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In his mere 14 years, actor Atticus Shaffer has played a lot of different characters. Currently, he stars in the ABC hit comedy, The Middle. His character, Brick Heck, is a self-proclaimed geek, with a hearty interest in Lego. In real life, Shaffer says he's a lot like his comedic character. He's smart, he's geeky, and he's also a Lego fan. To prove it, he's got his likeness built into the Statue of Liberty at Legoland in Winter Haven, Florida.
In other words, he's exactly the type of kid a GeekMom would love to call their own.
In Tim Burton's Frankenweenie, he's more like the kid that only his mom could love. Shaffer voices the character of Edgar "E" Gore, which he describes as a bit of a villain, but with a lot of heart. "He loves everything that's morbid and over the top," Shaffer says. "When he found what Victor and Sparky had done, he thought it was the greatest thing ever – and he needs to ride on that train in whatever way he can. How he gets involved is a little bit disastrous."
Disastrous maybe, but Frankenweenie is also fun – and now out on Blu-ray and DVD. In anticipation of the film's at-home release, I got the chance to talk to Shaffer about working with director Tim Burton, his love of Lego, and how being a geek is a badge that he wears with honor.
GeekMom: Do you see yourself in your Frankenweenie character at all?
Atticus Shaffer: I'm actually not morbid, but I do like things that involve a bit of outside-of-the-box thinking. That's just how I am. I follow the beat of my own drummer. I don't need to be part of "the big machine," as I call it, and don't need to follow what's most popular.
GM: The movie definitely has some creepy overtones. What age do you think it's appropriate for?
Shaffer: I think a good 7-year-old and upward is great for this film. And obviously, if you're more mature in your line of thought, as a child below that age, then you're perfectly fine with it. There are monster setups and stuff and there are loud noises, so you just need to exercise your parental judgement on the matter.
GM: Obviously, you're very into Lego. Is there a set that you aspire to have or complete?
Shaffer: No, because I use my Lego for stop-motion animation. This is nothing to brag about, because it's nowhere near the caliber of Tim Burton. But I do little Lego stop-motions and since I'm a fan of military history, I'll set up little Lego battles and battlegrounds. Then, I'll film the two sides of them together.
It's just something for my family and friends. I do put the videos on YouTube, but I put them under a hidden name because I really don't want people to know it's me.
GM: Your character on The Middle has been described as a nerd or a geek. What do you think of that?
Shaffer: I'm a huge nerd in real life, so I don't take offense to that. For this character, I've more or less just changed my clothes, but it's me. I am a big reader in real life and I nerd out over the weirdest stuff. That's just how I am. I would just rather march to the beat of my own drummer and not have to worry about what's popular. If it's cool to me, I'm good.
GM: Read any good books lately?
Shaffer: I would really recommend a book called Hatchet. This is a survival book. I read it when I was around eight. If you're good with reading, this is a really good book.
Atticus Shaffer stars in The Middle, which can be seen every Wednesday on ABC. He also stars in Frankenweenie, which is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
