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"The Longest Ride" Actors Let Their On-Camera Chemistry Evolve Naturally

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Two generations, two love stories happening at once in the new film, The Longest Ride.

Luke Collins is a bull rider.  Sophia is an art student. Sparks fly when the two meet in an unlikely manner, then everything changes when they witness a car accident involving a 91-year-old man named Ira played by Alan Alda.

The film is based on a book by New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks marking his 10th novel-to-film adaptation.  CBS4's Lisa Petrillo met up with the stars and the author at a dude ranch in Davie.

"It's great, and it's always fun and exciting," said Sparks about the film,  "It's always something new. This is particularly fun and satisfying because it's such a great film. My first emotion when I saw it was –wow!"

Scott Eastwood, 29, is Luke. Actress Britt Robertson plays Sophia.

"The bull riding thing," asked Petrillo, "Were you rubbing your butt at the end of every day?"

"It was quite an experience to buck a bull. I don't know if I would do it again but I have the ultimate respect for these guys," Eastwood said.

Watch Lisa Petrillo's Interview With The Cast & Author Of The Longest Ride

The two actors let their on-camera chemistry evolve naturally.

"It was a progression, I think, getting to know each other and figure out my style, his style," said Britt. The rehearsals helped.

"Then we would take showers together and that really loosened things up," Eastwood joked.

Like all of Sparks' works, The Longest Ride pulls at the heartstrings. It's about love, sacrifice and finding the balance. The author worked hand-in-hand daily with the filmmakers.

"I've been real fortunate that everyone wants the same thing—to make the best movie possible. They all love the story and they want to capture as much of the story as they could but make changes necessary to make a great film," Sparks said.

As the son of one of big screens most famous cowboys, Clint Eastwood, there's no denying the bloodline.

The modern day cowboy told Petrillo he has a picture of his dad at age 12 back in 1942 and one of himself.

'You can't tell the difference from when he was 12-years-old and I was 12-years-old. It's pretty cool," Eastwood said.

The Longest Ride is in theaters Friday, April 10th.

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