Interview: Spencer Boldman

Tommy2: How’s it going, it’s Tommy2 and calling in talk with us today, we’ve got Spencer Boldman from Disney XD’s Lab Rats and the 21 Jump Street. Spencer, how are you doing?

Spencer Boldman: I’m good man, how are you?

Tommy2: Doing great! First off I wanted to wish you congratulations on two amazing months! First, Lab Rats is doing great and 21 Jump Street is currently the fifth highest grossing film of the year!

Spencer Boldman: Yeah, I’m so excited about it. I’m just happy I was able to be a part of it, it was a lot of fun.

Tommy2: Now let’s start off with 21 Jump Street, did you anticipate this film would do as well as it has?

Spencer Boldman: No, I mean I don’t think anybody really expects a film to do that well. You hope people go and watch it, you spend so much time working on the film and, I got to shoot for three weeks in New Orleans and the cast was just awesome and there was never any pressure to… to do as good as the original since it was an original, you know back in the eighties. I never watched the original 21 Jump Street, so when I auditioned for the part I just went on YouTube and I saw kind of how it was done. But, I mean it was a lot of fun and I think when you keep things fun and you know, no pressure, it’s kind of a recipe for success. So we were all really surprised and happy.

Tommy2: That’s kind of interesting to hear about YouTube, since you know there’s kind of a little bit of a content war going on as to what can be on You Tube and what can’t, but it actually helped you in doing character research for making the movie.

Spencer Boldman: Yeah, totally. It totally helped me, so I didn’t know about that, so I hope that they keep… I mean I love YouTube. I think our generation relies on it pretty heavily for a lot of different things like entertainment and learning stuff and you know thinks of that nature. So it definitely helped me book the part.

Tommy2: Now who did you enjoy working with the most on the film and were there any people in the cast that you were anxious to meet?

Spencer Boldman: The person I was, I was working with the most was probably a tie between Chris Parnell and Jonah Hill. They both were really funny, and being an actor it’s a lot of fun to watch actors of that caliber work, see how they work in their environment. Because they’re really just, you know, they’re very normal people and you know it’s cool to actually see them in the flesh. They were better to meet in person than I had ever imagined, and I had really high expectations for both of them, they were really great. I don’t really get starstruck or anything. Channing (Tatum) and Jonah Hill cast me off my tape, they were producers on the film, so meeting both of them was just, it was cool. You know what I mean? It was a lot of fun and I learned so much working on that set that it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had filming something.

Tommy2: And you mentioned that was in New Orleans. Did you get to take in any of the area when you were down there?

Spencer Boldman: Oh yeah, a lot of it. I’d never been there before and I actually fell in love with the city. It’s kind of like, old tiny… I mean there’s so much history there and it’s, it’s kind of like the swamps of America. It was really, really, really cool. I mean they… it was pretty warm, that was the only thing that, I’m from Texas so I’m used to the heat but it was very humid. And, I had a lot of fun there and I got to, kind of, when we weren’t filming, my hotel was right across from Bourbon Street. So I kind of got to explore downtown a little bit and walk around on my own which was a lot of fun. And the food there is awesome too.

Tommy2: Definitely! Nothing like a little bit of southern food, huh?

Spencer Boldman: Oh my gosh, I miss it so much cause I live in L.A. right now. So, it’s nice.

Tommy2: Since it’s going to be in theaters for quite some time still, what’s one reason for people that haven’t check it out, to go check it out?

Spencer Boldman: You know, it’s one of those films that it’s extremely entertaining and it’s really funny, but it’s really smart too. The writers did such a good job and the directors, and the way that it’s done, the jokes are funny but the writing is smart if you kind of listen to it. It’s a movie you can see more than once. I have a lot of people that come up to me and say that they saw it you know two, three, four times, and it’s get’s better each time. And I’ve seen it twice and I kind of have to agree, but I guess I’m biased. But, it’s one of those films that, it just kind of sticks with you and I honestly think it will be a film that kind of goes down as one of the… one of the best comedies in the past ten years, just because it’s smart. You know what I meant, it’s not a dumb movie with dumb writing. You know that acting is great and it’s a lot of fun too and I think especially people in this time with the economy and everything that’s going on, you see people gravitate towards movies like this.

Tommy2: And definitely one of the better translations of a TV series put to film.

Spencer Boldman: Yeah, that’s one thing. I think, you know, there’s a lot of pressure when you have a film that’s that successful and you know, your remaking something that was a drama with teen heartthrobs into a movie. And, it’s a completely different spin, and it works, and that’s really difficult and you have to give props to Jonah (Hill) and the writers and producers and directors and they, they really kind of guided the film to what is is. And to have Johnny Depp in the film, that speaks volumes to how he feels about it. So, it’s just cool. I mean, I think they all feel pretty good about what they’ve done.