HOTTEST STATE STARS REMEMBER FIRST LOVE

When acting in a movie about love at first sight, the stars of The Hottest State got to thinking about their own first loves.

In The Hottest State Mark Webber’s struggling actor falls madly in love with Catalina Sandino Moreno’s aspiring singer songwriter at first sight and the couple embark on a lustful journey from the Lower East Side of Manhattan to Mexico.

Mark remembers the traumatic effect his first love had on him that lingered for years after.

“My first love was this girl Julie Hirkenhoff in Minneapolis, Minnesota. OK, like I ate a bowl of ice cream before bed every night. And I thought I was really cool because I had cool clothes and stuff and I went up to ask her out and she called me ‘butterball.’ And she’s a great person now but it really affected me and it gave me self-esteem issues that took me awhile to overcome. I fluctuate in weight still but butterball comes in my head.”

Catalina’s first love was much more benign and innocent.

“I was in the third grade and he had this cool lunch box and would sit next to me and he would always share with me some cookies. When I’d go back to my house when I got home I’d always tell my home, ‘there’s some kid who always shares cookies with me and I love him.’ He was cute and we were kids. So I had fond memories.”

On screen the two actors are anything but innocent sharing some very hot and steamy love scenes in the sweltering heat of El Paso, Texas. The Hottest State is the second film Mark has made directed by Ethan Hawke. He also starred in Chelsea Walls, Hawke’s sophomore directing project.