Freddy Rodriguez, Alan Rickman Feel ‘Bottle Shock’

Freddy Rodriguez stars in California wine-making drama Bottle Shock, which is in select theaters now. I met up with the actor, 33, and his costars at The Regency Hotel in NYC to talk about the flick.

“I was an average wine drinker, who would drink just at parties and at dinner,” Freddy says. “Before doing the film, I would wonder what the big deal is, and it’s not until I had the first really good glass of wine that I had a wine epiphany and I understood.”

He continues, “Before I went out there, I would have a glass of wine at dinner and think nothing of it. It’s not until you go out there and you have that first incredible glass of wine. If you have the means and the luxury of only drinking that kind of great wine, then you will do so. If you have a tomato epiphany, you will say ‘I will only eat these tomatoes because they are so fantastic and they blew my mind.’ I could see how people who would afford it would do it.”

He admits they drank juice, not wine, on set.

We’re told not to ask Alan Rickman about Harry Potter, but he provides drama of his own by dissing Kentucky Fried Chicken.

“I’m a little scared by it,” Alan says. “The words ‘secret recipe’ – I can think of a few secret recipes. But I wouldn’t want to criticize Kentucky Fried Chicken publicly. I’m sure it’s marvelous and health-giving.”

Bill Pullman sneezes on a plate of cookies so as to mark his territory. (The chocolate chip ones with the powdered sugar are the best!)

Rachael Taylor, who made a splash in Transformers, also appears in the flick.

“All I can say is my palate is more discerning because I have much more respect for the wine-making process than I did before Bottle Shock,” the Aussie actress says. “But by no means a connoisseur. I know what I like, which is an exciting thing, because I can pick out what I like – certain types of wine and certain flavors that are appealing to you – whereas before it was kind of like whatever you put in from of me.”

So, why should we see this film?

“It’s the classic underdog story where people go to the movies and they root for the underdog,” Freddy says. “I think it definitely shows a possibility of us as human beings that we can persevere. You walk away, and you feel good.”

Bottle Shock is in select theaters now.