I recently had a chance to have a quick interview with one of the stars of the J.J. Abrams/Steve Spielberg summer blockbuster Super 8: Ryan Lee, who plays Cary the mischievous pyromaniac who breaks up the thrilling tension as the comic relief of the group.
Super 8 is set in 1979 and follows 6 young children as they lay witness to a catastrophic train wreck which causes unusual disappearances and inexplicable events throughout the town. In addition to his leading role in Super 8, Lee will appear in the historic drama The Legend of Hell's Gate: An American Conspiracy alongside Eric Balfour, Summer Glau, and Jenna Dewan-Tatum as well as recurring roles on "Friday Night Lights," "Breaking Bad" and the short-lived "My Generation."
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Lee loves to play baseball, basketball and football. Lee is currently ranked a Star in Boy Scouts and is working for his Eagle Scout Award.
GeekDad: Without giving anything away, which I know you can't; how much of what was going on did you know about in Super 8? Did you know what you were dealing with?
Ryan Lee: I knew what I was dealing with the whole time that we were filming. I read the whole script with J.J. and the other kids. If we wouldn't have been able to read the script, I don't think any of our performances would have been as good. So to answer your question, I knew everything that I should for my job.
GD: Shooting has been done for a while; how hard has it been keeping everything top secret?
RL: Not as hard as I thought it would be. I really like knowing secrets, and once I do know that secret I can keep it. But if I'm on the outside and I don't know the secret that's a different story. I will try with all my power to get the secret out of the person who knows.
GD: How different is Cary from you in real life?
RL: Cary and I are a lot a like in many ways, because J.J. really wanted us to bring our own personalities into our characters to make them seem more like real kids. About the only thing that is different between the two of us is our use of fireworks. I love to use them, but I don't go as crazy as Cary does.
GD: Did you draw on any inspiration for the character?
RL: A lot of what I used was either my own personality or from the 4th of July.
GD: What is it like working with J.J. Abrams?
RL: J.J. is one of the coolest people you will ever meet in your life. There are 6 kids in Super 8 and we call him the 7th kid, because he's like a kid at heart. He cracks jokes all the time, never yells at us, and is always patient with us. The first time I met J.J., I was extremely nervous but in the first 5 minutes of meeting him, he is so inviting that you already feel like you are his friend.
GD: What about Steven Spielberg?
RL: Just like J.J., Steven is very welcoming. When you first meet him, he also makes you feel so comfortable that you already feel like you are his friend. I remember the first time I met him he wasn't just serious and telling us how we needed to change our performances. No, he was telling us about how good we were doing in the movie, and he also talked to us about the coolest iPhone apps to get. He's such a cool guy.
GD: What was working with the rest of the crew like?
RL: The crew and I are like a big family. They are the best! Between takes I always remember playing football with them. The crew is what makes the film possible and I was always very appreciative of that. I would try to help them out as much as possible, in every way I could. I still keep in touch with many of them.
GD: Do you have anything you are working on now?
RL: I worked on a film with Samuel L. Jackson and Luke Wilson after finishing filming on Super 8. I only have a couple of scenes but those scenes were awesome and to get to do them with those two actors, it was just a great experience.
GD: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
RL: In 5 years I see myself still working my hardest to reach my dream of acting forever.
GD: What can you tell us about The Trevor Romain Foundation?
RL: The Trevor Romain Foundation is a project that I am most proud to be a part of. They work with the USO and help provide support and comfort to military children and their families. I do voiceover for a cartoon character named "Jack." In the DVDs, we talk about very difficult subjects such as Deployment, Injuries and Post Traumatic Stress. These are very hard issues for kids and families to deal with but we approach them with comedy so it is easier for kids to relate to. I am especially proud to be a part of this charity because my Grandfather is a Veteran. There were a lot of real soldiers that worked on Super 8 and I am proud to have been in Super 8 with them.
GD: Anything else you would like to add?
RL: Two things. 1. I hope this film is like a big flashback to all the adults who were kids growing up back in the '70s, and I hope they find themselves saying, "That's exactly what I did when I was a kid!" And number 2, I was thinking about this the other day and I thought it was really cool. J.J. was inspired by Steven to make movies, I am inspired by J.J. to one day make movies, and I hope millions of kids or adults are inspired by Super 8 to make movies.
Be sure to check out Dave Banks' post 8 Things Parents Should Know About Super 8!
