27 Dresses

Katherine Heigl has spoken in interviews about how much she connected with Jane as a character. She found it really refreshing to play someone who was genuinely kind and selfless rather than the typical sharp or sarcastic female lead you see in a lot of romcoms. Heigl put a lot of thought into making Jane feel real rather than just a doormat, showing the quiet frustration underneath all that sweetness. She wanted audiences to root for Jane from the very first scene and feel genuinely happy when things finally start going her way. Heigl also loved the physical comedy that came with juggling 27 different bridesmaid looks and said some of those costume fittings were just as chaotic as they look on screen.

James Marsden has said that Kevin was one of his favourite roles to play because it gave him a chance to be genuinely funny and a little bit mean in a charming way. He loved that Kevin starts out as someone you’re not entirely sure you like and slowly wins you over as the film goes on. Marsden worked hard on getting the comedic timing right, especially in his scenes with Heigl where a lot of the dialogue moves really fast. He has described their chemistry as completely natural from the first day on set, saying it felt less like acting and more like just hanging out with someone you genuinely click with. Marsden also appreciated that Kevin had real depth beneath the sarcasm and wasn’t just there to be the love interest.

Malin Akerman has talked about how much fun she had playing Tess, who is essentially the villain of the story without ever being truly evil. She wanted to make Tess someone the audience could be genuinely annoyed by without completely writing her off, which meant finding the moments of real vulnerability underneath all the selfishness. Akerman said the challenge was making Tess believable as someone who genuinely doesn’t realise how hurtful she’s being rather than someone who is deliberately trying to cause damage. She also loved the dynamic between Tess and Jane because it felt like a really honest portrayal of complicated sister relationships where love and frustration exist at the same time.

Edward Burns brought a quiet and understated charm to George that was really important for the story to work. He knew that George needed to be likeable enough that audiences understood why Jane had been in love with him for years, but also a little oblivious so you could see why things never progressed. Burns focused on making George genuinely warm and well meaning rather than clueless or selfish, which made his storyline with Tess feel more bittersweet than frustrating. He has said it was an interesting challenge playing someone who is more of a catalyst for the main character’s journey than a fully developed lead, and that he enjoyed finding the small moments that made George feel like a real person.