Hayley Kiyoko: Lemonade Mouth Premieres TONIGHT!

Hayley Kiyoko squeezes Bridgit Mendler lifeless at the yellow carpet premiere of
Lemonade Mouth earlier this week in Los Angeles.

JustJaredJr.com had the chance to chat with the 19-year-old actress last week about the movie, her music and why she thinks Lemonade Mouth will make a difference. Check it:

JJJ: Lemonade Mouth is based on the book of the same name. Did you read it before hand?
Hayley Kiyoko: I did! I love the book because it really goes by each character’s point of view and if you have the book, you’ll see that for each character, the font is different. I love that. It’s the coolest thing. It just adds…Mark Peter Hughes did such a great job with the book. The characters literally jump off of the page. He did all the work for me when I was researching for Stella. I read Stella’s part and was completely done. I knew, in and out, who she was and what she was about. Way to go Mark!

JJJ: What was your favorite song from the movie?
HK: All of us loved “Breakthrough.” We got to perform on this huge stage and there was lighting and Co2 power and we did that all day. That was so much fun. But I also really enjoyed “Somebody” in the detention room. It’s an emotional part of the movie. I think that was the actual first time we were playing together on set and the crew hadn’t seen us perform before that. It was so cool because it hit us that we were really making this movie and hopefully going to make a difference for young kids. We would actually practice that song and the others outside of the set. We’d be back in our hotel rooms practicing the songs and we’d all help each other out with the taps or the bass.

(Click inside to read the rest of our interview with Hayley…)

JJJ: Are you anything at all like Stella?
HK: I never got detention. I was always the good girl and if a teacher yelled at me I would cry. I would go into hysterics. I’m a very emotional person and I don’t like getting into trouble. I’m definitely a free spirit but I do think about the repercussions and Stella — she does something before she thinks. She’s crazy.

We’re similar in the sense that we’re both leaders and that we both created bands in our schools. When I was in high school, I did create a band out of people I didn’t know in junior year. Throughout high school, we were ‘the’ band to hire throughout our town. We were named ‘Hede’ after my grandpa and they [the band] became my best friends. To this day they are still my best friends. It’s really cool because I have a personal connection to the story of Lemonade Mouth. That’s what the movie is all about; we became best friends on and off the screen. Bridgit and Nay [Naomi Scott] are my best friends. We are the three musketeers.

In that sense of being a leader and creating the band and being a bit of a firecracker, I am like Stella. But she’s still more intense than I am. She’s very extreme. She’s high-strung. If you offend her, she will go at you and tell you how she feels. Hayley is very laid back and I want everyone to be happy.

JJJ: We saw the movie a couple of days ago and were in hysterics over you spitting on Chris Brochu. Can you tell us about that scene?
HK: That’s the best part of the movie! We did a lot of angles for that shot. But here’s a fun behind-the-scenes fact — it wasn’t me spitting on him. There’s a machine. Legally with the FDA, you’re not allowed to spit on someone in films. You can make out, but you can’t spit lemonade on anyone. Who knew, right?

I really wanted to spit on him. He wanted me to. But the contraption was right next to my head and I would move my head and the lemonade would squirt out on him. We did a bunch of different angles and for one, I actually spit in the camera lens which was awesome.

JJJ: Did you ever think about the possibility of the main five becoming a real band after this movie?
HK: Absolutely! At the moment, I’m focusing on my solo music but yes, that possibility definitely passed through my head. It would be kind of awesome.

JJJ: One of your followers on Twitter actually made a mock poster for Lemonade Mouth, the Concert Tour.
HK: I saw that! These fans are so talented and creative with Photoshop. I wouldn’t know what to do if I had that program. But yea, that would be great. It would be great if we made it international. For specific cities though, it definitely depends on the arena you would be playing. I remember when I was touring with The Stunners and we were playing this outdoor arena in Milwaukee, I think it was. It was boiling hot and we were all just sweating all over the place. But it was probably one of my favorite performances ever. I love the outdoor arenas.

JJJ: How was your audition for Stella?
HK: I sent in a tape for Stella and went in to read for the director after that. I remember going in that day and of course, had a bit of acne. The one day I had an audition and you wake up with a zit on your forehead. I remember I put my bangs down to hide it and they asked me to pin my bangs back. I was like, ‘Now you see why they weren’t pinned back.’ The director, Patricia Riggen, actually told me after that that was the reason I got the role — because of my pimple comment (laughs). She was joking, but it was funny.

JJJ: Can you compare Stella to Stevie, your character on Wizards of Waverly Place?
HK: Oh, wow, they’re very different. Stevie is evil. She’s so negative, and has a negative goal. I was actually worried about this a bit, where kids are going to think I only play bad girls or rebels but the bottom line is that Stevie is that she was a bad wizard. She used people. She went behind Alex’s back and became friends with her for the wrong reasons. She was a rebel in the sense of being a bad girl.

Stella is definitely not a bad girl. She may dress edgy and differently and speaks her mind, but that doesn’t make someone bad. She’s very emotional and has feelings. Stella’s thing is that she doesn’t get any attention from her parents so her sense of style is a way to express herself and get their attention. She does want the attention. She’s a good kid.

In Lemonade Mouth, you’ll see that she doesn’t get detention all the time. She’s just in a new school and she doesn’t like how things are being run. She just wants to stand up for what she believes in and isn’t going to let higher people — principals and teachers — take away kids rights…freedom of speech and why America is America. She doesn’t really take any crap.

Stevie and Stella may dress kind of the same, but that’s as similar as they are going to get. They have so many morals and goals. And you know when you watch the movie, you want Stella to succeed.

JJJ: Stella actually has a lot of scenes with Principal Brenigan who is played by Christopher McDonald
HK: I do have a lot of scenes with him! He is probably the biggest working actor in life. He’s been in everything! You need to look up his resume. He was in Thelma & Louise! I was watching it the other day and I just stopped and thought, ‘I worked with him.’ He definitely gave me a run for my money though. He’s great. It was so fun to work with him and just an adult in general.

JJJ: Did you have a chance to get a ride on that segway?
HK: Only Principal Brenigan can ride it apparently. We [the cast] actually tried to get a ride on it but they wouldn’t show us how to even turn it on.

JJJ: What do you think the lesson of Lemonade Mouth is and what will kids take away from it?
HK: It’s not really about getting anyone’s attention, it’s just that in high school, you need to be comfortable to be different. It’s okay to be different and as you grow older, you’ll realize that it’s actually good to be different. You have to love yourself for other people to love you. I hope the movie does inspire kids who are going through something…so many kids go through so many life or family circumstances; it’s heart breaking to hear some of them.

I hope they watch this movie and know they will find friends and a support system. It’s all about playing the deck of cards you’re dealt. I don’t necessarily think you need to start a revolution — unless it’s something you truly believe in — but it’s important to speak your mind.

JJJ: What is the cooler band name — Lemonade Mouth or Mudslide Crush?
HK: I’m a bit biased — Lemonade Mouth! But I love Chris and Nick. I won’t lie — Mudslide Crush’s music is great. It’s like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sublime stuff. It’s awesome.

JJJ: Our friend, Robbie Amell, asked us to ask you about working with him.
HK: I love that guy to death. You wanna know what Robbie taught me. He taught me about broccoli vitamins. And carrot vitamins. That’s what Robbie taught me (laughs). I’m a big health nut so while we were filming Scooby Doo we would go hang out in his trailer sometimes and I would see all these vitamins. He was the one who turned me on to them.

JJJ: We heard you’re a big fan of The Hunger Games
HK: Can I just say that I was a fan of “The Hunger Games” way before all this [movie stuff] started? (laughs) I read all three of them last summer. I was obsessed. I got my friends and my mom to read it. Then the news of the movie came and I was so that girl who said “I read it first!” It’s an amazing book series — you can’t put it down. I was so upset after the third book because it was over. I asked my brother, “What do I do now? Do I read them again?”

I’m now on “Water for Elephants” [JJJ Note: She finished]. I’m trying to read more because I didn’t really read a lot when I was younger. I’m also in and out of “Siddartha” books too.

JJJ: Music is obviously a huge part of your life. How did you really get started?
HK: I actually started on drums. I got my first drum set when I was five. My parents actually bought it for me, so this whole thing, they started it (laughs). I went through the three steps of drums and now I have a really awesome orange set. I started there but then I realized that I really wanted to move. I love rhythm and developed a crazy passion for it. I branched into guitar and I actually learned bass for a commercial that I did. I have a bass now, too.

I’ve always played piano, especially to write songs. I’ve been writing a lot now on my auto harp that I got for Christmas. I love that thing and I’m writing a lot with that. I love instruments, they really inspire me. If something is a different sound, I’m always thinking “What can I do with this” and “How can I make this cool?”

I actually want to do a Cribs type of thing. I made a deal with my dad where he built a music room and I would fill it. Of course, I picked red carpet. Yellow walls. All these crazy posters. Very Lemonade Mouth inspired, unintentionally.

JJJ: What other instruments are you interested in learning?
HK: Trumpet. Hands down. Always wanted to be able to play. It looks so much fun! I need to go and buy one for myself. I play the cong shells and my dad taught me how to use those. It’s kind of like a trumpet. You slip your hand into the opening and it changes the tune.

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Lemonade Mouth premieres TONIGHT @ 8PM ET/PT on Disney Channel. Are you ready to see it?