The third installment of the After franchise, After We Fell, follows Tessa (Josephine Langford) on a new journey as she moves to Seattle for her dream job, which also takes her away from Hardin (Hero Fiennes Tiffin). With distance and his jealousy complicating things, and the return of Tessa’s father and some revelations about Hardin’s own family adding even more tension, the intensity of their unpredictable relationship is pushed to the limit.
During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, which you can both watch and read, Fiennes Tiffin talked about his experience getting to be a part of this franchise, how relatable the story of Tessa and Hardin is, shooting the third and fourth films back-to-back in Bulgaria, how bittersweet it feels to say goodbye to this character, this film’s cliffhanger ending, and the type of roles he’s looking to do next.
Collider: I appreciate you talking to me about this. It’s been fun to take this journey with you guys, as I would imagine it is for you to take this journey with the character. It’s quite rare to get a continuing film series that’s just about a couple and their relationship, and isn’t involving saving the world or beating vampires or surviving an apocalypse. What have you most enjoyed about the opportunity to do these films, to play this character, and to just explore their lives?
HERO FIENNES TIFFIN: That’s such a good question and well identified. We feel like this romance is done so often, but to do a franchise in the nature that we have, like you say, without those extra added layers, doesn’t come around too often. We feel like it does, but it doesn’t in its simplicity. Part of what makes it so special and that I’ve enjoyed so much about it – and it starts with Anna [Todd] – is that it’s so brave to show everything. We show the sex scenes, the arguments, the family aspect, and the darker sides of it. That realistic darker nature and the willingness to show every side of it is what compels people, and it’s what compelled me. It’s one of the things I love most about it.
Is there anything that’s surprised you about telling this story? As an actor, were there unexpected things, in taking this journey?
FIENNES TIFFIN: Yeah. What’s been nice for me is, because I deliberately didn’t read the books since I know so much is gonna change and so much from the books might not make it to the film, just like the audience, I’m gradually learning what’s happening as I get each script. There are so many twists and turns and surprises in this, and they are all plausible and not, like you say, out there and far-fetched an unrelatable, like saving the world. They’re things like family aspects, and your dad having crutches that he needs to deal with, and mental health issues and trauma, past friendships coming out of college. They’re all relatable things, but we’re not glorifying them and showing them in a perfect light. We’re showing the realistic nature of it sometimes not being perfect.
When you look at these movies, the first one was about trouble with their exes, and then the second one was trouble with their mothers, and now the third one is about trouble with their fathers. They’re just going through normal issues.
FIENNES TIFFIN: Normal life, when it’s not going great, is dramatic, great entertainment. Sometimes we forget that there’s so much entertainment in relatable and seemingly normal things. I love that we get a chance to do that. It starts with Anna, and I think she set those things up so well.
You shot the third and fourth film together in Bulgaria. What was it like to shoot in a very foreign country during a pandemic? How different was the experience of having to shoot with all of these new safety protocols? Was it just bizarre?
FIENNES TIFFIN: Yeah. First of all, we’re so lucky that we got a chance to do it. We’re so lucky that the fans were so supportive of the franchise that we even had the opportunity to go in and do it in the middle of a pandemic and to shoot two, back to back. And yet, climate wise, going from Atlanta summertime to shooting in Bulgaria winter was definitely a jump. We had to drink freezing cold water before certain takes outside, so that our breath wasn’t as visible because it was so cold. The scene coming out of the hot tub, it was zero degrees, but we were trying to be slick and sexy and act like we’re not shivering. That comes with its challenges. But the Bulgarian crew was so hard work working and lovely. The new cast members who stepped in did great things with their roles. It was definitely difficult. It was definitely hard work. But I’m so happy with the final product and that’s all that matters.
It sounds like there would also be a very entertaining blooper reel.
FIENNES TIFFIN: On set, because of the nature of the film, it was a bit more dramatic, so there weren’t actual bloopers. But we did have a lot of fun in the hotel on the 24th floor. We were just crazy kids locked up for three months. You can imagine us doing a lot of fun, stupid stuff.
You’ve had different directors for each of the first three films. What was that like, to have the different visions and perspectives on these characters while you guys are the constant throughout?
FIENNES TIFFIN: I have to say, the reason it worked was because every director was so respectful of our approach and therefore that linear consistency in how we play the characters, no one ever tried to get us to budge on that front. But the style of the films changed, and I think that’s quite welcome. In a series of books, where there are seven books, I love the fact that we’ve had different directors who were allowed to put their own stamp on it . . . I feel like it’s nice to think that each and every fan gets a little pocket of something they prefer and everyone gets their own opinion. There’s a variety of themes and stuff to choose from.
Was it ever weird to act opposite a different actor playing the same character in some of these movies? Was it ever strange to have those changes going on?
FIENNES TIFFIN: Well, I can imagine it being off-putting for the audience to adapt to it because I’ve watched things that people get cast and it’s taken me a minute to adapt to who the new person is. Since you’re asking specifically how it is for me, Jo answered this question in a really smart way that I completely agree with, which is that we do a lot of scenes where the camera has to be where the person is and therefore the person can’t be there and there’ll be reading lines off screen, or they might not be able to be around. They might have to do something else. So, you have the director or an AD or someone reading the lines, and you’re staring at the corner of the camera. Already you’re so detached from reacting with the other actor that when another actor comes in to replace them, you’re like, “Well, at least it’s a human being with a face and eyes and stuff.” You can still apply the same dynamic in the relationship, despite the role being changed, but I completely accept how for the audience, it’s probably a bit more [noticeable].
What was it like to finish the last scene on the last day, knowing that you’d be saying goodbye to these characters? Have you officially said goodbye to him yet, or does it not feel like you’re there yet, since the fourth movie still won’t be out for a bit?
FIENNES TIFFIN: Yeah. And who knows, we might need to do a random pickup or reshoot, so I definitely haven’t said goodbye to him. It’s far from done yet. But it was bittersweet. It does feel like we got somewhere. I felt so proud and accomplished and proud of everyone. Three months with all of the same people is a happy, positive feeling of having completed what you meant to do and you’ve got to the end of a final destination, but of course, it’s sad to have to finish and go home. So, bittersweet is a good word to describe it.
How did your first day on the first film compare to your last day on the last film? Do you feel like a very different person and actor since you started this whole process?
FIENNES TIFFIN: A hundred percent. I feel like you would naturally grow in the age that I started until now, which is about three years. I feel like I’ve changed massively. I feel like I’ve had so many incredible life experiences as well, not just filming a movie, but promoting it and traveling around and talking to fans and people like yourself. I feel like I have learned so much that I almost can’t even highlight one thing. It’s definitely very different to how I felt and the first day to wrapping on the last day.
Do you feel like you and Josephine Langford have been on the same page, when it comes to your characters and their relationship, and their feelings and reactions, and when you guys think they’re justified or when they’re not? Do you feel like you come at it from the same place, or do you ever have disagreements about how they’re behaving?
FIENNES TIFFIN: That’s a great question and generally I feel like we are very much in the same boat and have the same thoughts. When we don’t, I feel like it’s only ever beneficial . . . We’ll bounce off of each other. My character is my character, and her character is her character. We don’t have any say on what the other is gonna do, but I feel like because we’ve been on the journey with each other’s characters, we’re almost the best people to ask advice from. So, as much as we won’t tell each other what to do, whenever we do disagree, it’s really useful to have someone else’s opinion who has been there from the start and has a good sense of what’s right and wrong for your character.
What is your favorite moment between the two of them, in this third film?
FIENNES TIFFIN: Because we shot three and four back to back, and we shot out of order, I confuse some of the scenes. I think it’s where she’s talking about Seattle and she says, “I’ll be there,” and he says, “That’s not enough.” It’s when they’re in the kitchen and it just feels like a very, very natural argument that isn’t over the top and isn’t shouting at each other and isn’t gonna end in plates crashing and people walking out. Those relatable arguments are nice to see. It’s not perfect and it’s not a crazy argument. Sometimes we do have bits in the middle, and it’s nice to show them.
Hardin gets some shocking news at the end of this film, so he’s not really left in the best place. What would you say to tease the fourth film for fans? What would you say to hold them over and give them hope for the fourth movie, after that cliffhanger?
FIENNES TIFFIN: You know what? It’s cheeky to say, but I feel like the cliffhanger alone does it. I feel like saying nothing is enough to get them back, after that cliffhanger. I wouldn’t wanna tease it. You’ll wanna find out, after that. So, just stick with him. If Hardin can keep trying to be a better person and he’s sticking it out, then you guys can stick around for one more film and see if he makes it there.
How fun has it been to get to have those cliffhangers? That’s not something that happens in movies very often because usually the story has a more definite conclusion. Is it fun to be able to play with the audience in that way, knowing that they will get to come back?
FIENNES TIFFIN: I’m realizing it’s quite sadistic, how much I enjoy watching the fans go through that and being like, “No, what’s gonna happen?!,” or when they’re watching the trailer and they can’t wait to watch it. You can’t put a price on that. That’s what I do it for. I love that the cliffhangers have become an iconic, notorious aspect of the franchise.
How do you pick the next project after this? What are you looking for, as far as finding something completely different?
FIENNES TIFFIN: That’s exactly it. I would love to just explore all of the other styles and types of roles and genres of films. I definitely want to do some darker crime stuff – some thrillers with some cat-and-mouse twists and turns. A psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat is the kind of stuff I’m really going for. But I would love to just keep an open mind and continue to do a variety of stuff. I want to keep testing myself and try and do a little bit of everything.
Are you someone who wants to do comedy, or does that scare you?
FIENNES TIFFIN: I’d do the right comedy. There are some comedic elements in a film I did, called The Loneliest Boy in the World. I can’t talk about that too much because I still haven’t seen a press release, but I can’t wait until I can start talking about it. That has some comedic moments. It doesn’t scare me, in the right project. I’d love to do that.
After We Fell is available on-demand on October 19th.