Quinn Lord is just ten years old and already has a long list of TV and film credits to his name. Right now, you can see him in “Santa Buddies” (new on DVD Nov. 24 – read my review here), as well as the upcoming films “The Hole” and “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.”
We caught up with the young actor and got his take on scary movies, Johnny Depp, and why he’d kill a zombie or two for a Twinkie.
You’re just ten years old and you’ve got all these amazing projects going on. How do you manage to juggle school and work and everything else?
I do my schoolwork in my pajamas, or in the bath or anywhere I want! I do a combination of home school and regular school. I do the same work as other kids, just in a different place, and wherever I go we always find fun field trips to go on. I get to learn about the city I am in and different cultures. It’s fun! I do two hip hop classes a week – that’s a lot of fun, too! Then I have a game/movie night once a week with friends. It just all fits in somehow!
What else do you like to do for fun (if you have time for it!)?
Well, I’m a boy so, of course, video games! I also love archery, horseback riding, paragliding, roller coasters, snowboarding, bike riding, hip hop/street jazz, 3-D animation and many other things! I love trying new things!
Tell us about your character in “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.” Did you have fun filming it?
I played a small role in this amazing film. Terry Gilliam has a very cool imagination and the film is very fun! I’ve watched it three times and notice something new and different each time. I love it, and I will definitely go and see it again when it comes out in theatres. It was fun filming it. There were lots of interesting costumes to see, and meeting Verne Troyer and Christopher Plummer was awesome!
Did you have an opportunity to know or work with Heath Ledger on “Parnassus”?
I didn’t get the chance to work with him, but he is awesome in the film.
More after the jump…
Likewise, did you have an opportunity to meet or work with Johnny Depp?
Unfortunately, I wasn’t in any scenes with Johnny Depp and we were on set on different days, so I didn’t get to meet him. Hopefully someday, though. The roles he chooses are amazing. He’s a smart guy, and I hope to be as good as him one day!
You’ve done two Buddies movies — “Space Buddies” and “Santa Buddies” — what character do you play, and how fun was it working on these projects? (We love the Buddies in this house!)
I play the role of Pete — he’s Mud Bud’s human. Pete’s mom is a bit of a clean freak and to have a puppy that loves mud can be a little bit of a problem sometimes! The puppies are so cute, soft and adorable. I loved working with them. What kid wouldn’t love that, and the puppies always do some adorable bloopers, because they are puppies!
You played Linus in the Peanuts Webisodes. Was it amazing playing this beloved Peanuts character? Did you feel any sort of responsibility playing Linus (like "I’d better not mess this up!").
I thought it was so cool to play Linus. I researched the original Linus voice, practiced hard and tried to match it, and I think I came pretty close. I really wanted people to say, “Hey, that’s pretty close to the original.” Yes, that was my goal.
Talk a little about “The Hole.” Your bio says you star as Julie Campbell’s (Haley Bennett) “most terrifying childhood fear." Sounds scary!
Well, I can’t say too much about it, but it may be one of my scarier roles. I think it is! I love the film, and I’ve always loved Joe Dante. I’m a big “Gremlins” fan, so to work with him was a dream come true. He is one of the nicest people I have ever met in my ten years of living!
You’ve done a lot of TV and movie projects. Do you prefer one over the other?
TV is a lot of fun, but I have to say films are my favorite. Working for months on a project with other actors is very cool, and we always seem to become kind of a family. The sad part is saying goodbye at the end, but keeping in touch is awesome! I guess I would love a TV series — that would be like a big family, too!
You’ve done a ton of TV projects, like “Blade,” “Stargate SG-1,” “The L Word,” “Supernatural,” “Smallville” (for which you were nominated for a Young Artist Award in 2008!) … do you have a favorite TV project you’ve done?
“Supernatural” was very fun, especially bringing that clown in to my sleeping dad — now that was too much creepy fun! “Smallville” was crazy fun. I creeped people out with my black contacts and creepy possessed voice. It’s fun to play evil sometimes!
“Trick ‘R Treat” was just released on DVD / Blu-ray in October. Tell us a little about that project.
Well, “Trick ‘R Treat” is four scary tales with my character Sam kind of weaving in and out of each story. He’s always there somewhere! Sam is the spirit of Halloween and enforces the rules in his own special way. He drags along a sack which might have candy, severed body parts, cats, or other disturbing things. You never know what may be in there! It was tons of fun working on the film. The sets were really cool, and I got to watch and be involved during the making of Sam’s costume — that was really interesting! And, no the butt flap does not work on the footy pajamas! (laughs)
Your web site is awesome, and I saw the video of the Parnassus red carpet premiere. Have you done a lot of red carpet premieres? What’s it like working with and hanging out with all these big stars?
Thank you, I have lots of ideas of things I want to add to it! The video of the red carpet premiere was my very first, and I loved it! I have done one other and walked the black carpet at Screamfest, but I hope to do many more. I’m addicted to it! Working with big stars is very cool. They are amazing actors, and I always try to get tips and learn from them. When I get the chance to hang out with them, I love comparing on set stories and just chatting about things we love. It’s very cool!
You’ve done lots of commercials, too. Are there any currently airing where we can look for you?
I haven’t done a commercial in years, but the Capital One holiday commercial where we try and celebrate all the holidays in one trip is back out again. I wear a pumpkin suit in that one — not like “Trick ‘R Treat,” though (laughs). I was 5 or 6 in that commercial.
Do you plan to continue acting into adulthood? Who are your role models as actors?
I would love to continue acting and one day direct, produce, write and maybe animate! I love being creative. It’s really, really amazing to think something up, write it down and then see it acted out, all just from your brain! Humans are pretty cool!
I have lots of role models — Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford — I just have too many to list. There are so many talented actors, and I can learn something from every person I meet, no matter how big a star they are!
You’ve said you love the 80s movies like “Goonies” and “Gremlins,” and would love to work with Bruce Campbell. Why him? And are there any other actors or directors you’d like to work with in the future?
I would love to work with Bruce Campbell just because I love “Army of Darkness.” I don’t know why, I just do! One new film I also love is “Land of the Lost.” I’ve watched it about 10 times so far! I love the old film "Caveman" with Ringo Starr, too! I love a lot of films, and recently watched “Zombieland.” That was fun! I had never tried a Twinkie before, so I just had to try them. I would definitely kill a few Zombies for one!
A few of the actors I would love to work with are Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Bruce Campbell, Jodie Foster, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and many many more!
A few of the directors I would love to work with are Michael Bay, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson and many more! I would love to work with Joe Dante, Terry Gilliam and Michael Dougherty again for sure!
Anything else you want to add?
Well, I do love it when people message me through my website. I’m only ten so I’m not really allowed to email back, but if someone sends me their address, I’ll write a letter!
Thanks so much for the interview! I can’t wait to see you in “Parnassus,” “Santa Buddies” and your upcoming projects!
Thank you!
For more on Quinn Lord, check out his very cool Web site!
Images: Quinn Lord; Columbia Pictures