Q&A: 'Rules Don't Apply' stars learned a lot from Beatty

LOS ANGELES (AP) — At the heart of Warren Beatty's long-in-the-making "Rules Don't Apply" is a burgeoning but forbidden romance between a pair of wide-eyed young adults, freshly plucked from their traditional upbringings and thrust into the capricious world of Howard Hughes and 1958 Hollywood.

Serving as distant proxies for Beatty's own Hollywood beginnings, Lily Collins stars as the innocent aspiring actress Marla Mabrey, a Baptist beauty queen turned one of Hughes' many female contract players, and Alden Ehrenreich as the ambitious Frank Forbes, who gets his start driving for Hughes and "his girls."

The two young actors reunited recently to discuss the unique process of working with Beatty and how his career and life choices have influenced theirs.

Yep, they were in the Women's Club together, and I think there was another club in Beverly Hills, and they used to spend time organizing events together and were constantly talking about each other's kids.

Did you have any touchstones — whether a family member or cinema — for the time period of the film?

Otherwise I just watched old movies and took in the essence of those women and read chapters about the Hughes girls that he brought in from different states.

[...] I called him at home and the first words out of his mouth were "I told you never to call me at home!" Then he was like, "Just kidding, hi!" It started this tone of the entire experience which was organic but also the most unconventional thing I've ever been part of.

[...] one night after dinner, I asked if we could read one of the scenes and not knowing whether I was going to be in the film or whether it was going to happen, honestly.

[...] to see Annette (Bening) have the amazing career that she has but also have this incredible family and the kids who they have are so intellectual, kindhearted and witty young people?