How to Deal is the story of 17-year-old Halley Martin, who has been convinced by the outrageous relationships around her that the whole concept of true love is vastly overrated. "Halley’s parents are recently divorced. Her sister’s getting married, and she’s convinced they’re not in love at all," says the film’s star, Mandy Moore, who at 19 years already has three Platinum-selling albums and two successful feature films (A Walk to Remember, The Princess Diaries) under her belt. Moore adds that Halley’s best friend Scarlett, "with whom she made a pact that they were not going to fall in love, betrays her and falls head-over-heels for a new guy. So, that solidifies Halley’s view on love - it doesn’t exist."
How to Deal is a story about love in all its forms: parental love, romantic love, sibling love, friendship and intergenerational love. Moore considers herself "a pretty romantic person," she explains. "I believe in love and falling in love at a young age, and so I go against the grain. I think the exact opposite of what Halley thinks in the film."
Moore was excited at the chance to play someone different from herself, yet with qualities from which she could learn. "Halley’s story is so accessible," says the actress. "I think she’s a really important person for girls my age to see go through this pretty huge change throughout the course of the movie."
Director Clare Kilner was delighted to cast Moore in the role of Halley Martin. "Halley is an investigator who’s curious about people. She sees beauty in the mundane and is a great observer of life. Mandy has that quality as well. She is fascinated by people and loves to watch them. She approaches her work with honesty, simplicity and a real passion."
Inevitably, Halley herself falls in love. "She meets that one quirky guy, Macon Forrester, who has the same philosophy about love. And for some reason they’re the right combination. Macon and Halley find something to learn from each other, and feel very protective of one another. It’s almost as if they say to each other, ‘I’m not going to hurt you and you’re not going to hurt me, so everything will be fine. We’re not really in a relationship. We’re friends who occasionally hang out or make out, or whatever.’"
Trent Ford (Gosford Park) plays Macon, whose budding friendship with Halley turns her preconceived notions of love inside out. "Macon sees something in Halley that really strikes a chord with him, and he’s not afraid to go after her," comments producer William Teitler. "What happens between them is something that surprises them both. They earn their relationship throughout the course of the film."
How to Deal was the "first film that I really wanted to do for myself," says Ford. "I wanted the part and the challenges it presented."
Surrounding the character of Halley is a collection of heartbroken and hopelessly in-love souls. Allison Janney, the acclaimed star of the hit NBC series "The West Wing," stars as Halley’s mom, Lydia. "Lydia is a woman whose husband has left her and she has to deal with the rest of her life by herself or wherever," says Janney. "She tries to hold her family together and be a great mother and yet underneath that she just feels she’ll never be loved again."
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