Joel Courtney recently spoke with UPI about 40 Dates and 40 Nights, the new romantic comedy starring Joel Courtney and Bailee Madison.

In the film, Bailee Madison plays Leah, a single woman who accepts an unusual offer from her grandmother Gigi, played by Annie Potts: go on 40 dates, and if none of them work out, Gigi will pay Leah’s rent for a year.

Joel Courtney plays Mason, Leah’s date No. 20. Their connection starts with tension after an awkward earlier encounter, but Joel told UPI that the bickering between Mason and Leah helps show the strength of their chemistry. What begins as frustration can become something much deeper when the emotional energy turns in a more honest direction.

The interview gives fans a closer look at Joel’s approach to the romantic comedy, including why the feuding between Mason and Leah was fun to play and why their relationship needed a full emotional arc. Joel also talked about the film’s lighter tone, the challenge of modern dating, and the way 40 Dates and 40 Nights explores connection, empathy, and growth.

40 Dates and 40 Nights is directed by Andy Delaney and written by Sarah “Howie” Howard. The cast includes Bailee Madison, Joel Courtney, Jack Schumacher, Luxy Banner, Eric Nelsen, Jai Rodriguez, and Annie Potts.

The film opened in select theaters on June 26 and arrived on digital video-on-demand on June 30.

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Joel Courtney and director Andy Delaney recently spoke with Fangirlish about 40 Dates and 40 Nights, the new romantic comedy starring Joel as Mason opposite Bailee Madison as Leah.

The film follows Leah, a woman exhausted by modern dating, who accepts a challenge from her grandmother to go on 40 dates in 40 nights in exchange for a year’s worth of rent. Along the way, Mason becomes more than just another date, giving the story a gradual, earned romantic arc.

In the Fangirlish interview, Joel Courtney discusses the care required to build Mason’s emotional growth across the film, especially since movies are often shot out of order. He explains how important it is to track where the character has been, what has happened previously, and where the relationship is headed.

That attention to detail is central to Mason’s story. His first date with Leah does not go well, but Mason keeps showing up. Rather than relying on a single grand romantic gesture, 40 Dates and 40 Nights lets the relationship develop through smaller moments of trust, vulnerability, humor, and persistence.

Delaney also talks about directing the film’s romantic comedy tone, including influences from classic early-2000s rom-coms while keeping the movie grounded in the frustrations and emotional walls of modern dating. The interview highlights the collaboration between Joel, Bailee Madison, and Delaney in shaping the film’s chemistry and emotional pacing.

Joel also points to one of the film’s more intimate scenes, where Mason and Leah share a long conversation in her apartment, as a key moment where the relationship deepens. It is the kind of scene that looks effortless on screen but requires careful work from the actors and director to make the emotional shift feel natural.

40 Dates and 40 Nights is out now. Fans can follow Joel Courtney on Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube for more updates.

Joel Courtney recently joined director Andy Delaney for a new Moviefone interview about their romantic comedy 40 Dates and 40 Nights, which opened in theaters on June 26 and becomes available On Demand June 30.

The film stars Bailee Madison as Leah Jones, a struggling romantic who accepts a wager from her aunt, played by Annie Potts: go on 40 dates in 40 nights to find true love. Joel Courtney stars as Mason, opposite Madison in a story built around romance, comedy, friendship, and the messy search for connection.

In the interview, Joel talked about his first reaction to the screenplay and how he approached playing Mason. He described reading the script first as both an actor and a fan, looking for whether the story pulled him in and kept him turning the pages. For Joel, the humor and heart of Sarah Howard’s script gave him room to discover Mason scene by scene.

Joel also discussed building Mason and Leah’s relationship on screen with Bailee Madison. The two had known each other casually before filming, and Joel said that working together on set in Houston came together naturally. He credited Madison’s talent and collaboration, along with Delaney’s direction, for giving the cast room to play, explore, and find authentic moments between the characters.

Director Andy Delaney praised the casting of Joel Courtney and Bailee Madison, saying the production “struck gold” with the two leads. The movie also features Luxy Banner, Jai Rodriguez, and Annie Potts, adding a mix of romantic comedy energy and veteran screen presence to the ensemble.

Fans can read the full Moviefone interview for more from Joel Courtney and Andy Delaney on the making of 40 Dates and 40 Nights, including Joel’s thoughts on Mason, working with Bailee Madison, and finding the right chemistry for the film.

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Joel Courtney recently joined Popternative to talk about his new romantic comedy 40 Dates and 40 Nights, starring alongside Bailee Madison.

In the interview, Joel discusses how he approaches each role as its own story while still bringing a developed acting process to the work. He also talks about finding the heart of Mason, his character in 40 Dates and 40 Nights, and why grounded comedy works best when audiences can laugh with the characters while still caring about what they are going through.

40 Dates and 40 Nights follows Leah, played by Bailee Madison, who accepts her grandmother’s unusual challenge: 40 dates in 40 nights in exchange for a full year of rent. Along the way, awkward dates, unexpected sparks, and honest self-reflection force her to confront what may really be standing in the way of love.

The film stars Bailee Madison, Joel Courtney, Jack Schumacher, Luxy Banner, Eric Nelsen, Jai Rodriguez, and Annie Potts. It is directed by Andy Delaney and written by Sarah “Howie” Howard.

40 Dates and 40 Nights released in select theaters on June 26 and arrives On Demand on June 30.

Watch the short Joel-focused interview clip above, then continue below for the complete Popternative conversation with Joel Courtney and director Andy Delaney.

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40 Dates and 40 Nights, the new romantic comedy starring Bailee Madison, Joel Courtney, and Annie Potts, received a strong press mention from Martin Cid Magazine.

The article describes the film as a romantic comedy built around a sharp, modern premise: Leah, played by Bailee Madison, accepts her grandmother’s challenge to go on 40 dates in 40 nights in exchange for a full year of rent.

Joel Courtney is highlighted as a key part of the story, playing the man who disrupts Leah’s carefully counted dating experiment. Martin Cid Magazine describes Joel’s character as “the complication the math did not account for,” positioning him as the person who forces Leah to confront whether love can really be reduced to a numbers game.

The film is directed by Andy Delaney, written by Sarah Howard, and distributed by Brainstorm Media. Bailee Madison also produces alongside Randy Wayne. The cast includes Bailee Madison, Joel Courtney, Annie Potts, Jai Rodriguez, Jack Schumacher, Eric Nelsen, Bethany Geaber, Mia Challis, Sterling Knight, and Mark Hapka.

For fans of Joel Courtney’s work in Super 8, The Kissing Booth films, Jesus Revolution, Soul on Fire, and The Messengers, 40 Dates and 40 Nights offers another opportunity to see Joel in a romantic comedy setting with a strong ensemble cast.

40 Dates and 40 Nights begins its limited theatrical release on June 26, 2026, before arriving on demand at the end of the month.

Read the full Martin Cid Magazine article here: 40 Dates and 40 Nights: Bailee Madison takes 40 dates for a year of rent, now in theaters.

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