Kidsday interviews 'Wimpy Kid' stars

Last week we had the chance to preview the new movie “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.” We think you should run to the theater! You will love it. The movie was awesome. It is a true comedy for kids! We loved the “Old Lady Attack” scene, but we won’t say any more because we don’t want to give the whole movie away.

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” is about Greg Heffley (played by Zach Gordon) who is beginning seventh grade. His older brother, Rodrick (Devon Bostick), is a typical older brother who is always giving Greg a hard time. They get into trouble with their parents and need to bond together to get out of the mess they are in.

This is a “laugh out loud” movie, and we rate it a 5 (out of 5).

After seeing the movie, we interviewed Zach Gordon, Devon Bostick and Robert Capron (who plays Rowley Jefferson) at the Le Parker Meridien Hotel in Manhattan. There were some very funny funny scenes in the movie and we asked Zach what it was like to run around with underwear on his head. Zach said, “I would never have to do it ever again I’m sure. It was fun. I would never get to do it in my life. After awhile I kind of got use to it, like OK I’m filming a movie here and we’re acting. I guess you have to live strong and you have to do what you got to do.”

There were some fun drumming scenes with Rodrick. We asked Devon if he really played. Devon said, “I do now. I learned the drums for the movie two or three weeks before and I was a little nervous because the first one we just sort of did it on set and it was just messing around. But this one I actually had to know how to play. So we had a drum teacher and I learned in three days. I learned how to do the basic beat and also like twirling the drumsticks. I actually got too good for Rodrick. He’s supposed to look like he sort of knows what he’s doing but not actually be good. So I spent the rest of the time practicing on drum tricks. Rodrick learned from watching rock stars on TV because he thinks it looks cool.”

We wanted to know what it was like for Zach to have all the older ladies touching him in the bathroom scene. He said, “It was a little weird. I wasn’t use to it. It was interesting because the first time we filmed it where they tackle me basically or like they try to mess with me, one lady, when I was going through the end actually spanked me twice. So it was a little bit weird and the director had to say “Could you please not do that to the wimpy kid. He doesn’t really like it.” It was a little embarrassing for me.
 
How long does it take to make a movie? Start to finish?

ZACH: This one took about three months. It was really fun. It was 45 days of shooting to be exact. And it was cool because they already had the whole schedule planned out before and what scenes we would be doing.
DEVON: For us it’s about like a two-month process, but for everyone else they’ve been working on it for over a year. You got to prep before the script, and then the script, and then the read through and then making us look like the characters, get the costumes and everything. We shoot it and that’s where we’re like actually part of it. But then all the post-production stuff afterwards with editing. There’s so much that goes into it.
 
Were you really drinking soda in the party scene?

DEVON: Yes it was soda. It’s tough because I try not to drink or eat too much food in a scene because you have to do it so many times that eventually you can get a stomach ache like Zach in the first movie he’s eating all those mashed potatoes. Got sick afterward because at first he started I’m so hungry and he ate before filming. And by the end he’s like I can’t eat mashed potatoes for the rest of my life. That’s gross.
 
If you could have played another character in the movie, who would it be?

ZACH: Probably Rodrick. He does a lot of cool things. I would have loved to play the drums. I use to play the drums for two years, but I didn’t have any time anymore to play, but it would be cool because I would like to be the backbone of the band and wear some really cool clothes. And be embarrassed by my brother all the time. And be the boss for once.
DEVON: For me. I loved Bill Fran Kranz] in the second one. He was one of the characters in the book that stood out for me. Because he was so detailed. I find him so funny in the movie. Or Coach Malone is hilarious. Obviously I wouldn’t fit the age or the character or anything. But yeah, I think Coach Malone is one of the most funniest guys for sure. Or Rowley. As long as I could be a part of it.
 
Since all the characters are cartoons how do you transform them into real people?

DEVON: I think for me taking on a stick figure. You got to acknowledge some of the traits of the character like they’re all slouchy. I realize that every single character in the book has a slouch. For me it’s looking like him, but also got to bring him to life and in a sense that he’s more than a stick figure. Also in the books we see Roderick do a lot of cruel things or read about him doing things to Greg through Greg’s eyes. But in the movie we see everyone from the neutral standpoint of watching the film. So for me I had to bring him to a nice, he’s mean, but he’s also, and he’s not dumb, he’s smart. A lot of people could think like Roderick is a dumb kid, his IQ isn’t that high. He’s actually street smart wise and like pranking the Wimpy kid, he’s actually a genius. So I got a thing from the point of view of my character of and not through the diary. So that was the difference for me.

What would you do if you weren’t an actor?

ZACH: I love basketball and maybe I could be in the NBA or something or a director.
DEVON: It’s tough to think what I do other than acting. Because acting is a hobby of mine. It’s also my profession. I love writing as well. Writing is like another hobby of mine. It’s hard to make a living off that. It’s so tough. I feel like this is just meant to be.
ROBERT: Honestly and you may think this is kind of a cop-out answer. I would be either a director or a writer for movies. Because I just really like movies.
DEVON: We could write together!
ROBERT: Yeah we could write together Devon and Robert.
ZACH: And I’ll direct.
ROBERT: It’s the greatest written movie of all time.