Bella Thorne & Jake Manley Talk Working Together for INFAMOUS & Film’s Deeper Meaning (Watch)

Bella Thorne and Jake Manley‘s new crime action thriller Infamous is finally here and we can’t get enough of it.

The film is now available on VOD/Digital and Apple TV as well as select drive-in theaters across the country, and Bella describes the post-release feedback as nothing short of amazing.

“It’s been sold out at so many drive-ins and the fan reaction has been amazing. I’ve been loving all the reviews,” Thorne told Celeb Secrets over a Zoom call. “It’s always kind of scary putting a movie out, but without theaters and us experiencing this whole different time with theaters and movie releases just being on digital platforms, I’m just really excited. I think I was scared, but I’m really excited to see that people are receiving the movie and digesting it in the appropriate ways.”

Infamous follows the story of two young lovers — played by Thorne and Manley — who rob their way across the southland and become overnight sensations online.

Arielle (Thorne) is a down on her luck dreamer who longs for popularity. Dean (Manley) is an ex-con working for his abusive father. The two have an instant connection, and after the accidental death of Dean’s father, they are forced on the run. In an attempt to gain social media clout, Arielle livestreams their exploits and robberies, gaining them viral fame and the nickname “a modern day  Bonnie & Clyde,” ultimately leading them towards a tragic ending. The film also stars Glee actress Amber Riley and is both written and directed by Josh Caldwell.

You can check out the full trailer below, which will leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more after watching.

“As soon as Bella and I met, we instantly got along. We were always making each other laugh and hung out in Oklahoma with Josh and it was just so easy and relaxed. We were able to talk so much beforehand and during weapons training, so by the time we started filming, we were just so prepared and ready that it was super natural to just like exist,” Manley tells Celeb Secrets. “Bella is amazing because she makes it so believable that it’s just so fun and easy to exist in. Chemistry was never an issue — I just think we get along great and we were friends and at the end of the day it was like friends making things fun and special.”

“Jake and I got lucky,” Bella adds. “I remember being just so taken aback and relieved in a sense that I was like, ‘man. We’re gonna have to do so many things in this movie, so many uncomfortable things together, and so many things that need to be pulled off in a short amount of time that I thought, at least it would be with him because he seems professional and completely just mature and realistic.'”

Although a crime action-thriller, Infamous has a really meaningful message behind it that is important and relatable for this generation.

“I think one f the main messages is that we want every person who watches this movie find a little bit of Arielle inside of themselves and wonder for a moment if they’ve ever pushed anyone this far,” Bella says. “Just because there’s a screen in front of you and people can’t see you, doesn’t mean that your words aren’t digested by millions around the world and that’s something really important. [You have to ask yourself], ‘are you a person that’s going to let these things happen or are you a person that might push someone over this edge and you don’t think it’s a big deal?’ Everybody needs to really digest this possibility and know that we need to be more careful.  I think that’s why we wanted to bring so much realism to this is because it should be that way.”

Make sure to watch our full interview with Bella, Jake and director Joshua Caldwell with the full list of drive-in theaters that are showing the film below. Let us know your thoughts on Infamous by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.

INFAMOUS – DRIVE-IN THEATER LIST