Get ready for a snow down! The musical reboot of 2000 classic Snow Day premieres on both Nickelodeon and Paramount+ on December 16, 2022, and you don’t want to miss it! J-14 exclusively sat down with Shelby Simmons, who plays Claire in the musical reimagining of the original movie starring Chevy Chase and Josh Peck, where she discussed working on a musical for the first time and filming *those* romantic scenes with Snow Day costar Ky Baldwin.

Shelby Simmons On Filming Romantic Scenes With Ky Baldwin

ICYMI, Shelby’s character of Claire is the main love interest of Hal (played by Ky Baldwin) and one of the driving forces of the movie. In order to help Hal express his feelings for Claire, his sister Natalie (played by Michaela Russell) decides she must challenge the town’s cranky snowplow man (played by Jerry Trainor) to pull off the task of creating a second snow day.

And how was it for Shelby to film those romantic scenes with her Snow Day costar?

“I don’t know if it was ever awkward,” Shelby said, admitting that “it’s impossible” not to like Ky — and she’d “pay money” to see anyone try! “He’s just so sweet,” she gushed. “And he’s so kind and he’s so open to new experiences. I mean, honestly, if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have gone on half the adventures that I went on.”

Shelby revealed that thanks to Ky’s planning, the Snow Day cast went on loads of “adventures” while filming in Canada — which made shooting those intimate scenes even easier.

“When it came to those more intimate scenes, because they were one of the last things we [filmed], I had already built up a bond [with Ky],” she explained. “So being able to have an intimate, romantic scene with him, and especially because Claire’s feelings for him were not too far past mine. She gets to know him a little bit throughout the film, but when they come together, it’s very much an unknown. So, the feelings that I had for him already were super helpful in lessening that awkwardness in the situation.”

“And I really enjoyed the tenderness of the moment really,” she added. “It was a really sweet scene, one of my favorites in the auditioning process.”

'Snow Day' Actress Shelby Simmons Gets Real About Filming Romantic Scenes With Costar Ky Baldwin
Nickelodeon/Paramount

Shelby Simmons on Working on a Musical

“I have never been in any musicals or singing in anything,” Shelby, who you might recognize from Disney+’s Stargirl and Nickelodeon’s Henry Danger, exclusively told J-14 in December 2022. “So when I got the role, I was like, ‘Oh wow, OK, cool.’ I actually prepped a month before we even got to Canada.”

Described as “a musical reimagining of the beloved comedy classic film,” Snow Day follows a group of kids who are determined to achieve their dreams when their school closes for a snow day, with musical numbers added throughout.

Shelby’s musical inexperience didn’t stop her from showing up for those singing and dancing numbers, though. The Nickelodeon star took both singing and dancing lessons prior to filming, determined not to stand out compared to her other costars who had backgrounds in Broadway and musical theatre.

“So I was like, ‘OK, I am not going to be that one person that you noticed in the dances that just is not as good as everybody else,'” she recalled. “I put a lot of work into it and I’m very proud.”

Snow Day premieres on December 16 at 7 p.m. on Nickelodeon, with streaming available on Paramount+ the same day.

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