It’s Friday- the best day for a flashback! For today’s Flashback Friday, we’re going back in time to 2015, when YEM spoke with The Goldbergs star, Sean Giambrone. Now, Sean is about to begin his sixth season as star of ABC’s hit show The Goldbergs. The show revolves around Sean’s character Adam Goldberg, who is dealing with growing up in the 1980s. The show is a huge success with fans, and shows no signs of slowing down. Not only that, but Sean has also been cast as Ron Stoppable in the upcoming live-action adaptation of Disney Channel’s Kim Possible!

To celebrate the big year ahead for Sean, here’s Young Entertainment Mag’s interview with the young star, dated 2015:

Young Entertainment Mag: Tell us about the fictional Adam. What makes him tick, what motivates him? And tell us about the new season (Season 3). What’s coming up?

Sean Giambrone: Adam is a guy who really likes to have fun and what he finds most fun is annoying his family and getting it on video. Also, he loves to live in his imagination. Now that he’s getting older in this next season he’s kind of confused on what should be the status quo. This season will focus on Adam going through puberty and all of the uncertainties that come with that.

YEM: What’s it like on set? The adults of your cast are some pretty illustrious names in comedy. Who makes you laugh or who have you learned from as an actor and comedian? Is your “tv family” close? Have other comedians visited set?

Sean: Oh my gosh, I can honestly say that I have learned and laughed from every cast member. This is such a great group of people and I’m so blessed to be a part of this. We felt a connection from the very beginning in the pilot and it’s really grown with time. And yes, there have been other great comedians that have recurring roles like Stephen Tobolowsky, Bryan Callen, Anna Gasteyer, Tim Meadows, Dan Fogler, Michaela Watkins, David Koechner, not to mention the ones that visited the set like Judd Hirsch, Paul Sorvino, David Spade, Charlie Sheen, Martin Starr, and Nick Swardson. What an absolutely incredible experience for me!

YEM: What’s it like playing the fictionalized version of a real person? Especially when the real person is I guess sort of your boss? Does the real Adam give you a lot of direction and specify “ways to act” or is your character its own entity that’s a bit separate from the real Adam? How is the real Adam Goldberg to work for?

Sean: The thing is Adam is hands-on with every aspect of the Goldbergs. It’s the story of his life so he would be, but there’s only so much of Adam that can go around. He shares home videos of himself interacting with his friends and family and guides me with certain key shot for shot remakes of his memories as much as he can. He’s just a great guy and I love him. Even though he may be my boss and I’m playing his life, he’s never intimidated me. I have always just wanted to play him to the best of my ability. Like you said my character is a bit separate from the real Adam due to the fact that each cast member’s version has become their own and we all play off of each other; however, the story is still his.

YEM: Obviously you weren’t alive in the 80’s. So what’s it feel like working on a show set in a time you weren’t around for? Do you get most of the references and the jokes, or do you enjoy catching up on the jokes that you don’t get? A lot of people enjoy 80’s nostalgia, so the vibe of the show is super fun to viewers like me, do you guys on set feel that kind of whimsical 80’s fun vibe?

Sean: I was actually a big fan of the 80s because I watched almost all of the John Hughes movies, Star Wars, The Goonies, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit before getting the part and I loved 80s music. There definitely have been a few surprises like the Millie Vanilli incident–I didn’t know that was a real thing when I read the script. Although there are times when the entire crew dresses up in 80s costumes to add to the feeling, for the most part the goofiness and fun come from the craziness of the scripts and the incredible talent of the cast.

YEM: What’s your favorite bit of 80’s nostalgia the show has messed around with? What’s your favorite piece of pop culture from the 80’s?

Sean: I’ve loved the nostalgia of Adam’s video games and his toys, because this is something that I have always loved as well.  Just to see what video games were like,like the Nintendo system and cool things like the Power Glove. And I can’t forget his 80s t-shirts–they’re the best!  The show has also addressed a lot of the music of the time which has been a blast to portray. I particularly enjoyed singing “Faith” by George Michael and doing a hip hop rap version with Troy (Gentile) who plays Barry. I finally got to do a rap with Big Tasty!

YEM: What’s up next for you besides more Goldbergs? Anything filming or coming out soon?

Sean: Well, I’m in the middle of recording Cartoon Network’s Clarence where I play Clarence’s best friend, Jeff, which is into its second season. Then this summer I worked on a Disney film called “Mark and Russell’s Wild Ride” and what a wild ride it was.  We filmed on Vancouver Island and my co-star in the film is Disney star, Joey Bragg. I play Russell and Joey plays Mark. It’s all about an adventure to get Mark’s license and I’m his best friend. It was a lot of fun because I got to be involved in car maneuvers that I’ve never done before and working with Joey was great. I also got to explore a different type of character who had to bring out an inner Joe Pesci every once in awhile. This will premiere on Disney XD.

YEM: Is there an actor/comedian/artist you really admire, someone who inspires you?

Sean: Of course, George Segal, Wendy McLendon-Covey, and Jeff Garlin, and then there’s other greats like Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman.

YEM: What are some other favorites? TV, Film, music, comedy?

Sean: Malcolm in the Middle, Star Wars, Toy Story, Jim Croce, Cat Stevens, John Denver and recently I’ve been enjoying Last Man on Earth.

YEM: Is comedy what you feel is your strong suit and the genre you want to stay in?

Sean: I really enjoy comedy, but I get excited to try out dramatic roles as well. I’m wide open and just excited to act.

YEM: Other hobbies/passions?

Sean: I love basketball, drawing cartoons, and soccer.

The Goldbergs will return to ABC this fall, and the Kim Possible movie is expected to premiere next year!