Minor, minor spoilers for Amazon’s new rom-com Upgraded can be found in this story! Minor!
February is a great month to throw on the best romantic comedies of all time, and Amazon Studios has just released a new classic on the 2024 movies schedule that will hopefully resonate with fans. That film is none other than Upgraded starring Camila Mendes and Archie Renoux. Mendes, who famously led the Riverdale cast, plays Ana Santos, an intern in the prestigious art world who tells a white lie on a work trip to London and must deal with the snowballing of consequences once she lands. Mendes is a former intern herself, who could relate to her movie character in one big way: the white lie.
When CinemaBlend spoke to Camila Mendes about Upgraded, which she stars along with producing, I asked the actress if her own interning experience influenced the script in any way. She got candid about how early in her career she was trying to get her foot in the door of the acting biz and had to tell a “white lie” along the way.
Honestly, I don’t have any funny bits [from being an intern that’s in Upgraded], but I do feel like that I’ve referenced that as sort of being like my white lie in life. It wasn’t really that big of a lie, but when I interviewed for that talent agency, I kind of made it seem like I wanted to be a talent agent and they were like, ‘Oh, you’re pursuing acting. Is that what you want? Like to be an actor?’ And I was like, ‘You know what? I’m starting to question whether that’s the path for me. I’d really love to learn the ropes of talent agents, so that’s why I’m here’. But obviously I was just trying to absorb my knowledge about being in the industry.
You know what, this is an iconic move! Prior to Camila Mendes nabbing her first and most popular role as Veronica Lodge in Riverdale, she was once an intern at a talent agency. When the hiring managers noticed she was interested in pursuing acting, she decided to fib a little in the interview and tell them she was thinking of moving away from acting to pursue casting instead. In reality, the actress was still firm on the dream and thought the internship would bring her closer to that. Hey, they didn’t need to know that.
Also, equally, the “white lie” seems to have worked out for Mendes. The actress has landed a career on the small and big screen that most actors can only dream of, with Upgraded being the latest in a list of projects that includes the aforementioned Riverdale, Do Revenge, and even a small-but-vital role in the fun Groundhog’s Day-reminiscent flick Palm Springs. She’s been noted for her fashion in Hollywood, as well, and has gone viral on occasion for some great outfits (like her leather jacket-only Paris Fashion Week moment).
Her latest movie has already earned praise by viewers with an Amazon Prime subscription, with some rather fresh Rotten Tomatoes scores. It’s on the way to becoming one of Amazon’s best movies, and will doubtless continue only gaining steam as we get closer to the romance-heavy Valentine’s Day.
Mendes’ white lie was of course one small moment on her path to becoming a fresh Hollywood talent, but it is funny to hear what her early days were like before she struck gold.