Dylan O'Brien on His 'Smart' Teen Comedy 'The First Time' (Video)

It's a long way from Teen Wolf's Stiles, but Dylan O'Brien turns up his signature charm in Jon Kasdan's indie teen romancer, The First Time.

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Starring opposite Britt Robertson, O'Brien plays a high school senior pining after his childhood crush (played by Victoria Justice), who unexpectedly falls for a new acquaintance who couldn't be more different. The film follows the duo on a whirlwind weekend that sees all the highs and lows of young love.

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"This story and this script is something that doesn't come around much," O'Brien tells The Hollywood Reporter. "It's just something very smart and it's a teen romance. There's no raunch factor to it -- and it's even called The First Time -- you'd think that you'd read a script called The First Time nowadays and they'd literally be like, 'Ah, devirginize' and it's like a crazy American Pie kind of movie, but that's what was so refreshing about this script was that it wasn't that." (It's worth noting that O'Brien is a self proclaimed fan of said raunchy fare, but he feels there is a void in Hollywood when it comes to teen films.)

The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to a crowd that welcomed the film's light nature as a break from the more heavy fare that populates the festival circuit. The film is the second directorial offering from writer-helmer Jon Kasdan following his Adam Brody-Kristen Stewart starrer, In the Land of Women.

"What I loved about Jon's writing and his characters was that these kids are smart," adds O'Brien. "He doesn't play down when he's writing to teenagers."

VIDEO: 'The First Time' Trailer: Dylan O'Brien and Britt Robertson Fall in Love

As the film's title suggests, there is a first time for the characters on screen. In a refreshing twist, the sex scene is fully awkward and uncomfortable -- along the same vein that actors so often describe on-camera sex scenes when asked about the filming process.

Ironically, O'Brien says that the most awkward scene of the film was actually one of the least awkward days on set.

"We just laugh about it," he says. "Me and Britt were so close at that point that it was literally just hilarious to us."

For more from O'Brien, watch the video above.

The First Time opens in select theaters on Oct. 19.

Email: Sophie.Schillaci@thr.com; Twitter: @SophieSchillaci