Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta portray the young couple with stars in their eyes at the center of the story in “Rock of Ages”. At the core of the film is a boy meets girl love story woven into classic Hollywood dreams of fame. The young lover in “Rock of Ages” have come here to make it big and thinking it’s going to be easy. But it turns out to be a lot harder to stay on the path to keep believing in the thing that led them there in the first place.

We sat down with Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta and spoke about the 80′s, coming to Hollywood, finding the moment when you thought you made it in this industry, and working with Tom Cruise and Mary J. Blige.

What do you think about 80′s music you think this film got right and what would you not want to be brought back?
Julianne Hough: I think Alan Shankman did this movie right so there doesn’t need to be anymore 80′s movies. No but I think the music is so incredible and the melodies are what make the songs so iconic and classic. As far as what shouldn’t be brought back are the high rise bikini bottom.

Was the pole dancing tough?
Julianne Hough: It was extremely tough. I thought it was going to be a lot of bumping and grinding on a pole then I come to find out that there’s actual upper body strength that you need to have and my arms were totally ripped. I had bruises everywhere all along the inside of my inner thighs and lots of sore muscles.

How was it like when each one of you came to Hollywood?
Diego Boneta: It was tough, I moved in from Mexico City with my family and it was starting again from ground zero. You moved to LA where there is a lot of competition and it’s the mecca of the entertainment business and I realized how much I loved what I did and how much I wanted it.

Was it odd to be a superstar when you were 14 and you couldn’t walk around the streets in Mexico without body guards and be mobbed and come to Los Angeles and be a total unknown and start all over again?
Diego Boneta: It was crazy, it was very weird. I felt like I was Bruce Wayne, I was doing concerts in Latin America and that was like Batman then I was coming back here and no one knew who I was here. It was very humbling and I started appreciating getting recognized. So it was very weird.

Julianne how was it for you coming to LA?
Julianne Hough: My story was very unconventional. I had two thousand dollars in my pocket when I came to LA but I told my dad I had five so I could move out here. I was lucky because everything I went out for I just knew I had to get it or else I would have to go home. I remember I lived with a bunch of models amd they would do a job and get about ten grand and then they wouldn’t work for about a month and they would just be in their pajamas all day.

Did you guys have a moment where you thought this is it this is the moment you’re going to go somewhere?
Diego Boneta: I have a crazy story, in the summer of 2010 I auditioned for “Glee” for the role that Chord Overstreet got. I was one of three finalist and I didn’t get the part I was very bumped because I thought that was the perfect job. Then a year later after I get “Rock of Ages”, Adam Shankman and I were talking, but for the “Glee” audition I had to put myself on tape singing “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, and Adam said I knew Diego it was you when I You Tubed you and that video came up. Never in a million years would I have thought that-that video was going to get me “Rock of Ages”. There is something that Steve Jobs said once that resonated with me, he said you can never connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking back.

Can you talk about Tom Cruise as a rock God?
Julianne Hough: He really is a rock God. I would have loved to have seen him in the 80′s as Stacee Jaxx because I think he would have been the most sought out rock star.
Diego Boneta: Joe Elliot from Death Leopard said on set and he went up to Tom as said you’re a movie star, a rock star, I hate you. What can Tom not do but he’s just as humble as he is talented.

Julianne can you talk a little bit about working with Mary J.
Julianne Hough: I was star stuck to work with Tom Cruise but there is also this overwhelming nervousness I had when I would sing with Mary J because I don’t think I had anyone as influential in R&B music as Mary J is on set. The success that she’s had and the human being that she is. The coolest part about working with her is that we were on set for hours in a strip club and there was a lot of down time where we just bonded. We’re really close, she calls and leaves me messages out of the blue all the time. She said “I just want to let you know that I love you so much Julianne and you’re so amazing. I’m here for you wether I’m your friend, sister, or aunt, your mom, whatever you want me to be i’ll be’. My dad is kind of obsessed with her, he didn’t get star stuck over anyone but he got to sing Happy Birthday to somebody with Mary J. Blige and he still talks about it.

Were there any scenes that were cut but will be on DVD? 
Julianne Hough: Yes, “Rock you like a Hurricane” was the duet that I do with Tom and it is bad freaking ass. It is literally ass, this was the sexiest but rough performance in the movie but it was a little too much for people. I think women didn’t like my character after that scene so they cut it out but it will be on the DVD. I like to say it’s a musical lap dance. This was the most physical dancing that I saw Tom do and he was amazing.

“Rock of Ages” is in theaters June 15th.