It’s no contest

“American Idol� 2002 winner Kelly Clarkson and first runner-up Justin Guarini are about to appear in their first film -- “From Justin to Kelly.� The 20th Century Fox movie musical, which places the two at spring break in Miami, went from conception to completion in record time -- about 2 1/2 months -- and is due to open nationwide June 20. Both also participated in a multi-city tour of “Idol� finalists and recorded albums, with Clarkson’s already platinum and Guarini’s due out Tuesday.

They paused recently to talk about the whirlwind their lives have become since the unexpected success of “American Idol.�

How did the competition prepare you for making a movie?

Guarini: It prepared us for the industry. It was all about get it done and get it done yesterday.

Clarkson: By the time we got to the movie, it was a piece of cake.

Guarini: Yeah, it really was. We had worked so hard. We had the big show, the touring, which was 30 shows in 40 days, and on our 10 off days, which was sporadic, it was press. We’ll be able to do any TV show, any tour, any movie and any record from now on, because it will never, ever be like this again.... There will never, ever be so much crammed into one time.

So how many weeks of filming altogether?

Clarkson: Six weeks. But what really stinks, let me point this out, is that I’m a girl and he’s a guy and I had to wake up earlier. I was up at 4 in the morning every morning getting hair and makeup....

Guarini: Oh, and I was only up at 5:30!

Clarkson: An extra hour and a half -- are you kidding me? I would kill for that! I fell asleep every morning during makeup -- I hated it!

You had six weeks to learn all the music and dance routines?

Guarini: Three weeks to prep -- and we had to learn the script as well, and the script was undergoing massive revisions,

Clarkson: So once you learned it, it would change.

Did you worry about what professional actors thought of you?

Clarkson: No, once again there wasn’t time. And also, if we were the type of people to really care what people thought of us, we wouldn’t have gone on live national television singing in front of everyone.

How different are Justin and Kelly in the movie from the real Justin and Kelly? Clarkson: Very. My character is very much like the mediator between the two girls, and in real life I’m much more spontaneous.... I’m more the leader in my group. My character is a little bit of a pushover, but there’s a bit of feistiness in her so there’s a little bit of me in her.

How about you, Justin?

Guarini: I’m much more mellow than he is in the film -- he’s kind of bouncy.

Clarkson: And a little anal....

Guarini: And a little anal? ... No, wait, that’s in the first script.

Clarkson: No, it’s not. And he’s very laid back, he’s very different.

Guarini: And in the movie, he’s also kind of the mediator in his group, and I’m more chill in the background.

Have you seen the film?

Clarkson: Yeah, we actually had a screening in my own town -- in Burleson, Texas -- the 28th.

What did you think of it?

Clarkson: The film was very cute, but I’m not a fan of watching myself anyway, so seeing yourself huge on the screen -- it was hard. I’m like, “Why is my eyebrow like that?�

Actually, the theater we had the screening is where I had my first job -- I was box [office] girl, concessions, cleaning the floors -- everything.

Guarini: Seeing my face 10 feet high was disturbing to say the least.

Was the fame in the aftermath of “American Idol� scary -- did you worry about failing?

Clarkson: No, what’s funny is, we didn’t have time to be nervous.... It was about trying to get everything done so we could get some sleep. If I do this, I can go to bed.

You don’t get nervous?

Clarkson: I’ve never been nervous. I’ve just felt at home performing.

Guarini: I get nervous.

Clarkson: But you weren’t like -- there were girls throwing up in the bathroom. If I’m nervous, I’m not having fun.

Guarini: For me, stage fright is a cool thing -- I don’t get it violently, but when I stop getting that little tingle in my chest, I should hang it up.

Is Simon Cowell [the sharp-tongued “Idol� judge] as mean as he seems?

Guarini: Simon doesn’t spare your feelings, but he actually is a nice guy.

Clarkson: That’s actually one of the things that prepared us most for the industry -- he doesn’t blow steam. There’s a lot of people who are going to blow steam and he’s all about “no, you can do totally better than that� -- and most of the time he’s right, that’s the funny part.

Guarini: You can either get offended by it or inspired by it, and we chose to get inspired.

-- Alina Tugend