Photo: Retna

Prom is one of the few school-sponsored activities we look forward to not for weeks or months, but for years. And we’re bound to remember it for years, too: the endless photo-taking all but guarantees it. The Disney movie Prom follows a group of high-schoolers and the drama, excitement, and nerves that lead up to the big night. For Lucas, played by the singing, dancing, crush-worthy Nolan Sotillo, the approaching event is particularly nerve-wracking. He has a mega-crush on Simone, but can’t seem to work up the confidence to ask her to go with him. We chatted with Nolan about how nervous he gets in real life about asking girls out, his on-set best friends, and where we can look forward to seeing him next.

ELLEgirl (EG): In the movie, your character is into indie rock. What kind of music do you like?

Nolan Sotillo (NS): I’m a big fan of any type of music: mainstream, country, pop, R&B… I’m really into music and since the movie I listen to even more. Music in general is such a great way for anybody to let loose. I really like Bruno Mars.

EG: What sort of activities did you get involved in after school?

NS: I love to sing; music is a big part of my life. I play guitar piano and drums. I also love playing sports. I play a wide variety of sports including baseball, golf, tennis, soccer, football all of them. I was a big athlete.

EG: Do you get excited to go back to school by the end of the summer?

NS: I was always excited to go back to school. The first day is the day that you love, and the second day is like, “man, I have homework and stuff.”

EG: Have you ever been to a prom yourself?

NS: No, not yet! I only went to one semester of high school before I decided to focus on my acting. Hopefully I’ll be able to attend one in the future. I’ll be 17 in October, so I’d be a junior this year if I went to high school.

EG: Who was your best friend on set?

NS: Most of my scenes were with Cameron [Monaghan] and Danielle [Campbell]. Cameron and I played guitar, and we ended up writing a song together, DeVaughn [Nixon] and I played basketball together a lot, and Nicholas [Braun] and I played golf. And the entire cast would do game nights that Yin [Chang] coordinated.

EG: That’s so sweet! Do you still get to see them a lot?

NS: We still are doing press for the movie so I get to spend time with everybody.

EG: How’d you land your role?

NS: My audition process was kind of ironic. I was one of the last people who auditioned. Before I even left the audition room they said, “we want to bring you back tomorrow,” so I came back the next day, everything kind of clicked, and we had a great time on the callback. I was auditioning at the FOX lot; that lot is huge, and I was walking out and my dad gave me the phone and said “you booked prom, they cancelled the rest of the auditions for the day!” I just freaked out. We had an hour ride home I was smiling the whole time.

EG: Nolan is nervous to ask the girl he likes, Simone, out. Have you ever asked anyone out?

NS: Yes I have. I wasn’t as nervous as Nolan was. Part of the reason he’s so nervous is because he is head over heels. If you’re in love with a girl, it’s going to be really nerve-wracking to talk to her. I wasn’t that nervous, it was fun! We were so young, it was kind of just like, “hey, you want to hold hands?”

Sotillo & Danielle Campbell; Photo: Richard Foreman Jr., SMPSP © Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

EG: Do you think guys should be the ones to ask girls out?

NS: It should usually be the guy asking the girl, but sometimes a guy is either too shy or I’ll just be like, “man, there’s no way she even likes me!” If you really like a guy, you just gotta go for it. But it’s always more chivalrous if the guy does the asking.

EG: If you could work with anybody in the industry who would you work with?

NS: I’d like to work with Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, or Rascal Flatts. Acting-wise, I always look up to Will Smith. Fresh Prince is a hilarious show! I’ve also always want to do an action movie, like Jaden Smith.

EG: What are you up to next?

NS: I’m working on a pilot for Disney called Madison High. It’s a spin off of High School Musical with singing and dancing. I’ve always watched Disney channel and still do and dreamed to be a part of it. The dream has pretty much come true!

EG: Are you drawn more to acting or singing?

NS: It’s so hard to pick! Singing was my first love, I would sing all day on the karaoke machine. Then when I started picking up acting, I really liked that too! I don’t want to be really good at singing or acting, I want to be an equal force on both ends. One day, I’ll love singing- the studio is such a good time. But also spending time on the set is a blast! Prom is now available on Blu-ray & DVD!