'Lust for Love' clip: Caitlin Stasey, Fran Kranz share awkward moment

Whedonverse fans are sure to flock to writer/director/producer Anton King’s new rom-com Lust for Love, which reunites quite a few Dollhouse alumni, including actors Fran Kranz and Dichen Lachman. Kranz leads the cast as Astor, a lovable yet hopeless guy who ruins his chance at a happily ever after with his childhood crush, Mila (Tron Legacy‘s Beau Garrett). Convinced that the reason he’s so unlucky in love is because of his lack of experience with women, Astor enlists the help of Mila’s ex-best friend, Cali (Lachman), to teach him a thing or two about wooing the opposite sex.

EW caught up with Reign actress Caitlin Stasey who stars in the film as Astor’s new fun-loving neighbor, Trinity. Read on to hear what Stasey had to say about working on Lust for Love, and check out an exclusive clip from the film — which is available Friday online and On Demand — below:

Despite having all the elements of a classic rom-com, Stasey says there’s more to Lust for Love than meets the eye. The actress says what she enjoyed most about the film is that it’s a complete diversion from the classic rom-com, since it features an empowered female character.

“The thing about rom-coms through the ages is that they’ve all been like, ‘Look at this female who’s so strong, so empowered, but her life is in shambles and how is it going to be fixed? Oh, a man! We’re going to get a man in there and he’s going to make everything better,'” Stasey says. “There’s some role reversal in [Lust for Love], which is in fact just this hopeless guy who enlists the help of one woman in particular. I think there’s a lot more heart [in the film], a lot more sincerity, and a lot more genuine human interaction.”

Stasey also teased that that viewers can expect to see “a big sort of twist” for her character, Trinity, who the actress describes as “sweet, sincere, and a little bit naive.”

Finally, Stasey had some nice things to say about her co-star Fran Kranz, with whom she shares most of her scenes in Lust for Love. Despite not falling into the slew of Whedonverse actors who star in the film, Stasey revealed in our interview that she had actually met Kranz prior to coming on to film Lust For Love through Dichen Lachman, with whom she’d acted alongside in the Australian television show Neighbours.

“Fran is such a wonderfully talented actor and so likable — I think likability is vital for his role particularly,” Stasey says of Kranz’s portrayal of Astor. “If you didn’t sympathize with him or laugh with him, then it’d be a failure, but it’s easy to believe in his clumsy sweetness.”

Check out our exclusive premiere of the Lust for Love trailer, which features fellow Whedonverse actors Felicia Day, Enver Gjokaj, Maurissa Tancharoen, and Miracle Laurie.

Lust for Love will be available through On Demand and online starting Friday. Find more details at the movie’s website.