Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

It follows the (frequently excruciating) path of Georgia Nicolson, a 14-year-old in the pensioner-haven of Eastbourne as she and her friends learn about life and love and uncomfortable pants. For director Gurinder Chadha - of Bend It Like Beckham fame - the key was finding young talent to bring Rennison's painfully accurate reminiscences to life, in particular her young leads, Georgia Groome who (coincidentally) plays Georgia, and Aaron Johnson, who plays her love interest, local musician Robbie. Both are experienced actors which is just as well as Gurinder threw them in at the deep end. Which, as it happens, is slightly ironic. "We met briefly at the beginning and then there was the snog," explains Aaron. A snog that takes place in a swimming pool. "The water was really cold," reveals Georgia. "And we were in it all day," adds Robbie. "And we couldn't have the water too hot because then it would steam," explains Gurinder. "We had to be in the shallow end," adds Aaron, "so we had to bend our legs so it looked like we were deeper." The three laugh at the memory: "I think that's one of the most romantic scenes," says Gurinder. "That they pulled that off given all these shenanigans, that's testament to their abilities." As Gurinder reveals though, it could have been very different: she initially turned Georgia down for the role: "I'd seen Georgia in London to Brighton," explains Gurinder, "and I thought she was terrific in that. I needed a 14-year-old so I was thrilled to learn she was 14 - she was 11 in London to Brighton - and I wanted to see her first, because I thought my job would be done. "Georgia came in and I was shocked. She looked like a little girl, and she didn't respond to the material. She was very lacklustre and I thought it might just be nerves but then the idea of her snogging a 17-year-old boy I thought would look very wrong." Four months later, after Gurinder returned from maternity leave and still had no lead actress, she decided to give Georgia another shot. "I thought bring her back and I'll beat the performance out of her if I have to! And then in walks this young woman. She was more aware, more grown-up, and she was funny and clever and really got it. I was really happy." Finally, for those who haven't read the books and are wondering, Angus is Georgia's cat. "That cat deserves an Oscar," laughs Gurinder. "It was totally prepared, always hit its marks and always did what it was told. And all for a few slices of chicken..."