Prince Harry Interviewed Barack Obama and the Teaser Will Make You LOL

Falling For "Música"

Like any good rom-com, Música features a memorable meet cute — and it's just as unique as the rest of the movie. It's love at first sight when Rudy sees Camila's character Isabella in their local fish market...then accidentally gets hit in the head with a fish. Thankfully, it doesn't stop Rudy and Isabella from getting to know each other, and the duo spends an afternoon in the park talking about music, family, and their futures. As someone who feels personally victimized by online dating, I have to ask Camila Mendes and Rudy Mancuso's best advice for pursuing a crush in the real world.

"The truth is that the characters themselves, Isabella and [Rudy's other love interest] Haley, yes they are based on kind of culminations of experiences and people, but more than anything, they're also symbolic and representative of two very different directions Rudy could feasibly take," Rudy tells me. "And ultimately [he has] to make that decision for himself. So where Haley might represent a safer route, you know, Isabella kind of introduces this adventurous spirit and also encourages Rudy to stay true to who he is. So I guess my advice for people would be to ultimately try and find their own path, but support yourself with others who encourage you to be you."

Camila Mendes & Rudy Mancuso's Chemistry Is More Than Movie Magic

After I bring up the scene in the park, the co-stars (who are a couple IRL!!!), reveal to me it was the first scene they shot together. "That's when it really felt like the chemistry was alive," Camila says. ("That was day one. Ambitious first day," Rudy adds).

And you can totally feel their chemistry as a viewer — the actors have an electricity between them, yet you can tell they're incredibly comfortable around each other. I never would have guessed it was their first scene!

"Getting to do that with him on the first day really set the tone for the project," Camila continues. "I got a taste of what he was like as a director, and while he was directing, he'd come back and talk to me for a bit and we'd have our little chemistry and then he would go back to filming."

The actress admits it's been "very effortless" to balance working together, playing their characters, and getting to know each other in real life. "I think it just kind of weaved into our lives very naturally," she adds.

"We spent a great deal of time developing together," Rudy says. "Cami, as co-star and co-producer, was [really involved] in the evolution of the script and the role and the characters and the themes. So as we developed, we got closer and the lines began to blur between Rudy and Isabella, and Rudy and Camila."

For Rudy Mancuso, "Música" Was A Family Affair

The lines also began to blur for Rudy in a whole new way because his mom also played a role in the movie! When I ask about filming scenes with her, Rudy immediately pulls out his phone. "That's so funny — you're saying that and I have three missed calls from my mom right now," he says. "It's dangerously authentic, this film. I mean, Cami can attest to just how how viciously real these these moments...and the dynamic between my mother and I [were]."

"A lot of it for her was improv-ed," Camila adds. "Obviously [she'd] stick to the general script, but Rudy really would let her kind of run with her own interpretations of things and give her own spin on every line. So it really is authentically your mom."

"That's one of the most fun parts of shooting this," Rudy continues. "I mean, I'm not as qualified and trained as an actor as Cami, but as an actor on this film, as I said, the lines are always blurred. I mean, we'd set up multiple cameras and just talk."

Camila Mendes Dishes On The Future

While Rudy Mancuso and Camila Mendes are laser focused on getting Música into the world, Camila says she'd love to work with Brazilian actress Bruna Marquezine in the future ("We've been Instagram friends for a while and I feel like that would be a great person to collaborate with one day"), but she also wants to make a movie that impacts others' lives the way two of her favorite movies impacted her own.

"Requiem For A Dream traumatized me when I was younger, but in a way that was like, 'Wow, like I wanna make movies like that one day,'" she says. "And then I think in a [positive way], I remember being so enamored with [Moulin Rouge] when I was younger. That movie felt so magical to me."

"One of the first films I've ever seen was Central Station, Central do Brasil. It's a Brazilian film and my mom showed it to me probably a little younger than I should have seen it," Rudy admits. "It made me want to make films and it made me want to compose music for films. Because the score was just as beautiful as the filmmaking execution."

"I'm obsessed with film compositions and film composers," Rudy continues, and we bond over our love for film scores. "Everything from going for a run to listening to music on a trip or a plane — it's usually film scores. But, I'm all over the place. [Camila] has introduced me to more music than probably anybody I've ever met."

"I'm like, 'You ever heard of Ice Spice?'" Camila jokes. "Honestly, I'm listening to the new Ariana Grande album because it just came out and I've been going through it, picking my favorites. [I] listen to a lot of Kali Uchis...when I want to be in a good mood."

I can wholeheartedly say that movie fans will want to add Música to their watchlist when *they* need to get in a good mood, too. The spring flick is everything romantic movie lovers could want — and it might just make you look at the world in a whole new way.

B+C: You set "Baby X" in a world that's moved past the pandemic and influencer age. What about these things stood out to you and serve as inspiration for the book? 

Kira Peikoff: It's backstory in my book starts about 30 years from our present day so some of my characters were kids in today's world who were growing up amidst the chaos of the pandemic and our politics. This moment in time culturally shaped my characters because they are probably more prone to rebel against the status quo, cultural norms, and conventions that that pandemic has thrown into disarray.

B+C: When you were writing "Baby X," did you know that you wanted to have chapters where the characters gave their own POVs?

Kira Peikoff: I'm someone who extensively plots my work before I even write the first page and in this case, I think I spend about two to three months just thinking about the characters and what kind of stories they were in the middle of in their own lives. Basically I knew exactly what the answers were by the time I sat down writing .

B+C: We're in this digital world where we're seeing the shuttering of publications that have been around for a long time and we have a character who's excited to have this opportunity to work somewhere that reminds her of the traditional way of writing. Do you feel like her feelings were displaced when she meets someone else who has a similar opportunity?

Kira Peikoff: Yeah, I think her feelings of insecurity are warranted even though she has a lot to offer. I tried to show that she was very motivated, hardworking, and bright, and has gotten herself into an amazing fellowship at a very prestigious outlet that's a combination of The New Yorker and Wired. They cover highbrow topics from a technological perspective.

So, this character gets this fellowship and she's paired with another postgraduate fellow who was a selected embryo and this other fellow is extremely talented in ways that makes her feel inadequate. Over time, this character learns that your predispositions are what you make of them.

Your own energy, drive, passions, creativity, and what you bring to the table matters more than your scores as an embryo. That's the message I really want to get out there and hopefully comes across by the end of the book.

B+C: We're living in unprecedented times where things like IVF are now in limbo because of recent rulings and there's a little fear that this choice can be taken away from parents. If given the chance, do you think parents would choose their children's genetics in the future? 

Kira Peikoff: I think there's a lot going on to unpack. These types of politics that we're seeing in Alabama and other states absolutely jeopardize and imperil the technologies that could actually help parents in the future to have healthier children or have more freedom in terms of who can procreate. The technology in my book has already been shown to work in mice.

But, it would absolutely be impossible if the prevailing politics take over. That's certainly an issue to be wary about. However, I think there will be a demand for parents to select embryos with certain genetics. We already see the competitive impulses parents have on getting their kids into good colleges.

B+C: Women are often told their biological clock is ticking, but that language is nonexistent in "Baby X." Was that intentional? 

Kira Peikoff: Absolutely. I think part of the huge benefits of the technology — and of course there's risk associated with it — are that age doesn't matter anymore and you don't have to rely on your supply of eggs that you were born with as an infant. [In the book] all you have to do to reproduce is to give a swab of your cells and a lab would turn your cells from inside of your cheek into eggs or sperm.

You still have to carry the baby yourself or have a surrogate, but hormone support and drugs would make it possibly to carry later in life. We're seeing that age 35 is not a sharp cut off for pregnancy today. Instead it's a slow curve that decreases over time.

Watch Our Full Interview With Kira Peikoff Here:

Keep up with Kira Peikoff on social media:

• Instagram: @kirapeikoff
• X: @KiraPeikoff
• Facebook: Kira Peikoff

Camila Mendes And Rudy Mancuso's Relationship Timeline

Spring 2022 — Camila Mendes And Rudy Mancuso Meet On The Set Of Música

Camila Mendes and her boyfriend met while filming Rudy's semi-autobiographical 2024 movie Música. Rudy plays a fictionalized version of himself, and the story follows him as he moves through life with synesthesia, and as he feels torn between settling down and pursuing his art. Camila stars as Isabella, who opens up Rudy's worldview in a whole new way.

The movie is artistic and colorful and musical in a way that I have never seen before, and I can't stop thinking about it. Camila Mendes and Rudy Mancuso also told me during our interview that this scene pictured above in the park was the very first scene they shot together. They're so comfortable around each other that I never would have guessed!

July 10, 2023 — Camila Mendes And Rudy Mancuso Celebrate One Year

During the summer of 2023, we got the cutest new pic of Camila Mendes' boyfriend with the actress. "always in our own little world," Camila says on Instagram. "te amo so much. one year down, and many more to go."

February 14, 2024 — Cami Mendes Calls Rudy Mancuso Her Valentine

Camila Mendes celebrated Valentine's Day, and Rudy Mancuso, with a super sweet Instagram post. "my valentine 🌹 as soon as he wrapped música, he flew all the way to the UK to support me while filming upgraded," she says in the post. "edited all of música remotely from our little hotel room in leeds. visited me on set almost every day just to give me a kiss and watch me do my thing. i love you @rudymancuso thanks for showing up in the most meaningful ways. lucky to be your valentine 💌"

March 2024 — Camila Mendes And Rudy Mancuso's Música Premieres At SXSW

Rudy and Cami attended the premiere of their rom-com at the 2024 SXSW film festival, and it was an evening worth remembering! "Thank you all who came to support my film MÚSICA at @sxsw. It was a dream," Camila Mendes' boyfriend Rudy Mancuso says on Instagram. "I truly can’t wait to share it with the world."

"thank you to everyone who came out to support MÚSICA yesterday," Camila says on her own Instagram post. "watching our film in a theater full of family, friends and movie lovers was an experience i’ll never forget."

April 3, 2024 — Camila Mendes and Rudy Mancuso Promote Música In NYC

Camila shared some hilarious photos from her time promoting Música with Rudy — including pretending to fall asleep on the Good Morning America set and my personal favorite, recreating the movie poster! I also need to get Cami's makeup look ASAP.

Who is Camila Mendes' boyfriend Rudy Mancuso?

Rudy Mancuso is an actor, director, and YouTuber. In addition to Música, he's best known for his YouTube channel Awkward Puppets (and the main puppet Diego has a role in the movie!). You can also see him in Rim of the World and The Flash.