'Underdogs' Star Maddie Hasson Dishes About Her Leading Role, Handsome Co-Workers & Cracker Barrel

Maybe you know Maddie Hasson best as Willa Monday from the FOX TV series "The Finder."

The 17-year-old actress and native of Wilmington, NC, has turned from TV to films for the summer as she shoots the high school football movie "Underdogs" in North Canton and throughout Stark County.

Don't know a whole lot about "Underdogs" yet? We'll . 

Below, Hasson talks about her leading role as Renee Donahue, how she feels about having two love interests in the movie and why they know her by name in the at The Strip.

North Canton Patch: Tell me a little bit about your character and how they fit into the movie.

Maddie Hasson: I play Renee Donahue, and she’s a cheerleader for the rival football team, the Falcons — the big powerhouse team in this small Ohio town. I meet Bobby Burkett, who is the head quarterback for the Knights, the small underdog team. And we kind of, you know, fall madly in love with each other, obviously, the moment we meet.

North Canton Patch: I wasn’t aware of this love story in Underdogs! I think that’ll appeal to a lot of people.

Hasson: There is a lot of love. There is a big love story for sure. There’ll be a lot of teens loving this movie with (Logan Huffman's) smile.

North Canton Patch: What attracted you to this role?

Hasson: I like Renee because she’s just genuinely sweet. And I read the script and I found out that it was a true story, and someone’s personal story, and almost all the people and the crew and a lot of the cast are from Ohio. The director has grown up in Canton and lived here and I think that aspect to it is going to make it a lot more real and a lot more relatable and poignant. For me that just makes it so special that I just wanted to be a part of it.

Also, I get two love interests, so really, how could I pass that up?

North Canton Patch: How’s filming going so far?

Hasson: Really great. Everyone’s really wonderful out here. The cast is wonderful, the crew is wonderful. I’m really loving it. We’’re all having a lot of fun. Plus the whole cast staying at the Best Western, so it’s a bit like summer camp. We’re forced to spend some quality time together, which actually is wonderful because I get two handsome men I have to hang out with all the time. Darn it.

North Canton Patch: Because North Canton and Stark County is our home, I think people will be curious to know how you guys are spending your down time. Do you even have free time?

Hasson: We have free time for sure. We’ve experienced The Strip. There’s a mall. There’s some restaurants. That’s pretty much the gist. It’’s kind of embarrassing because Cracker Barrel is the only place that’s within walking distance from the hotel … So the people at Cracker Barrel know me now. I’ve gone pretty much every morning — sometimes twice a day. They recognize me. They help me to my regular table. They know me.

North Canton Patch: You at least like Cracker Barrel, right?

Hasson: Oh yeah. I’m from the South. There’s no way they’d let me back into the South if I didn't.