After being gone for a decade a country star returns home to the love he left behind.
Навсегда моя девушка (2018) Online
In Saint Augustine, Louisiana, Josie is left at the altar by her fiance Liam. Eight years later, Liam is a successful country singer. The day after a concert in New Orleans, Liam learns that Mason, one of his groomsmen from the wedding, has been killed in a car accident. Liam returns to St. Augustine and attends Mason's funeral. Although Liam attempts to be discreet, Josie recognizes him. After Mason's burial, Josie approaches Liam and punches him in the stomach. Liam stays with his father, Pastor Brian, although his father is bitter that Liam never kept in contact after becoming famous..
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
 | Alex Roe | - | Liam |
 | Jessica Rothe | - | Josie |
 | Abby Ryder Fortson | - | Billy |
 | Travis Tritt | - | Walt |
 | Peter Cambor | - | Sam |
 | Gillian Vigman | - | Doris |
 | Judith Hoag | - | Dr. Whitman |
 | Tyler Riggs | - | Jake (as Stephen T. Riggs) |
 | John Benjamin Hickey | - | Pastor Brian |
 | Morgan Alexandria | - | Kiera |
 | Lauren Gros | - | Laura |
 | Terayle Hill | - | Mason |
 | James Rackley | - | Johnny |
| Divina Cook | - | Mrs. Boudreaux |
 | Jason Davis | - | Mr. Guillory |
Wolf has said that she discovered singer/songwriter, Jackson Odell, literally in her own back yard. She has said that Odell is one of her son's close friends, and that Odell was singing and playing "Smokin & Cryin" in her back yard one night 3 years before filming commenced, when she was still in development on the film. Wolf recalls that she went into the back yard and asked Odell if she could call his parents in the morning because she wanted to put the song into a movie that she was working on. Odell was 17-years-old at the time. That song is featured in the film with Roe singing it on stage in a concert scene that takes place in London. Odell went on to co-write many of the songs in the film with music producer and songwriter, Brett Boyett: "Don't Water Down My Whiskey", "Enough", "Wings of an Angel", and "Finally Home".
The book author, Heidi McLaughlin, is an extra in a scene as a funeral attendee in the movie.
In the book, written by Heidi McLaughlin, Liam is part of a band called 4225 West. In the movie he is a solo act.
Wolf took her lead actor Roe to CMA fest in Nashville 5 months before filming. He had never been to Nashville, and she wanted him to have the opportunity to experience and immerse himself into the true country music scene up close and personal. She also arranged for the two of them to be backstage for the last night's lineup with her friends, Little Big Town, for Roe to experience what it feels like to be a real country star, to experience their time on their bus before the show, backstage, and then what it feels like to perform live to 60,000 fans. Included in that backstage experience and performing in that night's lineup at Nissan Stadium: Thomas Rhett, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, and Luke Bryan. Wolf and Roe walked just a couple of feet behind each of those performers as each took the stage to perform. Both Roe and Wolf have said that it was an exhilarating, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Actress Abby Ryder Fortson who plays Billy in the film, would sometimes bring a geode to set. For fun, she and the screenwriter/director Wolf would crack it open after the day's wrap in the back yard location of wherever they were shooting, and then they would bury some of the crystals from the geode in that yard together.
Roe prepped to play Liam Page as a singer, musician, and performer for 5 months before shooting commenced with music producer Boyett and screenwriter/director Wolf. He went through rigorous singing rehearsals, performed on stage in jam sessions with a live band each week in private rehearsal spaces, and then recorded in Nashville. Wolf and Roe felt that it was a pivotal part of his prep to be able to fully embody country star Liam Page. Wolf wanted Roe to not only be a great singer and musician, which she says that he is, but she wanted him to also truly feel as though he could command a stage as a country star performing to 20,000 fans. Wolf felt that performing on stage with a live band each week in jam sessions leading up to production was an important part of his process to prep for the role.
The film shot in Georgia in August in 110-115 degree heat with a 24-day shooting schedule, sometimes shutting down production at times for lightning storms. Because of its short shooting schedule, modest budget, ambitious set pieces, occasional lightning storms, and in intense heat, with crew and cast moving at warp speed to shoot 154 scenes, Wolf storyboarded the entire film herself in moving visuals scene-by-scene, shot-by-shot instead of traditional still storyboards. She explains that she does this for every film that she has ever done; that it is part of her process to give a tactile, moving visual for all departments to see so that they all have a common language to work from as a template. She explains that she developed this as part of her creative process early on in her career as an indie filmmaker.
The hat that Roe is wearing in the scene when he is on stage in London, singing the song, "Smokin & Cryin" he is wearing the director's favorite baseball cap. A few seconds before shooting, Wolf decided that the hat he had on for the scene wasn't quite right, and she threw her own baseball cap on him instead.
Wolf developed all of the original songs in the film with Brett Boyett and Jackson Odell two years before shooting commenced. She worked with them on spec without telling anyone else what she was doing, then as a surprise, she brought all of the songs with a live band into a development meeting with the production company, and the band played all of the songs for the film in their conference room with Wolf setting up each song and where it would go in the film. All went well. The film, which had already been greenlit at the time but did not have a start date for production, then had a start date after that meeting. Brett Boyett was hired as Wolf's music producer, and all of those same songs are in the film. Wolf said that she did it that way because it is very hard to pitch an audible visual and that she knew how important the country music would be for this particular film. She felt that the music was equally as important as the film, and that she wanted to develop both as she went through preproduction, production, and post. She felt it was something that the production company needed to see/hear rather than Wolf trying to explain in mere words how vital she felt that it was; she wanted to show them and not just tell them. She didn't tell anyone because she new that it was an unconventional, bold thing that she was planning to do, but that she felt in her soul that it was going to all land the right way and be an empowering, transformative experience.
Jessica Rothe's final call back was on her birthday on a Saturday at Wolf's house with Wolf and her casting director, Jeanie Bacharach. Rothe was on a TV show at the time, and that was the only day that she had free for her call back. Wolf adored working with Rothe and her work in that audition so much that Wolf wanted to tell her right then that she had the part, but she couldn't; she had to wait until the whole team had seen her audition and shared their thoughts. Instead, Wolf slipped a rose quartz into Rothe's jean pocket, and said that she was giving her something auspicious for her birthday, for health, love, and prosperity. That Monday, everyone at the production company loved Rothe's audition as well when they saw it, and Rothe found out that she had the part that same day.
An early screening was given to the University of Mary Hardin Baylor.
Very loosely based on the novel by the same title
The novel is set in Beaumont, Texas, yet the movie takes place in a small town in Louisiana informally known as Saint.
In the book Josie and Liam have a son named Noah but in the movie they have a daughter named Billy.
In the book Liam's manager is named Sam like the movie, however she is a female who becomes obsessed with Liam.
Wolf passionately and vehemently wanted Travis Tritt to play a cameo role in the film and sing an original song in it as well. Wolf felt that he is one of the greatest country stars of all time, a living legend, and she wanted to pay homage to that style of country music in the film, so she called and emailed his team for 3 consecutive months before filming commenced. When the news reached Tritt, he accepted the role of Walt and the song. He sings the original song, "Slowin' Down" written by Brett Boyett and Paul Overstreet in the film and on its soundtrack.
Wolf and costume designer, Eulyn Hufkie, started creating the visual concept for the gown that Josie wears for her romantic date night with Liam 5 months before filming commenced. Wolf had already had a visual for the dress from the moment she had written the scene, and she and Euyln collaborated on the dress from their very first meeting. Eulyn designed the gorgeous gown, tailor-made for lead actress Jessica Rothe. Hufkie and her costume department then hand-beaded that gown, every single bead and jewel on it, day and night, for 2 consecutive months before filming commenced.
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