The actor starred in the flick alongside Mandy Moore in 2002.
Shane West can't believe it's been 20 years since A Walk to Remember. ET's Cassie DiLaura spoke with the 43-year-old actor on the latest episode of The Download, and he revealed that he recently rewatched the teen flick he starred in with Mandy Moore back in 2002.
"I just rewatched it again. I got up until we did the play, and then they fall in love, and then after that I was like, 'Eh, I've seen that,'" West said. "But it was fun to see the beginning and just see how you just start taking apart your performance, and you're like, 'Why did I do that? Why did I do this?'"
As for his co-star, West praised Moore as being "great" in the film, and even admitted to having a crush on her at the time.
"There was a healthy, natural crush and bond on that," West said. "We were very protective of each other. It's hard, you don't always get that. I've been fortunate enough to work on a lot of different projects and you don't always get that bond or that connection."
The pair has maintained a friendship throughout the years, one that is near and dear to West's heart. "She's a sweetheart," he said of Moore. "That was one of the coolest moments of our lives, trying to become an adult in a very difficult industry."
West remains grateful for the movie, telling ET, "I love that it resonates, and that people still talk about it."
The actor, though, has turned his attention to new projects, including his latest film, Chariot, which is now out.
"It's pretty twisted, but it's very unique. It's talking about reincarnation," West said of the sci-fi flick. "... Being able to work with John Malkovich, which is awesome, having Thomas Mann and Rosa Salazar as the stars, it was kind of a no-brainer of me walking in to be able to be a part of this."
For West, getting to work with Malkovich was a career highlight.
"I was pretty intimidated. I'm a huge fan and most of my scenes were with him, but he was very giving," West said of Malkovich. "He listened. He was very understanding. You just stand out of the way. You let him do all the work. I just reacted, basically."
As for his own character, West teased, "You think I'm the villain... but you find out a lot more. There's a lot of layers to this."
No matter how intense things got on set, though, West made sure not to let his character seep into his off-screen life.
"I've always learned it's you take it to set, but you don't go home with it. It's just kind of learning how to click off it," he said. "I haven't played some crazy serial killer or anything like that where I've had to totally go too in-depth, but I feel like you kind of know when to turn it on and when to turn it off."
West can also be seen in the sci-fi thriller Outsiders, now playing in theaters, on digital and On Demand.
RELATED CONTENT:
