Interview of Max Thieriot
Interviewed by
( Patrick Ebke and Lauren Creath of Kid Pic’s (both 6th grade 11 year olds from Hall Middle School in Larkspur) interview Max Thieriot (Gus) of “Catch That Kid” in a quaint Santa Rosa Pizza Parlor. A very busy Max, was nice enough to give us 45 minutes of his time on February 6, the Friday afternoon that his movie was released. )
Patrick - How did you get started in acting?
Max - “I started acting about 2 years ago when I took an improvisation class. I modeled for GAP and was on their posters. Then I did 2 short independent films from USC.”
Lauren – What inspired you to become an actor?
Max - “I never planned on being an actor, I just fell into it. No one else in my family acts. I decided on my own. I did plays when I was younger and enjoyed it.”
Patrick – What is your favorite role in a movie that you’ve played in?
Max - “My favorite role was when I played a punk rocker in one of the independent USC films. (Max grins) I had a Mohawk hairdo which was pretty cool.”
Lauren – How were you discovered for the part of Gus?
Max - “From my other jobs and my manager Don Gibble.”
Patrick – What was your favorite scene in the movie?
Max - “The go-cart scenes were my favorites. The entire go-cart track was made for the movie by set workers in a parking lot in Valencia (near L.A.).”
Lauren – Which scene was the most challenging?
Max - “The scenes with the babies were challenging because they kept crying. They are only allowed to use them for 3 hours a day, so they used twins.”
Patrick – What was the best part about working with other kids?
Max - “Since I don’t live in L.A., where the other 2 kids live, filming and hanging out with them gave me something to do.”
Lauren – While filming this movie, what new thing did you learn that made you a better actor?
Max - “When I first started filming I was really nervous. I learned to be clam and not to get frustrated.”
Patrick – How do you balance acting and school?
Max - “It is really hard! Think about how hard it is to get homework done, and then try to imagine it while you are filming a movie. I still have to get it all done. My teachers give me the amount of days that I am gone to make up the work that I missed.”
Lauren - How many hours did you work on this film a day and how many days did it take to film?
Max - “We worked about 9 hours a day (3-school & 6 filming) and it took 42 days to film (weekends off).”
Patrick - What did you do when you weren’t filming?
Max - “I played video games and sports.”
Lauren - Was everything filmed in order of the movie or a different order?
Max - “Every scene was filmed in a different order then the movie, because of locations, sets, etc.
Patrick – What is it like to memorize lines for a movie?
Max - “I don’t study my lines before I go to the set. They are in my trailer each morning and I look at them while I am on the set.”
Lauren – How was the character of Gus different or similar to your personality?
Max - “We are both goofy, but Gus is a little more gullible than I am.”
Patrick – About the cool Go Cart scenes…did you have experience with them before this movie? Did you really crash into those water barrels or did they use a stunt person?
Max - “Yes, I have gone go-carting for a few years at Sear’s Point. I got to drive up to the barrels, but then I had to get out and the Stunt man crashed into them.”
Lauren – How long did it take to practice for that nighttime Go Cart scene? Was it really filmed in city streets? What time of the evening?
Max - “We didn’t have to practice for that scene because when they filmed our faces, we were only being towed by a truck. Those scenes were filmed on public streets at around midnight.”
Patrick – What are your hobbies?
Max - “I enjoy basketball, wrestling, surfing and snowboarding.”
Lauren – Who is your favorite actor?
Max - “Johnny Depp! And for funny movies, I like Andy Dick.”
Patrick - Are you planning on doing any big feature films soon?
Max - “I have 5 scripts that I am reading now. I am hoping to tryout for the role of Charlie, in the upcoming remake of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but the auditions are in England.”
Lauren – Now that you are finished with Catch That Kid, how is your life different?
Max - “It is not really different, except for the way some people act around me.”
Lauren - What is it like watching yourself on commercials and on the movie screen?
Max - “After I saw myself in the short films, I got used to it. I don’t watch much TV, but when I do see myself, it doesn’t seem like it is really me.”
Patrick – What advice would you give to kids who want to be actors?
Max - Max - “My advice is to never give up, always keep trying and don’t think negatively because it usually turns out better than you think. I didn’t think that I got the part for Gus because they didn’t call me back right away, but then they did call me back a month later to say that I did get it.”
Max Thieriot is an extremely pleasant, engaging and awesome 15 year old kid with NO chip on his shoulder. We look forward to seeing him in more movies.