YA Actor Interview – New Disney Channel Star Brendan Meyer | Young Adult Mag


Brendan Meyer is an actor in film, TV, and theatre. A self-proclaimed Shakespeare nerd, Meyer has performed in the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, and has worked the stage in plays such as Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing. He’s written numerous screenplays and hopes to be in the director’s chair in the future. Meyer can currently be seen in Mr.Young and the upcoming Disney Channel Original Movie, Girl Vs. Monster, premiering in October 2012.


Photo credits must be given to: Keith Munyan
Name: Brendan Meyer
Birthdate: October 2, 1994
Hometown: Ontario
Seen In: Girl Vs. Monster (2012)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrendanKJMeyer


What’s it like living in 2 different places? Do you preference one over the other?
At this point, I’ve really only been living in Vancouver because of my schedule but there are still things I miss about Edmonton. For the most part though, It doesn’t matter to me where I live, I just like being able to act full time. 

 

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How did you decide that you wanted to be an actor? What’s next for you in your acting career?
There was never really a clear moment where I decided to be an actor. It’s just something I’ve always been interested in and it has sort of gradually snowballed to where it is today. I don’t know what’s next for me but hopefully I get to keep acting and working on new exciting projects!

You act on TV, in films, and in theatre. Do you have a favorite? What do you like most about each?
I like different things about all of them. With theatre you get the rush of performing live but with film/TV, you get to adjust different things in real time from take to take. I think all great actors can do both and I really don’t have a favourite. 

I heard that you’ve written some shorts and screenplays. Have you done anything with them, and do you plan on writing more in the future? Would you rather write over acting, or a mix of both?
I have written several shorts and screenplays but I have yet to produce any of them. I have one short script I hope to write and direct soon but I’m very busy with Mr Young right now! I like acting the best but would love to do a mix of writing, acting and directing over the course of my career. George Clooney’s career path is one I would love to follow.

You’re currently playing the lead role in the TV show Mr. Young. Could you tell us about that?

Mr. Young is about a kid science genius named Adam Young who graduates from university at the age of 14 and instead of taking a job at NASA or somewhere like that, he decides to go back and teach high school science at his old school so he can have the high school “experience” he missed the first time. The catch is that he is teaching kids the same age as he is so they never give him respect, he can be intimidated by the school bully, and he has a crush on one of the girls in his class. He has an adult job but is still dealing with teenage problems. The show has moved off from there though and is really now just a different funny, crazy adventure every week.  

What do you enjoy most about being on Mr. Young? What’s your character like?
The thing I enjoy most about Mr Young is the fact that we shoot part of our episode every week in front of a live studio audience. It’s an amazing blend of theatre and film/TV. As I said earlier, I love both mediums so the fact that Mr Young mixes them is really great. My character is Adam Young. I talked a lot about him in the above question but I’ll add that he’s very confident in himself and has a great passion for science.

Tell us about your upcoming movie Girl Vs. Monster? What’s it about? And who do you play?
Girl Vs. Monster is about a teenage girl named Skylar Lewis who on Halloween night find out her parents are monster hunters. Every person’s fear is projected though their own personal monster and her parents are the ones who keep them contained.  Skylar lets all the monsters go and she has to stop them. I play one of her two best friends Henry. Henry helps Skylar take down the monsters and he has a really great arc where he has to face down his own monster and get over his fears. 



                                                         Trailer for Girl Vs. Monster

                               



What are five facts you can tell us about your character Henry in Girl Vs. Monster?
1. His best friends are Skylar and Sadie.
2. His monster is a scarecrow.
3. He sometimes gets picked on in gym
4. He is a really loyal friend
5. He gets scared pretty easily. 

Tell us about your love of Shakespeare. What’s your favorite work of his? Why do you love his plays?
I think Shakespeare is the greatest writer who ever lived and I just really love his plays. His plays have great action, romance, suspense and comedy that rivals anything being produced today. I also love the way it’s very adaptable and you can set it in different time periods. My favourite plays of his are Richard III, Twelfth Night and Much Ado About Nothing.  

Do you have any advice for upcoming artists like yourself?
If you have a true passion for a career in the arts then don’t be afraid to go for it.  I believe if you truly want it for the right reasons then you can find happiness no matter how famous you get or how much money you make. Remember it’s about doing what you love. 

Whats your favorite book? or what are you currently reading?
Right now I am reading lots of plays. I just finished True West by Sam Shepherd. I don’t have a go to favourite book although I enjoy classics like To Kill A Mockingbird and Lord Of The Flies but I think the last great book I read was “Making Movies” by Sidney Lumet. It was an amazing book about the directing process.  

Thanks for the interview!

xx