Adam Levine makes film debut in Begin Again

MANILA, Philippines - Although he’s no stranger to the camera, having been a coach on the NBC show The Voice for several seasons, and making his small screen acting debut on the hit FX Drama American Horror Story, Adam Levine has never tried dramatic acting until he was approached by John Carney to be part of the upcoming movie Begin Again.

“I was honored just to be asked, and right off the bat I fell in love with the script. To have John believe in me is really exciting,” says Levine. â€œJohn saw something in me that was this character Dave — whether that is flattering or not, I can’t tell, but I would not have considered doing a film unless I was really connected to the material. I love John’s tone — he is a musician, and I think his sensibilities are those of a musician so we get along famously.”

The latest film from writer-director John Carney (Once), Begin Again is a soul-stirring comedy about what happens when lost souls meet and make beautiful music together.

“The music was easy,” admits Levine after shooting. â€œThat’s kind of my wheelhouse, I guess, but the acting has been quite a challenge in a really great way. The only thing people said to me was ‘Know your lines’ and ‘Don’t act, just listen and react,’ and that was great advice. I’ve also found that being comfortable and receptive to direction makes it a lot easier. It was daunting going into this new world, but everyone was so sweet and made me feel comfortable and at home, so I felt like I was doing my best even though I had relatively little experience.”

As the front man of Maroon 5, Adam Levine has left an indelible mark on popular music. Levine has also collaborated with various musical acts including Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Natasha Bedingfield, Slash and K’naan. Levine has also made several appearances on TV, including Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Comedy Central’s Night of Too Many Stars.

“It might sound heavy to say,” concludes Levine, “but the film asks the question: Can a song save your life? I do believe that the energy you feel when you hear a song that you respond to emotionally — it can change your life, and maybe save it in a way. Music saved my life, because I love it so much that I don’t know what I would do without it.” 


Begin Again also stars Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld and Levine’s fellow judge from The Voice, CeeLo Green.

Produced by Anthony Bregman at Likely Story, Tobin Armbrust of Exclusive Media and Judd Apatow at Apatow Productions, Begin Again opens July 9 in theaters nationwide and is distributed locally by Solar Pictures.