are forced to grow and have this ‘professional’ demeanor about yourself. It definitely is hard to still be a kid at times and not feel like you’re 45 and smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day. But I was very lucky and had a great group of people surrounding me that allowed me to still live a full kid and enjoy my childhood. 

Can you give us a quick overview of the Summer of ‘69’s plot? What can audiences expect for when it hits the big screens?

I think the biggest thing that I hope people take away from this film is the story of two people just figuring out life. I think we all get stuck in a place where we want to have it all figured out, and especially as we get older, feel like if we don’t have it all figured out then we are doing something wrong. But in reality, everyone has their own pace in this game of life, and no two paths are going to look the same. So, embrace who you are and where you are in your journey – no matter where you’re at. We only get one shot at life, and we should always be trying to make the most positivity out of it as we can. 

Tell us about your character, Max, and his part inSummer of ’69. What were your initial feelings after reading the script? What excited you about your role?

Max is the boy of Abby’s dreams at school. A boy who is rumoured to have a certain favorite sex position, making Abby feel like she needs to learn how to become sexy to get the guy of her dreams. I was so, so excited when I read this script. I was immediately laughing almost to the point of tears. It is so incredibly funny and heartfelt at the same time. It will put you through a rollercoaster of emotions. And then there’s Jillian Bell – I’ve always been a big fan of hers and getting to work with her was an absolute dream. 

The film is sort of like a chaotic embrace of the awkward stage of teenagehood, were there any real-life experiences that you pulled from to get into the role? How did you prepare for your part?

I think the real-life areas I may have pulled from came from remembering that first really strong crush I had in school. The one that I was nervous to be around, still tried to play cool around, and just so badly wanted nothing more to be around them. The biggest part of preparation was just sitting down with Sam and Jillian and really just figuring out the level of what Max and Abby’s relationship looks like throughout the film. 

Tell us a bit about your days on set. Any favourite memories?

Days on set were always so incredibly fun. So much so that I’m pretty sure I came in to set just to hangout on every single one of my days off. The cast, crew, and whole team behind this movie were all such a massive joy to work with, and they made the entire process an absolute dream. I definitely think one of my favorite days was the opening fantasy sequence. That day was so hectic in all of the best ways. All the way down to me learning to do a backflip for this sequence, haha. 

This also marks Jillian Bell’s directorial feature film debut, how did it feel to be a part of a big first for her, was the filming process any different, as you all figured out your roles within the production together?

I think immediately we all knew that this was going to be something special. Not only because of the people involved, but also because Jillian is such a brilliant mind and an even more brilliant soul. She set the tone on set from day 1, and filled everyone’s days with smiles and so much love. I feel so incredibly lucky to be a part of her first time directing (you’d never know it’s her first time because she absolutely knocked it out of the park). I would jump through HOOPS to work with Jillian time and time and time again. 

And finally, what’s next in store for you? Where would you like to take your career next?

I think there are so many different avenues I’d love to explore right now. I’m not necessarily setting my sights on any one thing. I think I’m always so open to any door that may open, peek into, and check out what kind of projects and opportunities may present themselves. I am very excited to eventually do something with a bit more action sequences involved with some kind of extensive training. I don’t know what yet, but we will figure it out! 

Words – Freya Goodchild-Bridge