There’s just one problem with Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s press tour

I think I speak for everyone when I say that having Aaron Taylor-Johnson dominate our social feeds and screens right now can only be a good thing.

Regardless of whether you have a penchant for vampire flicks or you’re partial to Spider-Man spin-offs, his renaissance is especially exciting for thirty-something women like me, whose formative years were accented by his breakout role.

Never mind the Kickass movies, Nowhere Boy or REM’s “Überlin” music video – before any of that, he starred in Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging – the heartwarming coming-of-age story from 2008, which follows a young teen and her friends as they navigate secondary school, first crushes, fallouts and bullies. It is, irrefutably, one of the best movies ever made. Who could forget it?

Well, Taylor-Johnson, apparently – if his current press tour is anything to go by.

Admittedly, when he couldn’t reel off his first line from the movie recently, I let him off the hook. Sure, he memorises words for a living and his interaction with his cat “little Jubbly Jubbly” will forever be imprinted in my mind, but it did come out 16 years ago. Let’s give the guy a break.

Less acceptable, however, is the fact that he “forgot” who Dave The Laugh was (you know, his character’s mate) during a BBC Radio One interview with Greg James.

To rub salt in the wound, he, too, failed to remember “Ultraviolet” – the iconic anthem that his on-screen rock band, The Stiff Dylans, played for protagonist Georgia. And during the same sit-down, while cuddling puppies (not a euphemism), he commented on how the film pushed him out of his comfort zone at a time he was mostly doing “indie films” – and how he had no idea it would “still follow me around today.”

I (sort of) get it. Despite the many strings he’s since added to his bow – and the fact he’s trying to promote new work – he is still asked first and foremost about Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. It must be draining to be quizzed about the same things over and over, and it must be frustrating to talk less about your new projects and more about the role you did as a teenager.

Plus, while he has dismissed the Bond rumours in the past, should he ever wish to be considered for the part, he’ll likely want to shake the teenage heartthrob image and put himself forward as A Serious Actor. After all, you can hardly imagine 007 delivering one of his most famous lines from the film to a Bond girl: “Hold my hand, you muppet”.

But what I wish he would consider is the huge and extremely positive impact his first big movie had – and still has – on so many young women like me.

I remember watching it at the cinema with my childhood friend as a 17-year-old. Faced with the reality that we would soon be leaving for university and going our separate ways, the film served as a poignant reminder of how beautiful female friendships are – and how much you endure together in those years.

From the ridiculous beauty fads and the cringey slang you use at that age, to the hormonal awakening you experience when you first lock eyes on your teenage crush and the heartbreak that inevitably follows: we had been through it all.

Yes, the fact that geeky girl Georgia ends up with Taylor-Johnson’s character Robbie is highly improbable. So, too, is the fact her parents hire a nightclub for her 15th birthday. But we’ll allow a bit of creative licence – especially since these were the same fantasies we had for ourselves back then.

The point about films like this is that they’re silly, frothy and hopeful – they’re not meant to reflect gritty everyday life. But they do remind us of wider themes: such as how precious our teenage years are and how we shouldn’t be in a rush to grow up. I first watched it almost 16 years ago, yet can still remember feeling a distinct pang of loss – combined with excitement for the futures that laid ahead for us – as we left the theatre bawling our eyes out.

To this day, whenever I am feeling low or in need of nourishment for the soul, I turn to Angus, Thongs – just as others turn to, say, Mamma Mia! orThe Holiday. It brings me back to those early foundations, leaves me with sore cheeks from grinning too much and instils a sense of invincibility in me, steeling me against whatever I’m facing in my own life. And I know I’m not alone in this – else why would it be so enduringly popular? And why would it still come up in interviews?

It’s why I think Taylor-Johnson should reconsider his stance on it all. Rather than feeling ashamed or embarrassed by it – or trying to move on from it altogether – he should take pride in the fact he’s part of something that provides solace for a lot of people... and remember who his core fanbase are.

Besides, if he’s going to distance himself from any of his work, it should be that terrible film he did with Blake Lively...