Brendan Robinson, aka the embattled Lucas Gottesman on a show called Pretty Little Liars, is on his way up in the world. With a bevy of new projects on the horizon, including teen sex comedy Feels So Good among others, he sat down with us to discuss his career, what else Lucas is getting up to this season, and Brendan’s uncanny resemblance to the progeny of Tom Hanks.

With Feels So Good, Robinson breaks out of the mold created by playing Lucas, to portray Allan, a down-on-his-luck dork who feels abandoned after his best friend loses his virginity and begins to change. About portraying a character like this, Brendan says, “I definitely had some stuff to pull from my own life. Growing up I wasn’t by any means popular at all.” But it wasn’t as dire as Allan’s situation: “Allan declares himself as the biggest loser nerd in high school,” Brendan observes. “I was never nearly as naïve.”

The film itself is a wild ride, with lots of gags and some intelligence to boot. Brendan has a difficult time choosing just one scene to name as a favorite. “There’s a couple actually!” he recalls. “The strip tease scene at the Lane twins house in the backyard – that’s definitely one of my favorites. Some of them didn’t make it into the movie.”

And what about Brendan’s thoughts on #PLL Season 5 and Lucas’s involvement? “Lucas has kind of a revenge streak in him,” Brendan says. “This season he’s teamed up with Mona, he’s never let this Alison thing go – [even though] it’s been years.” He goes on to refer to a scene that didn’t make it into the final cut of episode 4, in which Paige comes to Lucas concerned about Mona’s army. She tells him “‘we have to stop this, you’re still in love with Hanna, I’m still in love with Emily,’” Brendan remembers. “I kind of look at her and tell her, ‘We can’t stop this even if we wanted to, it’s already too late. That storyline will play out for the rest of the summer season too. There’s some really exciting stuff that happens in the finale which will air in August – it really sums up that whole thing and actually gives viewers insight into what’s really going on with Alison and with Mona’s army.”

Clearly, we can’t wait to find what that insight is. And what about this whole story of Lucas having a girlfriend?? Is he just messing with Hannah? “I can’t say for sure,” Brendan responds coyly, “but Lucas has gone through his transformation, and it’s been very strategic– physically and in his personal life too. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was telling the truth, and we might meet her later on. But I can’t say for certain!”

And what would he like to see happen to his character on the show? “I would definitely love to see him to get back on the good side of Hanna,” Brendan says, referring back to Lucas’s uncomplicated friendship with her in Season 1 and 2. “I think the fans really want to see that too. It brought out a softer side of Hanna.”

But regardless of what happens, Brendan is thrilled to be going along for the ride. “The writers have been really great, giving me a lot of stuff to do,” he says. “It’s been a great opportunity to have a real arc. I’ve been very lucky and very appreciative of that.”

Finally, in terms of the actor’s hopes and dreams for the future, he has an interesting goal: “Tom Hanks is my idle, so I would love to play his son in a movie!” he only half-jokes. He goes on to observe (rightfully so) that Hanks’s real son, actor Colin Hanks, is skewing a little too old now to actually play his father’s son, and Brendan hopes he can fit the bill due to his resemblance to the Hanks clan.

We wish you the best of luck on that and everything else, Brendan!

 

 

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