Sabrina Carpenter & Madison Iseman Interview: Clouds

Clouds, which arrived on Disney+ October 16, tells the inspirational story of Zach Sobiech and the talent he shared with the world despite battling cancer at the age of seventeen. His best friend and songwriting partner Sammy (Sabrina Carpenter) and his girlfriend Amy (Madison Iseman) both help him in his journey onscreen and in real life.

Carpenter and Iseman spoke to Screen Rant about the complicated dynamic between the three of them and how their real-life counterparts helped them get more in touch with the story.

Zach describes Sammy as not a third wheel, but a wing. Can you talk to me about Sammy’s relationship with Zach?

Sabrina Carpenter: Oh, it is the most pure form of a third wheel. It really is. I think they’re a very important relationship in each other’s lives, and not the one that  everyone expects it to be. I think what I love about our movie is – I don’t want to spoil anything, but – it isn’t just this love triangle of two girls fighting over the same guy they love. It’s two girls that desperately love this person as a best friend, and a boy that loves each of these girls to the utmost extreme.

I think that Sammy and Zach had a very special connection when it came to music, and I think anytime that you have a musical connection with somebody – especially someone your age – I think it’s really rare to find. Obviously, you see what they were able to create together, and how much it’s done for the people in their lives, the people beyond them, and the people that know about Zach’s story. Now we’re able to make it into a movie just a couple years later, and I’m so excited for people to take away whatever they need from this movie. There’s a lot to take away from it.

Madison, it seems that Amy has that lack of experience that youth brings, which makes it harder to gauge just how emotional of a rollercoaster she’s signing up for. Why does Amy stick with Zach through everything?

Madison Iseman: More than anything, they were soulmates. I think they were meant to be together; this was meant to happen. I think that what they went through, no one can experience unless you go through something like that. And they were able to share such an incredible time together, knowing that was the only time they had left.

Amy’s tried to explain it to me, but you can’t understand it. As far as lack of experience, she was just jumped into adulthood really quick, because this was a serious thing that they were dealing with. In a way, they were a rock for each other, and there to bring each other up, and kind of escape reality for a little bit with the time that they spent together.

Sammy is Zach’s songwriting partner, and so much more than that. Can you talk to me about how they connect with each other, especially through their songwriting?

Sabrina Carpenter: I think that was their main form of communication, if I’m being honest. That, and jokes. Their humor, in their relationship, was the most important part from what I’ve gathered, and just from spending the time with Sammy that I have and watching the documentary. I think it was a very important relationship in both of their lives, and I think they felt safe when they were writing with each other.

I think that Sammy was very much able to be a place of comfort for him to feel supported and heard. And obviously, they both encouraged each other with their talents and their abilities and lifted each other up. And at 17 years old, were able to make an album that was – when I was 17, I was singing songs about… I mean, adult things, but there’s something that because their music is so raw and stripped down, and they’re being very honest and sincere with where they’re at in their lives – there’s something so incredible about that.

It was very much a treat to be able to not only meet Sammy and work with Sammy and become Sammy’s friend, but to be a part of something like this and be a vessel for their story that’s going to touch so many lives and already has.

Laura [Sobiech] obviously wrote the book that this film is based on. Was she on set with you? If so, how did she help inform some of your performances?

Madison Iseman: Yeah, they they all were there pretty much half the time of us filming, which I actually found a comfort in. It was very nice having them there; it just felt right. I do remember our first day of filming, or close to it, Laura was there from the beginning.

There was one day in particular, where Fin first put on the bald cap, and Laura was there to see him, and she suddenly was brought to tears. I just can’t even imagine what was going on in her head right then and there, but they were our support system and they filled us with so much knowledge and everything we needed to carry on these characters. Their support, I think, meant more to us than they know, because I don’t think we could have done it without them.

Both Sammy and Amy are strong, powerful woman. What do you think so many young women can take away from Amy and Sammy’s journeys?

Sabrina Carpenter: I think to love the people you love really hard. It wasn’t just their love and appreciation for Zach, but also their love and appreciation for each other post-Zach. And when they didn’t have Zach anymore, how much they were there for each other.

One of my favorite scenes in the whole movie is the last scene with Sammy and Amy looking up at the sky. I think that’s such an incredible moment, and that really happened in real life, which still blows my mind to this day. It’s mind-blowing, really.

There’s so much to take away from them, because they are so poised and smart and just beautiful-hearted people. It just shows you that everyone’s going through something, and the way that they were able to turn something that could have been an experience that really took them down – it lifted them up. And it inspired them to continue to do so much for not only people all over the world that have osteosarcoma, but beyond that, people that are struggling with anything. It’s such an incredible story that both of them are such a pivotal part in, so I feel very grateful.