The life of a child actor has never been an easy one and Andrew Caldwell is doing his best to stay grounded. The Transformers and Hannah Montana actor got his chance to show his comedic skills in Shredderman Rules out on DVD August 28th. The young actor has many features of a young Chris Farley, and it will be interesting to watch where his career goes.
Listen to the Andrew Caldwell Interview
Chris Yandek: Many are saying you have numerous resemblances of Chris Farley. Is it a fair statement, and what does it mean to you?
Andrew Caldwell: “Chris Farley is my hero. I started getting chubbier at five or six years old. That was around the time Chris Farley was on SNL. I started watching Saturday Night Live at my dad’s house and stuff like that and I started seeing this energy and this guy that was bigger than anybody else. Everybody loved him, but he was making people laugh. I just idolized that. I looked at him and I thought wow, he is so impressive. I wanted to be like that. I started learning it was ok to be bigger and ok to look different and still fit in, look cool, have a good life, and be happy. Chris Farley is the reason why I am in this industry. For everyone that says I act and look like Chris Farley, it’s the biggest compliment I could ever get. As a matter of fact, you are gonna be the first person I tell this to. I was doing a movie in New Orleans and I got a tattoo down in New Orleans, and my tattoo says a van down by the river on my back, which was the Chris Farley sketch. You are the first person I told that to. I haven’t even told my parents yet. They’ll be happy to hear it.”
CY: Have people recognized you more after Transformers was released earlier this month?
AC: “Yeah, a lot of people. It’s not so much recognition in the way of like swarming me. I get a lot of recognition from younger kids in Shredderman and other things. I get a lot of people saying, ‘Hey man! You rock!’ And I’ll say oh thanks man. Quoting my lines a lot, which is like the Armageddon line. I still have the life of the up and coming actor where it’s good. I am enjoying the times where I am able to do those things. I feel like soon that might be the case.”
CY: What was the overall experience like?
AC: “It was great. I was in New Mexico about a week. From the second I got there to the second I left things were blowing up. Michael Bay is known for being able to make these films where he just makes everything explode. Everything he can fit a bomb into he’s gonna blow up. It was cool. My scene in particular there were cars blowing up and things going over my head. It was the first I don’t want to say big movie, but it was my first movie where I knew I was part of something incredible. It was cool to be around that and see these people who were the best in the industry and the best in the business that were making one of the best movies.”
CY: Were you a fan of the TV show before the movie?
AC: “I am a little young for the TV show, but I definitely had the toys. The TV show was a generation before me. I was more of the Power Ranger generation. I did watch the cartoon. I wasn’t a diehard fan as some of my friends and my roommates and stuff. They lost it. It was still a really cool experience. I appreciated Transformers for what it was.”
CY: You play the bully in Shredderman Rules, which is out on DVD August 28th. Is it hard playing the mean kid or the outcast type of character?
AC: “No. It’s not so much hard. It’s fun. It’s different especially when you are working with someone like Devon [Werkheiser] who is a good friend of mine - to be able to pick on him and do things to him that I usually wouldn’t do to him when were just hanging out in my backyard in order to be able to pick on him and give him wedgies. It was more of a fun experience than a hard experience. I enjoyed it.”
CY: The DVD definitely shows you as a practical joker. What's the worst one you've ever pulled on set or in general?
AC: “There is a lot. I feel like I’ve come to a point in my life where it’s built around practical jokes and I don’t know if I am happy about that. I don’t know. Man that’s a tough question. It was probably to Devon when everyone was on set. Everybody had to go to school in the movie and I had already graduated. I didn’t have to do some of the other things everyone else had to do. I could work longer and didn’t have to go to school and all that stuff. Where all our trailers were, I just decided out of complete boredom to go and tee pee all the trailers and just cover it head to toe in toilet paper. Devon was doing an interview for Shredderman, I think it’s also on the DVD, in the middle of his interview I run up behind him and squash peanut butter on two pieces of bread on his face. I kind of sandwiched his face with peanut butter in the middle of the interview. Those are probably my two big ones.”
CY: You got to work along with Tim Meadows and Dave Coulier, and you also worked with Jack Black for another film. How have these older comedic actors helped you?
AC: “Dave Coulier was the nicest guy I have ever met in my life. He was friendly. He talked to everybody. Shredderman was my first leading role. I was studying these people on the set. I was looking at Tim Meadows and Dave Coulier to see how they behaved on set. Dave Coulier was the nicest guy. He was friendly with everyone and talked to everyone. He never made you feel like you were in the premise of someone that’s done very well, the same with Jack Black. Jack Black was exactly how you expected him to be. He was just the most friendly guy. He wasn’t even working the day I was there, but he just showed up. He just wanted to be part of the film and see everything happen. He didn’t have to be on set. He was on set almost every day. He was exactly how you wanted him to be, taking pictures with people, cracking jokes, and all those things.”
CY: Being part of the very popular Hannah Montana show, what should people know about Miley Cyrus who plays her?
AC: “Miley is rare. Meeting someone like Miley in this industry is definitely not common. She’s 14 years old and she acts 14. She is 14 and she lives her life as a 14 year-old girl. A lot of times you meet 14 and 15 year olds who act like they’re 25, 26. They act like they’re much older. Miley acts her age and she’s definitely enjoying her childhood, something that is really cool. It’s great that Billy Ray and her mom allow that to happen. She can have all these huge things happening to her and she still stays grounded and is a very nice person. She’s a good girl.”
CY: What do you think attracts the child and tween audience to this show?
AC: “I think there is a lot to Hannah Montana. I think Hannah Montana has that off the wall humor that a lot of kids like. It’s a fantasy. A lot of kids want to be that famous and be the biggest star in the world and still go to regular school. I think people watch it and kind of envision themselves as if they were Hannah Montana. They get to be that famous celebrity and all these great things, but still have a normal life. That’s appealing to the younger audience. There is a lot of funny characters that kids enjoy. I think that’s where the appeal comes from.”
CY: Many young Hollywood actors have had troubles recently. When you look at these fellow actors around your age group, what do you think and what do you do to stay grounded in this crazy business?
AC: “Well, it’s definitely not easy when everywhere you go people are telling how great you are, and they want to sniff your feet. You’re so perfect in every way. It’s hard to stay grounded. I surround myself with a good group of people. I live with my brother and my two roommates from back home. You gotta keep it real almost. You gotta sit there and think what’s so great about what I am doing really. Technically there is nothing great about it. If you go back to acting and performing hundreds and hundreds of years ago, it was the lowest of the class. The jesters in the court were the lowest of the class. I think this fame and fortune thing is new to acting. The people that are in this industry to entertain people and master their craft and make a film will do well or are doing well. People who are in it to make a lot of money and drive nice cars, those types of people I look at them and feel sorry for them because they’re in it for the wrong reasons.”
CY: Finally, who's the one person you really want to meet or work with?
AC: “There is a lot. As far as comedy goes, I’d love to work with Jack Black again or Will Ferrell would be great. The old SNL cast members are all good and Jack Black who I’d love to do another movie with.”
Shredderman Rules is out on DVD August 28th at all major retail outlets.
You can find more information by clicking here.
Andrew Caldwell: “Chris Farley is my hero. I started getting chubbier at five or six years old. That was around the time Chris Farley was on SNL. I started watching Saturday Night Live at my dad’s house and stuff like that and I started seeing this energy and this guy that was bigger than anybody else. Everybody loved him, but he was making people laugh. I just idolized that. I looked at him and I thought wow, he is so impressive. I wanted to be like that. I started learning it was ok to be bigger and ok to look different and still fit in, look cool, have a good life, and be happy. Chris Farley is the reason why I am in this industry. For everyone that says I act and look like Chris Farley, it’s the biggest compliment I could ever get. As a matter of fact, you are gonna be the first person I tell this to. I was doing a movie in New Orleans and I got a tattoo down in New Orleans, and my tattoo says a van down by the river on my back, which was the Chris Farley sketch. You are the first person I told that to. I haven’t even told my parents yet. They’ll be happy to hear it.”
CY: Have people recognized you more after Transformers was released earlier this month?
AC: “Yeah, a lot of people. It’s not so much recognition in the way of like swarming me. I get a lot of recognition from younger kids in Shredderman and other things. I get a lot of people saying, ‘Hey man! You rock!’ And I’ll say oh thanks man. Quoting my lines a lot, which is like the Armageddon line. I still have the life of the up and coming actor where it’s good. I am enjoying the times where I am able to do those things. I feel like soon that might be the case.”
CY: What was the overall experience like?
AC: “It was great. I was in New Mexico about a week. From the second I got there to the second I left things were blowing up. Michael Bay is known for being able to make these films where he just makes everything explode. Everything he can fit a bomb into he’s gonna blow up. It was cool. My scene in particular there were cars blowing up and things going over my head. It was the first I don’t want to say big movie, but it was my first movie where I knew I was part of something incredible. It was cool to be around that and see these people who were the best in the industry and the best in the business that were making one of the best movies.”
CY: Were you a fan of the TV show before the movie?
AC: “I am a little young for the TV show, but I definitely had the toys. The TV show was a generation before me. I was more of the Power Ranger generation. I did watch the cartoon. I wasn’t a diehard fan as some of my friends and my roommates and stuff. They lost it. It was still a really cool experience. I appreciated Transformers for what it was.”
CY: You play the bully in Shredderman Rules, which is out on DVD August 28th. Is it hard playing the mean kid or the outcast type of character?
AC: “No. It’s not so much hard. It’s fun. It’s different especially when you are working with someone like Devon [Werkheiser] who is a good friend of mine - to be able to pick on him and do things to him that I usually wouldn’t do to him when were just hanging out in my backyard in order to be able to pick on him and give him wedgies. It was more of a fun experience than a hard experience. I enjoyed it.”
CY: The DVD definitely shows you as a practical joker. What's the worst one you've ever pulled on set or in general?
AC: “There is a lot. I feel like I’ve come to a point in my life where it’s built around practical jokes and I don’t know if I am happy about that. I don’t know. Man that’s a tough question. It was probably to Devon when everyone was on set. Everybody had to go to school in the movie and I had already graduated. I didn’t have to do some of the other things everyone else had to do. I could work longer and didn’t have to go to school and all that stuff. Where all our trailers were, I just decided out of complete boredom to go and tee pee all the trailers and just cover it head to toe in toilet paper. Devon was doing an interview for Shredderman, I think it’s also on the DVD, in the middle of his interview I run up behind him and squash peanut butter on two pieces of bread on his face. I kind of sandwiched his face with peanut butter in the middle of the interview. Those are probably my two big ones.”
CY: You got to work along with Tim Meadows and Dave Coulier, and you also worked with Jack Black for another film. How have these older comedic actors helped you?
AC: “Dave Coulier was the nicest guy I have ever met in my life. He was friendly. He talked to everybody. Shredderman was my first leading role. I was studying these people on the set. I was looking at Tim Meadows and Dave Coulier to see how they behaved on set. Dave Coulier was the nicest guy. He was friendly with everyone and talked to everyone. He never made you feel like you were in the premise of someone that’s done very well, the same with Jack Black. Jack Black was exactly how you expected him to be. He was just the most friendly guy. He wasn’t even working the day I was there, but he just showed up. He just wanted to be part of the film and see everything happen. He didn’t have to be on set. He was on set almost every day. He was exactly how you wanted him to be, taking pictures with people, cracking jokes, and all those things.”
CY: Being part of the very popular Hannah Montana show, what should people know about Miley Cyrus who plays her?
AC: “Miley is rare. Meeting someone like Miley in this industry is definitely not common. She’s 14 years old and she acts 14. She is 14 and she lives her life as a 14 year-old girl. A lot of times you meet 14 and 15 year olds who act like they’re 25, 26. They act like they’re much older. Miley acts her age and she’s definitely enjoying her childhood, something that is really cool. It’s great that Billy Ray and her mom allow that to happen. She can have all these huge things happening to her and she still stays grounded and is a very nice person. She’s a good girl.”
CY: What do you think attracts the child and tween audience to this show?
AC: “I think there is a lot to Hannah Montana. I think Hannah Montana has that off the wall humor that a lot of kids like. It’s a fantasy. A lot of kids want to be that famous and be the biggest star in the world and still go to regular school. I think people watch it and kind of envision themselves as if they were Hannah Montana. They get to be that famous celebrity and all these great things, but still have a normal life. That’s appealing to the younger audience. There is a lot of funny characters that kids enjoy. I think that’s where the appeal comes from.”
CY: Many young Hollywood actors have had troubles recently. When you look at these fellow actors around your age group, what do you think and what do you do to stay grounded in this crazy business?
AC: “Well, it’s definitely not easy when everywhere you go people are telling how great you are, and they want to sniff your feet. You’re so perfect in every way. It’s hard to stay grounded. I surround myself with a good group of people. I live with my brother and my two roommates from back home. You gotta keep it real almost. You gotta sit there and think what’s so great about what I am doing really. Technically there is nothing great about it. If you go back to acting and performing hundreds and hundreds of years ago, it was the lowest of the class. The jesters in the court were the lowest of the class. I think this fame and fortune thing is new to acting. The people that are in this industry to entertain people and master their craft and make a film will do well or are doing well. People who are in it to make a lot of money and drive nice cars, those types of people I look at them and feel sorry for them because they’re in it for the wrong reasons.”
CY: Finally, who's the one person you really want to meet or work with?
AC: “There is a lot. As far as comedy goes, I’d love to work with Jack Black again or Will Ferrell would be great. The old SNL cast members are all good and Jack Black who I’d love to do another movie with.”
Shredderman Rules is out on DVD August 28th at all major retail outlets.
You can find more information by clicking here.