Brock Howard and Zoe Byrne's relationship had become a constant tabloid fixture, and the pairing seemed to enhance each other's popularity. Contrary to Brock's fears, Zoe earned rave reviews for her guest appearance on "Raging Bull II," with numerous critics declaring that the blonde Australian model should launch a hip-hop career of her own.
Zoe loved hip-hop as much as she loved modeling, but her real goal was to make it in Hollywood-and that goal was realized when she was approached to star in a remake of the classic teen romantic film "Save the Last Dance." There was no question as to who her co-star would be...
Brock was nervous about appearing in his first movie, and spent thousands of dollars on acting lessons in preparation for the role; Zoe was also a bit worried, and worked extensively with a vocal coach to get the right American accent for her part. By the time filming commenced, Brock and Zoe were solid enough to deliver good performances as Derek Reynolds and Sara Johnson, the teen lovers from different backgrounds; the rapper and the model were both in their early-20s, but they looked young enough to pass as 17-year-olds.
Emma Clancy, the Australian director of "The Food Fight" and "Sonny Clay," loved working with Brock and Zoe; their relationship reminded her of her own romance with the black comedian Tommy Wilkins. Brock and Zoe were naturally charismatic, photogenic and very, very horny; the couple constantly flirted with each other between takes, even after scenes featuring emotionally charged arguments.
The very last scene filmed for the "Save the Last Dance" remake was the scene in which Derek and Sara make love for the very first time. Emma always thought that the love scene in the original film was too restrained, and was convinced that the remake had to have something hotter.
"I have an idea," she told Brock and Zoe the day filming of the scene was going to take place. "I'm going to have the cinematographer just set up a few digital cameras in the room. Then he's going to step out, and we're going to have you two do the scene however you'd like. I just want it to be as intimate as possible. How does that sound?"