Powerhouse 12-Year-Old Andy Scott Harris Talks Life, Pursuit, and Method

Posted by on 09 Jul 2010 by theBean in Editorials, News

We always lament not catching up and interviewing the stars “before” it all happens. Tom Cruise before Top Gun, Brad Pitt before 21 Jump Street, Johnny Depp prior to Nightmare. This week we catch up with Andy Scott Harris, a blue-eyed young up-and-comer — recently seen with Tom Hanks in Angels & Demons — who went from being an orphan in Kiev, Ukraine to wowing his parents… and the rest of the country… as a serious “one to watch” acting force.

The gregarious 12 year old talks candidly to ActorBean about life, pursuit, and method:

What sparked your passion for acting? The first thing you remember that kind of said — “that’s it, that’s what I want to do?”
I was seven and I was watching a Disney show, I don’t remember which one, and I was like “That seems like a lot of fun. That’s what I want to do.” So then I went to my Mom, and I said, “Mom I want to be an actor.” And she said, “OK, if you’re going to stick with it. Let’s give it a shot.” And now I am out here, living my dream.

Are you in a regular school program?
Actually, I’m home schooled, and it is a lot of fun, even though I miss out on a lot of the perks of being in a regular school. It’s a sacrifice, but it is completely worth it.

How do your classmates feel about your career?
Most of my friends are actors, too. But when we hang out, we never talk about acting. It is just something we do.

How do you juggle being “a kid” and being an actor at the same time?
Well, you take each in moderation. Maybe some days, you don’t have any auditions. Those are the days you take to just be a kid and play video games, hang out and have fun. Whereas, other days you devote the day to acting, and I try to see if I can relax at the end of the day. Some days I’m too excited to relax. Other days, it’s like “Finally, it’s over.” You take a deep breath and say, “What a successful day.” You feel like you got a lot accomplished on those days.

How many hours a week do you spend working on your career?
24, no 52, or something like that. I really don’t know, because it differs. Some days I have one audition. Other days I have five auditions. And classes and such, I have two, Margie Haber’s and Cynthia Bain’s. I mainly coach just for auditions, two or three times a week.

Have you ever studied a “Method”?
No. I find the backstory and figure out what my character is feeling. I learn about character relationships. I practice the scene many different ways, because it is important to go greater in depth with the character.

What’s the most amazing project you’ve ever worked on?
HOUSE. I played an autistic boy named “Johnny”. I got to work with Hugh Laurie, Lisa Edelstien and Kal Penn. They were really nice.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a young performer?
Keep living your dream. Any advice from a celebrity? Never, never, never, never give up. That was said by Winston Churchill.

If you weren’t an actor, what would you want to do?
Music. I play the guitar, mandolin, piano, cello and sing. I’m in a rock band, “Wye”.

What’s the “ultimate goal”?
To touch the hearts of my audience with my truthful performances.

What can we see you in next?
I will be appearing in Columbia Pictures’ BAD TEACHER in 2012 with Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake, and starring in the THE BOARDER in 2011, an independent film about a boy with Reactive Attachment Disorder.

Andy Scott Harris is represented by Luber Roklin Entertainment. We look forward to seeing the triple threat in Michael Johnson’s Save the Skeet, additional feature films in the 2011 season, and rocking out as the lead guitarist of his band, Wye.

http://www.andyscottharris.com