Scott Eastwood & Britt Robertson On Making ‘The Longest Ride’ Relatable

While most adaptations of Nicholas Sparks’s books are sweeping romances, The Longest Ride has a more grounded tone. Sure it has illustrious rain sequences and poetic letter writing, but there’s an effortless chemistry between Scott Eastwood and Britt Robertson that grants the story authenticity.

Reeling from a life-threatening injury, Luke (Eastwood) is determined to advance in the world of professional bull riding, while college senior Sophia (Britt Robertson) is set on parlaying her love of modern art into a career. As the two fall in love, they struggle to balance their passion for their dreams with their passion for one another.

For the two stars, conveying the couple’s connection came about naturally because of the ease they both had with one another on set. Eastwood cites their sultry shower scene as being essential to them reaching a new comfort level. It’s a moment that Britt was surprised to learn prompted cheers from the audience.

“See, I thought I’d be hated on as a woman for getting in the shower with some man she’s only been on a date with twice.”

One of the main strengths of the film, is that it allows the audience to understand why Luke and Sophia have gravitated towards the aspirations they have. Robertson credited the research she undertook prior to filming for that.

“It’s so important to create these passions and for the audience to believe that these two people are so passionate about what they want in life that they might risk giving up this love.”

Eastwood added that being somewhat of an adrenaline junkie himself, he was able to understand why Luke is drawn to something as dangerous as bull riding.

“I crave a little bit of adrenaline. When you do something that can kill you or come close to it, I think that you can feel very alive in that moment.”

The Longest Ride is in theaters April 10, 2015.