Matthew Underwood – School is in Session

By starrymag | January 7, 2014

Q.  Are there any recent projects that you are working on besides the show “Zoey 101?”

A.  Actually I am just doing commercials, I’m teaching a class at a theater for little kids and I’m teaching like acting techniques and things like that.  I’m up for roles in movies and TV shows, at the moment I’m not working on any on-screen work.  I did a Disney animation movie, a voiceover animation movie in December and I’ve done other voiceover work and stuff like that, but mainly the Disney movie.

Q.  Can you tell us a little bit about the show “Zoey 101” and your character “Logan?”

A.  “Zoey 101” is about an all boys school and it gets turned into an all girls boarding school so Zoey, Jamie Lynn Spears, comes in school and she has a hard time ‘cuz some guys give her trouble because they think that they (the girls) are not good enough to be in the school, they think it should stay an all boys school.  Me, Logan, I give her the hardest time because I really, really think that girls aren’t good enough to be in the school and I just give her such a hard time.  I’m really mean and conniving. I just hate girls all the time so Jamie, (who plays) Zoey, and her friends have to go through all these different adventures to get popular in the school and get it through the school that girls are welcome there, to get the boys to let them do the things that they do.

Q.  How did you originally become involved in this project and what made you want to be a part of it?

A.  Well, I have been acting ever since I was six months old and I came out to California and I was out here for about six months and I auditioned for it and I thought it was amazing.  I thought it would be awesome, I love playing an evil character in anything, it’s so fun to be the evil guy.  So, I auditioned for it and I met the producer Dan and he was really cool and we became friends and so when I booked it I was just so happy, ‘cuz it’s like my dream project to be an evil guy on a TV show.

Q.  Do you have a most memorable moment from filming “Zoey 101?”

A.  They pulled a prank on me when I was in the cafeteria and we were eating, ‘cuz we film at Pepperdine University so they let us eat in their cafeteria for lunch.  We were at lunch and I got a soda and I got all of my food and we all sat down together, the entire cast, and we were talking and then one of the girls in the cast asked me to get her a corn muffin.  So, I was like ok, so I went back to the cafeteria and I got her a corn muffin and when I came back I was eating my fries and they were all laughing and giggling and cracking up.  I was like, “did you do something to my fries?” and I was drinking my drink and eating my fries and then one of my girls shook up my soda and I was like, “well what was that for?”  So, I took a huge gulp of it, and they had put Ranch dressing and salt and pepper and as many things as they could find in my soda.  I drank it and it was so funny, it was very fun.

Q.  What was it like getting to work with such an amazing group of young actors?

A.  I thought it was amazing, because we’re all just best friends now.  Like last night we all got together and we watched the TV show together when it premiered and I hang out with Sean (Sean Flynn Amir) who plays Chase on the show like all the time, like every weekend.  I think it’s great to work with people that are my age, because if you are on a TV show with all adults, it’s harder to get along and be friends with all of the cast members than it is to work with beautiful girls and awesome guys, it’s just amazing, it’s so funny.

Q.  Your character Logan is supposed to be a jock, are you anything like your character?

A.  Well, in a way, like he is handsome, he’s the handsomest guy in the school, but I mean being a jock and mean to girls, I’m totally the opposite.  I respect girls to the fullest and whatever they ask me to do, I’ll get them anything.  But besides that, being the hottest guy at school, I can go with that but not the jockey mean guy.

Q.  Did the cast ever get together with one another off set and hang out?

A.  Yeah, like me and Sean, we get together every weekend and we try and plan things like going to the movies and going bowling with all the cast, and Paul (Butcher) who plays Dustin, I get together with him all the time.  I actually just got two of the cast members to join the dance class that I take, an acting and dance class, but we’re all going to be in the class every Tuesday and Saturday together.  So, yeah we hang out all the time, we’re like best friends.

Q.  What sets the show “Zoey 101” apart from all of the various teenage shows like “Even Stevens,” “Unfabulous,” “Phil of the Future,” etc.?

A.  Well I think what sets it apart is that it is actually on location at a beach, almost like a resort, the kids are going to love it, they’re going to want to go to that school so much.  Also, there are eight main characters that you see in almost every episode so if they can’t relate to one person, they can easily relate to somebody else in the cast.  We’re always there, we’re all best friends, that really shines through, that we’re really best friends.  Also, being at the beach at Pepperdine University where the show is shot and I definitely, definitely encourage kids to watch the show because it’s just a beautiful set and they’re totally, totally want to go to that school.

Q.  What was it like getting to work on such a fun show like “Method and Red?”

A.  I worked on “Method and Red” and Redman and Method Man, they were really awesome and they were really funny.  I mean I think they can be comedians if they wanted to be but I think it’s really cool.  I got to hang out with the star of Red of Red and Meth and I just met up with him at a Ronald McDonald charity event a couple weeks back, I think it was about a month ago.  We hung out and I thought it was amazing ‘cuz I got to work with famous rappers and I like rap music so it was like awesome.  I just like working on any set and I got to play the evil guy on the show, so playing the evil guy was my favorite to do.

Q.  What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

A.  In my spare time, during the summer time I love surfing, I’m a real surf fanatic and go to the beach.  When I’m in Florida I barefoot water skiing because you can’t go barefoot out here, because there is no place, you can’t go in the ocean.  I really love surfing and hanging out with my friends when I’m not working and on break.

Q.  You had a successful career in modeling, what made you want to switch over into acting?

A.  Well, I’ve always been doing acting but when I was in Florida I had this look that they really liked and I worked a lot in modeling.  For about a year and a half I worked almost every single day for modeling and then I went auditioning for commercials and TV shows and stuff.  So, when I came out to California they really didn’t have that much modeling and also I had grown.  So, I thought that I would just go back with my real passion and go back to acting, I just love acting I’ve been doing it since I was six months old.

Q.  What is it about extreme sports that has recently drawn you into participating in them?

A.  Well, my uncle is the top one hundred barefoot skier in the world and he really got me into barefoot water skiing in Florida with alligators.  Because there are alligators there it’s pretty much one of the most extreme sports since there are dangerous things also there.  So, when I really conquered that I decided nothing can be much more scarier than with alligators there.  So, I went into surfing in California and the big waves and the sharks and I’ve been wanting to go sky diving and bungee jumping some time but I don’t know if that is going to happen with my mom.

Q.  You have done acting and modeling and at the Theater For A Difference Theatre Group you’ve worked sound and lighting and managed two plays.  Is there anything else you’d like to try your hand at?

A.  I would love to direct a play; I would love to do that.  Right now I actually wrote a play and their going to produce it on the stage of the Theater For A Difference and it’s an amazing comedy and so far I’ve done the lights, the sound, the stage. So, right now what I really want to do is direct a play,  I’m hoping to do that within the year.

Q.  What’s in your CD player at the moment?

A.  In my CD player I would have to say either Jet or Maroon 5.  I create a lot of my own music when I go over to my friend Sean’s house so sometimes I create my own music and I listen to that a lot.  Usually that or Jet or Maroon 5.

Q.  Is there anything that you’d like to say to your fans and supporters?

A.  I would love to say keep watching the show, it’s an amazing show and they are my most important people, and my most important fans to me and anybody who is a fan is like number one.  Keep watching the show, I think you’ll love it and I hope to see you guys see at events and charity events and I hope to sign autographs for everybody. m