"Musica" - Premiere - Red Carpet - SXSW 2024 Conference and Festivals© GettyImages

How Camila Mendes and Rudy Mancuso fell in love making ‘Música’

The movie is a romance starring the two and premiering at SXSW


Senior Writer
MARCH 14, 2024 3:45 PM EDT

Camila Mendes and Rudy Mancuso fell in love while making a movie together. The two star in “Música,” a film written and directed by Mancuso, who based the story on an alternate version of himself.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mancuso discussed why Mendes was perfect for the role and how the two ended up mirroring their characters’ romantic relationship. “I met Cami on the film, and of course it was a dream come true,” he said.

“She ticked every single box that I could possibly tick for this character: she’s Brazilian American, she’s beautiful, she’s immensely talented, and she really connected and personalized Isabella, her character, which was amazing because as we were shooting, our characters were having conversations that her and I were having conversations about in real life, so the lines would often blur between Rudy and Isabella and Rudy and Camila because of how personalized it was. Rudy and Isabella’s connection translated to real life.”

More about ‘Música’

The film follows Rudy, an alternate version of Mancuso himself, who’s a recent college graduate living with synesthesia, a condition that makes him hear rhythm in all sounds. He’s stuck living at home, and involved in an on and off relationship that he no longer wants. He then meets Isabella (Mendes), a Brazilian-American girl that causes him to ask himself all sorts of questions about the life he wants and the person he wants to be.

“Música” premieres on SXSW today, March 24. The film will be available to stream on Prime Video, on April 4th.