My Oxford Year, starring Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest is a devastating love story about love, loss, and making the most of the time that you have. Remezcla spoke with Carson, Netflix’s new “it girl,” and Mylchreest, who rose to fame on the Bridgerton prequel Queen Charlotte, about making the movie, the surprising Coldplay songs, and My Oxford Year’s Love Story vibes.
Perhaps one of the most surprising parts of the movies was how much Coldplay we heard. This is something Carson was very involved in, as she is with the music in all of her movies. She shared that, since she was a producer, “I was involved in the music of the film a bit as well. And the process of being able to have Coldplay’s blessing to use Yellow in the film was a really big part.”
“We have a lot of Coldplay songs in the film, which is really, really cool. They have their new single, “All My Love,” which is the closing credit song,” Carson shared. And she even went on about how that sets the stage for a film such as this one. “I think music is such a crucial part of storytelling in film. For me, at least, it’s something that it’s a really important tool. And I love being able to explore that side of music in storytelling.”
My Oxford Year is a romance, but it’s also a drama. And for us, it had some Love Story vibes. You know, the 1970 Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal movie. Carson confirmed it, “That was our inspiration. That was so much of our inspiration. Even visually.” Ironically, Mylchreest has apparently never watched it, which led to a fun exchange between the two of them.
“You’ve never seen the film, Love Story?” Carson asked, and to her costar shaking his head, she explained. “Well, you have to go back and see it. It’s one of the most classic, most beautiful love stories of all time. And it was a big reference, even in our wardrobe, even in the cinematography.” Mylchreest confirmed he had no idea. “It wasn’t necessarily a rough, like narratively a reference,” Carson said, to then remark she was so happy the vibes were clear.
Perhaps the reason Mylchreest didn’t know about Love Story is that, when asked to pick one romantic movie as a reference, he and Carson agreed on a very different type of movie: Crazy, Stupid Love. But Carson also made a point of telling us how much she loved the genre, in general.
“I have always been drawn to love in storytelling, whether it’s in music or films. I think it’s just such a beautiful and universal part of human existence,” she said, adding that she realized early on that romance brings “joy and love and hope to people. And there’s such power to that,” so she’s “drawn to the stories that can do that.”
And though this one might make you cry, Carson felt that “it was a story that needed to be told. And I think a timeless romance hadn’t been told in a minute. And I feel so lucky that we were able to do that for this next generation.”
“Crying is a good thing,” Mylchreest added.
You can watch Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest in My Oxford Year on Netflix and decide if you agree.
