Much like her character in the movie Aquamarine, Joanna “JoJo” Levesque once swooned over former costar Jake McDorman.
“It’s so funny ‘cause I saw him on Raya. We were both on there, and I’m like, ‘Do I swipe? ‘Cause, like, you’re cute,’” JoJo, 34, revealed during a recent appearance on First We Feast’s Truth or Dab: Rapid Fire, referring to the celebrity-favorite dating app. “No, I just kept going. I’m like, ‘That ship has sailed.’”
JoJo and Emma Roberts starred as best friends Hailey and Claire in the 2006 family comedy. In Aquamarine, the girls agree to help the titular mermaid (played by Sara Paxton) prove to her father that true love exists by setting her up with the popular lifeguard Raymond (played by McDorman).
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The “Too Little, Too Late” singer unveiled her crush on McDorman while answering a question about the film, which read, “You were in an infamous Aquamarine scene that became a viral meme years later. Tell us, what were you whispering in Emma Robert’s ear during that scene?” In the movie, Hailey is seen excitedly whispering something into Claire’s ear as they eavesdrop on one of Aquamarine and Raymond’s dates.
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“We were probably talking about Jake and how cute he was,” JoJo revealed.
Though McDorman’s current relationship status is unknown, he was previously romantically connected to his Manhattan Love Story costar Lio Tipton. JoJo, for her part, got engaged to actor Dexter Darden in 2021 but the pair split one year later.
JoJo opened up about her experience working on Aquamarine in her September 2024 memoir Over the Influence. In the book, JoJo admitted to feeling a “little jealous” of Roberts, 33, for her Hollywood lineage and “perceived ease with which she navigated the world.” She wrote, “How much better would my life have been if I’d been born with (what seemed like) a silver spoon? And a cheetah-fast metabolism?”
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However, JoJo noted that the two have become friends in the years since by bonding over “real-life s—” they have gone through.
On an episode of “The Viall Files” podcast that same month, JoJo revealed that filming Aquamarine “brought out some insecurities in me.” She explained, “I was, like, the tomboy, [and] I was playing the tomboy. I was not as skinny as the other girls. I felt [heavy] next to them. … I think that from a young age, we’re kind of aware or measuring ourselves up to the other girls — and I was no different.”
Despite having some not-so-great memories from the experience, JoJo still thinks fondly of the movie. “It’s so funny, [and] I hope that word isn’t offensive,” she said on the podcast. “It’s such a moment [and], like, a little cult classic, low-key, for girls of our generation. It’s nice that even women my age who have daughters play that for their daughters. It’s really cute.”
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