Mandy Moore Shares Update On Her Relationship With Shane West 20 Years After A Walk To Remember
Mandy Moore will always remember Shane West.
The former onscreen coupled notably starred together in the 2002 romantic drama "A Walk to Remember," based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name. They played Jamie Sullivan (Moore) and Landon Carter (West), two teenagers from different social circles who somehow fall in love. While the film is already two decades old as of this writing, it has managed to withstand the test of time and remain a fan-favorite to this day.
Part of the reason why the film became a hit was Moore and West's undeniable chemistry. They were never a couple in real life, but West once admitted that they had a mutual crush on one another. "I think we both had a little bit of a crush, but then we were just there for each other in the most honest and purest of ways," he told Vulture in 2021. "That sounds incredibly corny but is true and rare." He also said they had formed a bond with the rest of the filming crew, making their on-set experience all the more special. "We all had chemistry offscreen, in the sense of bonding and in friendship, including [Mandy], which is the funniest thing because all the other characters had been bullying her," West added. "Everyone liked each other. It was the opposite of the movie. Everyone got along and had a great time."
With the film now being 20 years old, we can't help but wonder — are Moore and West still friends? Apparently so!
Mandy Moore and Shane West keep in touch to this day
Mandy Moore and Shane West may not have had the opportunity to work on the same project since "A Walk to Remember," but it doesn't mean that they've cut ties with one another. Speaking with E! News, the "Only Hope" singer dished that they have not lost contact at all! "We still connect via text," she shared.
And to commemorate the film's 20th anniversary, she even proposed doing something special for the fans. "We should do like an Instagram Live together," she mused. "Maybe, I'll have to reach out to him and see if we have time and, maybe, rope Adam Shankman, who's our director, in, 'cause he's just so much fun as well." We'll hold you to it, Mandy!
It's really not surprising that Moore and West remained friends all these years. On the film's 15th anniversary in 2017, Moore divulged that West had helped her greatly since she was only a teenager at the time, and West already had acting experience. "Shane was so cool. Everything about him — the way he dressed, the little cigarettes that he smoked, and the music he listened to. He was the character to me and there was definitely a part of me that absolutely fell in love with him," she told Entertainment Weekly. "I felt incredibly lucky right off the bat that I had someone who was as willing to work with me and who was patient and understanding. He was just the perfect partner for that."