Musical favorites and influences:
Any kind of musician who is incredibly skilled at what they do. Anyone from John Mayer, to Matt Greiner, to Eddie Van Halen--anyone who can just take their instrument, whether it be their voice, the guitar, drums, or just their writing ability and master it.
Did you read the play Cyrano de Bergerac (which inspired the movie)?Yes, a while ago in an acting class.
How are you like your character, Cyrus?I think everyone, in a sense, can be with the insecurity that the character deals with. So that was kind of easy to tap into. And I think anyone who does any kind of music deals with, at some point, whether or not their stuff is good, especially because the old school -- they respect and value their opinion -- don't tell them so. I think that's kind of what my character deals with in the movie with his father...although it did of course take some acting, because some of the stuff wasn't lined up with my personality, but it wasn't necessarily too far of a reach.
If you had to be a different character in the film, who would you be?Nicole Sullivan's character, Coco's manager
What is it like to be a role model for kids?I've always had a back and forth with that question. Because, I know that at some point, not only doing something for Disney Channel but as actors in general, you're gonna end up being role models for kids. But I always hope that they appreciate the work and not necessarily try to base things off my life.
Because, like anybody else we're all bound to make mistakes. And, when a parent is raising a child, they don't know necessarily if my ideals with line up with their ideals. So I love inspiring other people, and I hope that kids will want to start working, and they'll appreciate the work, but in some aspects I kind of shy away from that in a way. Mainly because, like everybody else in life, I'm just figuring it out.
In one word, how did you feel watching yourself in the movie for the first time?Overcritical
