You may recognize Carter Jenkins for his roles in NBC’s “Surface,” “Unfabulous,” “Life Is Ruff” or Bad News Bears, but this July you can see him on the big screen in the family-friendly alien invasion movie, Aliens In the Attic.
SO-M chatted with Carter recently about the movie and more. Check it out below and remember, Aliens In the Attic opens in a theater near you on July 31.
What is “Aliens in the Attic” about? It’s an adventure comedy for the family about some kids that are attacked at a family vacation home by little knee high aliens with world destroying ambition. It’s up to us kids to save the world.
How would you describe your character? My character is smart. He’s a bit of a braniac. He kind of neglects fun and he tries to be something he’s not. But through the course of the movie he changes.
What was it like working with Ashley Tisdale & Austin Butler? Were there any pranks on set? They are really fun people. Ashley and Austin are awesome, very energetic. Robert Hoffman is also in the movie and he’s like a kid. He was definitely the biggest prankster on set, actually he’s probably the biggest prankster I know. He does these funny videos on the internet on his website, punchrobert.com, and we actually shot a couple of his prank videos on set. One is actually on his youtube right now, it’s called “TADS (Touching Another Dude Softly).” It’s pretty funny. So we did a lot of videos and it was fun. [Note: You can view that video HERE]
What was your favorite part about making the movie? It was a fun, adventurous story with lots of cool things. Stunts, working with aliens, wire work. It was definitely challenging at times. It’s also a comedy so the vibe on set was always upbeat, trying to make funny things. The best part of it was probably working with the other actors: Ashey, Robert and Austin.
Do you have a favorite scene? In the movie, Robert Hoffman plays jerk boyfriend of Ashley Tisdale, and in the movie we get control of Robert’s body through an alien plug. We have the remote and we control his body. In the trailer you’ll see Robert slapping himself repeatedly. He was really doing that and he was really slapping hard. It was the funniest scene to shoot because his face was bright red.
You’ve done work on both TV and film. Do you find one harder than the other? Being on a TV series is fun because you get a new script coming each week and you never quite know what’s going to happen next. You have to be able to work fast. You learn what you’re doing on the fly, whereas with movies you have a script from the first day of shooting until the end. They’re both equally different. I just love acting.
What’s your favorite role you’ve done so far? I got to do a lot of fun stuff on this TV show called “Surface.” Being on that show I really learned how to act. It was the biggest learning experience of my career. Again I was working with visual effects on that show, which really helped with Aliens in the Attic. The main character I was working with on “Surface” was an animated Alien, so I had some experience going into Aliens in the Attic. We shot in North Carolina. It was a blast.
Who is someone you would love to work with in the future? Definitely Tom Hanks. He’s one of my favorite actors. I think I could play his son. [Laughs] Of the big actors I have worked with, I did TV show a couple years ago called “Viva Laughlin” that Hugh Jackman was in and produced. He was so cool. He’s like the nicest guy in the world and he’s this worldwide superstar. He’s so nice to everyone and he takes the time to have a conversation with you and he’s a really nice guy. He’s probably a role model of mine because he’s so nice and he’s a great actor.
What do you like to do in your freetime? I’m always studying acting and trying to get better and learn more. I like to play poker. I like to play sports like baseball and football. I like to go to concerts. I just went to Coachella and saw Paul McCartney.
What is something fans might be surprised to know about you? I am a borderline OCD…like neat freak. My room’s always very clean.
Do you have any other upcoming projects? I did a film with Haley Bennett who was in The Haunting of Molly Hartley, called Arcadia Lost. We shot in Greece which was really cool. There’s no release date yet, just festivals.
Do you have any advice for aspiring actors? Don’t think that it’s not possible. Learn as much as you can, take classes. I think that hard work and focus can exceed talent. Talent is out of your control, but what is in your control is your focus, commitment and hard work. Don’t wait for something to come your way. Take advantage of being the youtube generation and make something yourself. Think what would be the coolest role for you to play and make it.
Where can fans find you online? My website is carterjenkins.com and I’m on twitter: @carterjenkins.
Do you have a message for your fans? Don’t do drugs. [Laughs]
