Hello Aaron it's great to have you here for this interview with ManAboutTown, how are you?I'm doing really good! Extremely excited to be here. Thank you for having me.
You have also been named our youngest, congratulations on that!Really? I actually had no idea that those were the circumstances. That's really nice to be apart of and I'm feeling rather flattered right now. I can't thank anyone but ManAboutTown for this major opportunity. Sweet!
How does it feel to join a long list of accomplished fashion stars and entertainers to pose for ManAboutTown like Pharell Williams and James Franco, just to name a few? I think it's a bit startling you know? Pharrell and James are really vital people in terms of entertainment and even fashion. I think it's great to know that I'm leading in there footsteps having been included on the cover, but now I feel as if I need to work hard to achieve the amount of cultural importance that they hold. I think their success is motivation for me, being a young actor determined to achieve longevity in the business.
Since ManAboutTown specializes in men's fashion and is celebrating teenage style this issue, what does fashion mean to you?Fashion means a lot to me, especially being 16. To me, it's a way I can express who I am but through clothing and that's why I think fashion is so important today. You see people around everyday having all different types of fashion senses and you're able to have an understanding of who they are and some of the time their interests. It also gives me individuality, I tend to try and have my own form of style even though sometimes that can be far fetched since we all take influences from the things we see and like and put it into our dressing. So I have to say it means a lot of things.
How would you describe your fashion sense? I say my fashion sense is a mixture casual, comfortable, laid back and slice of trendiness, haha. On a normal day out I love to wear my cardigans, button up shirts some nice straight legged jeans. I'm also a fan of some plaid, not all. I'd say I'm a relaxed dresser and I like to be comfortable in what I'm wearing. I know some people that are more edgy and flashy and it looks nice but it's not really my thing. I guess I'd rather be clean cut, if that makes any sense.
You shot the cover and spread with accomplished photographer Alasdair McLellan. How was the experience?It was really a breeze actually. Before the shoot I was extremely nervous. I never been featured on a cover of a magazine and thought I would bomb to be truthfully honest, but it really just came natural to me when I got in front of the camera. Alasdair is very patient and motivating, he walked me through the first few shots and then I was able to do my own thing. My parents and siblings were there to support me and I was really comfortable, so in the end it was a great experience.
Before we move on to your acting career, do you plan on doing any other fashion and modeling work? Absolutely. I didn't always have an interest in modeling growing up. Back on elementary school a lot of my friends thought boys and fashion was "girly" so I never really paid it any attention. When I got to middle school, around 11 I started understanding the type of style I liked and my mom and dad wouldn't pick out of my clothing anymore they're probably gonna yell at me for this but didn't like it haha. I started dressing myself and appreciating fashion a lot more. Now that I'm older I'm definitely interested in doing more fashion and modeling work. In fact, I did a shoot with H&M for their summer collection and I had some input on some of the products and I look to do more stuff in the future. Hey who knows, one day I might have a clothing line. That would be cool.
How would you say your fashion sense changed from pre adolescence until now?When my parents stopped picking out my clothes it was around the time I really was into skating so I would wear those awful DC sneakers, those knit hat and skinny jeans. I was the total package of skater boy. Now I still have a little of influences in my in a way but no more DC sneakers haha.
Recently you've been making waves after being announced as the lead actor in the live action film for Evangelion. Can you tell us what it's like to get the lead in such a highly anticipated film?Exciting and nerve-wracking. We have been filming this movie for quite a long time and I just can't wait for everyone to be able to watch it, it's like, the longer people wait for it the more they want to know how it will turn out and it's nerve wracking because you want people to enjoy it. I know people will say what they have to say whether they like it or not but there's always those first major film jitters and of course I have them. I can assure everyone that I gave my all in this and I'm very, very happy with the turn out. My co stars were amazing and the graphics, editing and cinematography is ace. Gripping film, I tell ya.
But as some of your earlier fans may know, this isn't your first time acting. You've also been in films like My Fake Fiance with Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence plus you've starred in the Netflix drama Chasing Sally. What would you say has been the difference between shooting for those and shooting for this one?Evangelion is a lot different from My Fake and Chasing Sally. The filming is on a much bigger scale. When I did my Fake Fiancé I was very little and I was just getting my feet wet in acting, I didn't really play a major role in the film but it was still a really fun experience and I'm glad I was able to be apart of it. Starring in Chasing Sally was amazing but didn't feature those big "movie" moments like Evangelion has. Chasing Sally features action scenes like Evangelion but again on a smaller scale. Shooting for Evangelion required me to do many more action scenes, stunts and yeah, it's a lot bigger. It features a lot of moments that will make you go "whoa, that was cool!"
Could you tell us about Evangelion and the character you are portraying in the filmWell Evangelion is a fantasy action movie that is based off of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. But this depiction has an storyline that was written alongside Gary Ross and Hideaki Anno, the original writer of the series and takes some influences from the original Evangelion franchise but puts a more realistic spin to it as it's not an animated film but hands on. It's also the first entirely English movie to be made from the series.
Evangelion's are man made controllable weapons created to protect humanity from what is called "Angels", beings who are extremely threatening to human life after a catastrophic event called second impact that kills thousands. Without giving too much away, I play a character named "Preston" who's life changes forever one night. He's a shy, extremely intelligent, down to earth young boy who has an intense obsession with trying to find out the secrets of his parents deaths during the "second Impact". After predictions are made for a third impact, Preston starts investigating these predictions and suddenly everything changes forever for him. I don't want to give away anymore but expect a lot of action, a bit of a post apocalyptic vibe and scenes worth watching. Preston's character develops so much throughout the movie as he goes from shy, depressed young boy to courageous hero and being able to portray that was really fulfilling.
Was it difficult filming the movie? In terms of capturing your character and interacting with a fictional "monster" so to say? To be honest, it was very difficult filming the movie and a lot of things were required. The acting wasn't the hard part, that was easy surprisingly. It was all the stunts that had to be done, you have to make sure your timing is perfect and you hit all the right queues and most of all, make it be authentic. Interacting with the Evangelion was very cool, especially when filming. Knowing it's fake when filming but have it become a real thing and have it really come to life when you watch play back and the movie is freaking surreal. I've never done a film like this so I found myself thinking "how the heck" am I even doing this right now? Really good stuff.
You've also had some experience as a voice actor in Science Fiction Land as Carl and Shark Business as Sharkton. What would you say is the difference between actually being in the films and being the voice of these characters also which would you say you prefer?The major difference is that acting on camera is just that. You're acting "on" camera. When you're actually in the film you are portraying a character but you have free will to be yourself within that character too. When you're doing voice over, you have to bring a animated character...to life. You've got to capture each of its emotions and reactions and do it in a way which its realistic. I find it to be more challenging. Your voice has to become one with the animation and and you've got to master bringing life to their personality just with your voice. On camera... you "are" the character whereas with voice over you have to "be" the character. If you think about it, that totally makes sense. For me, I prefer to be in the film, even though doing voice over is fun too. I just like to be more hands on and put my personal touch to the characters I'm portraying in the films I'm in.
You've also got a role in the upcoming series "Finding Tom" alongside Weekend superstar Riley Hamilton. Can you tell us about your role in the series? Absolutely. I'm really excited for the series to be coming out. It's really a creative show with many scenes worth watching. I play a character named 'Kyle' who's a teenager but not the typical one, he's more of a bookworm that begins to run into many problems with Tom when he changes. Again, I don't want to really give much away but expect scenes with Riley and I to get alittle intense
How hard is it to transition from being yourself to being your character? It's not very hard for me. As an actor you've got to be able to connect with the character you're portraying and eventually become them. When I get a new acting role and I'm rehearsing I like to use a technique I learned in acting school years ago called Method Acting. That requires me to study the character and their personality traits. Their likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses and take notes and understand why they are the way they are and why they have those personality traits.Then I apply that to me, finding things in my life that could have me relate to the character so it motivates me to act more like the character. The transition takes a lot of studying and passion to really create magic but once you get the hang of it, it gets easier each time depending on the type of character you are playing and how much the written character is like yourself.
What do you think the difference is going to be from doing movies to a series? For the viewers, I believe series are a bit more intimate. Audiences seem to connect with series' a bit more to me because they are watching from the comfort of their home and they get to follow a storyline until the very ending. Movies are more detailed and run shorter, and come across as more cinematic and of course, the biggest difference..it's on a big screen. So of course the final picture will seem bigger than what is seen on a TV series.
What is it like knowing that you're up there acting with one of the biggest names in the music?Riley is a true inspiration. I got the chance to meet him when we were doing the casting for Finding Tom and then really got to know him when I landed the role. In the short time that I've known him he's even become something like a best friend and older brother to me. I know it may seem like we're "method" acting since its a coincidence that I'm playing his younger sibling in Finding T, but on a real life level he's really a great person that is supportive of what I do. Being young in the industry, Ri tells me a lot about the pathways I should take and things I shouldn't do since he has been doing this for a long time and he's made it really easy for me to understand the choices I should make being 16 years old in the business. I really couldn't ask for any other role model and I thank Ri for being so supportive of me. So it's not more or less me being happy that I'm up there with a big name in music, it's more of me being happy that I'm up there acting with someone I find to be important in my life .
You know a lot of young men your age are living very average lives compared to yours. What made you decide to get into acting and modeling? Did you wake up one day and decide "You know what? This isn't for me. I want to be an actor" or was it something you've wanted to do for a long time?I sorta just happened really. I always loved acting and was apart of many of my school plays back in middle school, I loved it. We had a lot of fun back then. There was no pressure of having to get viewers or ticket buyers, it was just fun and an easy A. My drama teacher always told me that she saw a star in me but I always thought it was just a sweet compliment and never took it too seriously since I rarely toot my own horn. Later that year we moved to LA for my dads business venture, I was 12 at the time. It was mostly my parents idea for me to give acting a go on a serious scale. Wasn't too interested at first since I wanted to just play and skate but after a while I decided to just do it and now we are here today. It's crazy how much things can change in four years, but I am really enjoying it.
What are some of the challenges do you reckon you run into while being a young entertainer like yourself? We instantly get underestimated because we are young, and our strengths are played down because of our age, that's one of the main challenges. You've got to work extra hard being young in this business to break out of that mold that people put you in with the rest of the young people and if people don't find you to be good you won't be taken seriously because I'm their eyes your "just a kid". We are also easily targeted by Internet bullies just because were younger, for some reason.
Have you ever been a target? If so how do you deal with bullies in such a social networking dominated society? Yes I've had people target me, more so now then before. The way I deal with it is that I generally don't try and pay any attention to it. I'll be the first to say that do not like confrontation or Twitter wars and all that stuff. Why waste energy trying to prove yourself to someone who knows absolutely nothing about you? Or thinks they know you. I just hit the block button or don't pay it any attention, or if someone really gets me angry I'll use it to my advantage on set and make a killer scene just to blow off some steam they caused.
What do you reckon are some of the advantages?There always seems to be fans and supporters for us and sometimes our age gives us the leverage of being the "new generation". I think as a younger entertainer you have enough time to fail and go back to the drawing board and try again, time is in our favor being young I think. Some people say it's easier being young in the business but I feel there's disadvantage and advantages of being both young, old and in the middle haha.
Speaking of the music industry you've said that you wanted to dabble a bit in music this year right? What can we expect with that and when can we expect that to happen?Well what I can say is that Evangelion will feature a full soundtrack album and I'll be doing something for that, but that's all I can really say right now. Hehe, sorry.
You've also been known to be a bit of a pro-skater. How does a young man such as yourself manage to keep up with so many things at once?Pro? Eh, I look at skating completely as a hobby. It's something I love to do when I have some free time. I took it a lot more seriously when I was a young kid, now it's just something I do with my friends every now and then when I have time. I happen to be pretty good at it too, maybe that's why people have slabbed on "pro" but yeah. Just a part time skater haha
So do you think we'll ever see you up there skating with the likes of Tony Hawk or Mark Gonzales?No, probably not unfortunately but those two people are legends of the skate world. No one can take anything away from Mark and Tony.
Alright lets get back to acting a bit what would you say is the best advice you've gotten so far when it comes to acting and who was it from?This may seem a little cliche but Riley told me to really just be myself and stay true to who I am. I know many might hear that a lot but when I first started I was really trying super hard and it came across as being a little inauthentic due to nerves. I was told to simply be myself and when I was told that, everything was really just a breeze. Sometimes the smallest things a person can say to you can mean the most and I remember that specifically so yeah, thanks Ri!
Who would you say are some actors who have inspired you to become one yourself?I think Kirk Douglas, Liam Neeson, Dustin Hoffman, Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks are some of my favorite actors. I can't say that they inspired me to become an actor but I enjoy some of their acting and techniques and they really prove that you can have a long and healthy career in this business if you work hard and play your cards right. When they act, they show nothing but passion and determination and watching them inspires me to keep getting better what I do. Each of them brings something different to the table and I want to eventually be able to tackle any genre of acting as I get older.
How long do you see yourself in the entertainment business?I have no idea honestly. Just going to go where life takes me haha. I'm only 16 there's opportunities everyday so I'll take things slow but continue to work hard.
You mentioned earlier that you have a close relationship with your parents, what part have they played in you becoming an actor? Did your family support your decision to become an actor? They absolutely did. My mom was the first person who told me I should give it a try if I want to. I like that they always have believed in me and didn't force me to do it. When I was interested they left me alone until I was ready. They definitely supported the decision because for one, my mom is a model so she knows a bit about the entertainment world and my father is more into the business side of things. They felt that I had a good chance with acting and played a motivating role in the stuff that I do today, love them.
What has been your favorite role so far? Wow, such a hard question but it has to be Evangelion. I did the most in this film than any other acting role or project I've landed. It taught me so much about acting, graphics, editing and green screens and everything in between. Aside from the technical stuff, it was just so much fun. Felt like I was the main character in a video game, definitely my favorite role.
What is one role that you'd love to play in the future?I'd love to do a horror movie. I've never done one of those before. Landing a role like that would be really different for me.
Okay so we know you're a great actor but do you see yourself ever getting behind to camera to maybe direct or write in the near or distant future?Absolutely. When I get older I definitely want to direct and write movies. The directors in films on set are so in tune with what they're doing, it's quite inspirational. They are really precise and eager to get the job done. I want to sit behind the camera one day and direct everything, and see my vision come to life right in front of my eyes.
If you could go back in the time to star in any single movie which movie do you think it would be?The Lost Boys! One of my favorite movies and a true classic. I would have totally loved to be apart of that if I was an established actor back in the 80s, unfortunately I wasn't even a thought yet. Haha.
Why do you think so many aspiring actors end up giving up on their dream? I think mainly because it can be very cutthroat, competitive and tiring. You've got to really have a passion for this thing or you'll be discouraged quickly. You won't land every role and you'll be declined but I've learned that you've got to use that to keep pushing forward. In acting you cannot be afraid of hard work and rejection, you want to try and avoid it but it happens. People get discouraged quickly and that's why I think people give it up. Takes lots of hard work.
What do you enjoy most about acting? You can be other people and challenge yourself. It's fun and something I enjoy doing. I like that I can be other people and see if come to life.
What are some of your career aspirations? Many people would say they'd want to win an Oscar or something but me, I want to eventually write and direct my own movie. That's my main aspiration. That will take a long time to achieve and a lot of determination but I think that's a great long term goal to keep me working up to.
And finally, what advice would you give aspiring actors and actresses?Never give up! Be yourself, work extra hard and don't be afraid of rejection. It's a tough business but once you land that first role, they seem to start rolling in so never give up until you make it. You've got to keep the love for acting alive if you want to make it and even thrive in the industry.
Thank you for your time Aaron it was great speaking with you and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for youThank you so much for having me, this has been a lot of fun!
