Based on the bestselling book, Regretting You introduces audiences to Morgan Grant (Allison Williams) and her daughter Clara (Mckenna Grace) as they explore what’s left behind after a devastating accident reveals a shocking betrayal and forces them to confront family secrets, redefine love, and rediscover each other. Its characters are built and formed by their growth, resilience, and self-discovery in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy that brings forth a gut-punching new reality. While it would be understandable for Clara to collapse under the weight of their grief as she navigates her emotions, unveiling secrets and discovering a love of her own, her best friend Lexi is by her side to provide unconditional support and understanding.
In celebration of Regretting You, The Koalition spoke to Sam Morelos to learn more about Lexi, Lexi’s relationship with Clara, Lexi’s own journey, and more.
Morgan Grant became a mother when she was just 17. Since then, her life has been dedicated to making sure Clara gets all the opportunities she missed out on. “Now that Clara is 17, Morgan is terrified that her daughter will end up in the same situation, which makes her overprotective. She knows that if she’d made different decisions back then, it would have spared her a lot of heartaches. She also knows she would have missed out on some of the most important and fulfilling moments in her life. She’s never really considered it before.”
About 900 people submitted tapes for Lexie, and Sam Morelos was the first and only choice as Clara’s ride-or-die buddy since elementary school. Lexie is just a fun, light presence. In a movie where there’s a lot of tension, Lexie is the knife that cuts it. She grows through learning about what it is to be a friend, being there for someone unconditionally, and loving them unconditionally because this is a huge, huge event.
“The deaths of her father and aunt leave Clara isolated, confused, and unable to trust her mother. I don’t think there have been such big betrayals in Lexi or Clara’s life before this point. So, it really does test the friendship of how invested you are in each other and how willing you are to stay through the messy, the dirty, and the difficult. Lexi genuinely passes that test with flying colors because she is this steadfast rock and shows up even when Clara doesn’t show up for her or can’t or doesn’t have the resources to. There’s a lot of just knowing when to support and when to pour into each other.”
Most people have probably wondered what their lives would be like if they had made a different choice at a critical time. The idea of another chance is really seductive and compelling. In this case, if everyone had just been able to be honest with themselves earlier, it would’ve been a much better outcome. Regretting You is a film that will bring up complicated emotions, especially towards Chris and Jenny. Jenny’s just doing the best she can. She’s in an impossible situation, and there’s no way that she can make it right.
One of the most memorable examples of Lexi’s undying support for Clara comes during Clara’s birthday dinner when she confronts the secrets her mother has hidden from her about her father and a forbidden kiss she witnessed between her mother and another man. Clara is filled with anger and confusion. The atmosphere is tense and uncomfortable, and as Clara’s world comes crashing down, Lexi remains by her side, letting her know they’re in this together.
“”I’m watching this like a tennis match, this back and forth between Clara and her mom. The internal monologue was more like an internal feeling of a lot of clenching and tension of, ‘Am I supposed to be here?’ There was a little bit of impostor syndrome, like, ‘Oh, I should not be at this table. This is not a conversation I should be at.’ But then at the very end of that dinner scene when Lexi is all like, ‘I think we’ve got to go.’ I think we have to take time to ourselves. I think it was like a big release of that tension of like, ‘You know what? I wasn’t supposed to be there for that conversation, but I’m glad I was so that I can like hold you afterwards because you need it.’ It’s that balance between “Should I have been in this very familial-like conflict that’s happening?” and regardless of whether that answer is yes or no, “I’m glad I was, so that I can hold and support you.”
While also being Clara’s best friend, she’s also navigating her own possible relationship, which occurs rather quickly. While she isn’t looking for love, per se, she often jokingly asks, “When will my boyfriend come?” but things fall ‘naturally into place,’ according to Sam. “I think Lexi was joking about, ‘Where’s my boyfriend?’ All of these things because, like, she’s watching her best friend have less time for her, right? Then it’s like, okay, you’ve got a boyfriend; I want one, too. But then it just kind of fell into place, like I think that the people who mean most to you are not the ones that you’re looking for. You’re not seeking them out. They just kind of naturally fall, like you just naturally fall into place and fall into place next to each other. I don’t think that Lexi was particularly looking for a relationship, but she definitely found one.”
Regretting You is now in theaters. To learn more about Sam Morelos checkout our full interview in the video above.
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