Amarr M. Wooten – Liv and Maddie: Cali Style

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) How was your character on “Liv and Maddie” originally described to you?

A) My character at first was the friend of Val, who you will see in Season Four. My character was described as a fanboy of Joey (Joey Bragg). I don’t want to give too much away, but you’ll see why he is the biggest fanboy you’ll ever see of Joey. As the show goes on, a crisis happens with the kids at the new school where Parker (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) and Joey attend. My character’s fanboy-ness calms down. You’ll see why…

Q) Where do you connect with your character Finch?

A) It’s actually funny because my character is a very nerdy kind of guy. I go into the nerdy side of myself I guess to relate to my character. He’s super excited and I’m more toned down and more cool. My character is super, super hyper all the time. Me, I’m happy at certain moments – not just all the time every single second. I guess that’s where we differ.

Q) Was there anything you added to your character that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) Joey and I were talking at a table read and we added a few lines to see if the producers and the rest of the writers would like it. I guess they did because they wrote it in the script! It was something that Joey added and since he’s hilarious I went off of him. The writers loved it and added it to the script. You have to keep up with Joey! He’s like an actual comedian in real life so you have to keep up with him. His natural sense of humor is crazy! He is super funny.

Q) You have great comedic timing. Is it something that has come naturally to you or have you had to work at it?

A) I would actually say both because my family is super, super funny. I guess I get my comedic timing from my family. They actually help me by just being around them! Watching TV has also helped me because that’s actually where I got a lot of inspiration for my acting. From Disney to Nickelodeon to ABC that’s how I perfected my comedic and dramatic timing.

Q) What have been some of your favorite behind the scenes from filming?

A) My favorite moment would probably be during the first week of filming because it was my birthday. After we wrapped for the day, they actually surprised Chloe East (who plays Val) and I with a birthday cake. Everyone sang Happy Birthday and I felt like part of the cast from the beginning. My second favorite moment (without spoiling anything) would probably be Joey flying. I’ll just end it with that…

Q) What has it been like working with John Beck?

A) John actually gave me a lot of tips. One special tip he gave me was to be ready for anything. I remember the first or second week on set we were filming and he gave me ad libs to put in. He kept changing the lines to see if this fit or this fit or this fit. He kept changing the lines over and over. Ron [Hart] was in the background laughing. John told me to be ready for anything because I never thought I would be given six or seven lines at one time. It was actually super fun to do that.

Q) What will fans of “Liv and Maddie” like about the new season?

A) I think that fans will love the new cast. They added (including me) three more cast members to the show. I think people will love that it sticks to its roots. It is based in California, but it still has the same flair as the previous seasons. I think fans will love that about the show – and it’s still funny, too! It has a super cool family element and it stays like that throughout Season Four.

Q) What is it like filming in front of a live audience?

A) We shoot in front of a live audience once a week. I have done it before on other projects, but I think this one was the most fun because I got to do it so often. I love the live audience. Just seeing them laugh and react to my jokes as I said them was super cool to me. The first week we went up to see the live audience to say hi, and they were screaming!

Q) What is something about the cast that would surprise fans?

A) Kali [Rocha] is actually a mom. I didn’t even know that. I worked with her a few years ago and was surprised she was pregnant at the time. I had no idea! I don’t know if fans will know this but it was a surprise to me that Dove [Cameron] didn’t have a twin! The camera is so good that I thought she had a twin! I was so confused! With Joey, he actually likes cats. On the show, he wears cat shirts, pants, etc. I didn’t know that and I found that out the first week.

Q) What keeps you motivated?

A) I would say what keeps me motivated is my family and myself, as well. My little brother, Mom, Dad and Grandma support my acting career and that keeps me motivated. I recently went back home and they were giving me tips not on acting, but about life.

Q) How do you keep things balanced with acting and your personal life?

A) Well, for one, I try to stay focused on what I want to do and be with my career. Also, I play video games and that actually helps. [laughs] It’s a good way to escape. I also hang out with the cast. They help me, too.

Q) What have you taken away from working with the cast and on the show?

A) I would say the experience I came away with was just seeing everyone on the crew. There are so many people on the show that you wouldn’t imagine! After we would finish practicing the run through we would go to school, but we would also have fun. We had the most fun that I’ve ever had in a classroom! We would joke a lot and I’ll always remember the jokes. I’ll always remember the experiences we had together on set.