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Meet Canada's Wimpy Kid Alex Ferris
By Andrea Miller | Wednesday, March 10, 2010 | Interviews | () Comments | Add a Comment

Alex Ferris

Dimple-faced Alex Ferris may only be 12 years old but he already has a CV that would make an actor twice his age more than a little envious. From TV roles in shows like "Terminal City" and "The L Word" to appearances in films ranging from RV to The Invisible to this year’s Tooth Fairy starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, the Vancouver native is emerging as one to watch and next appears in the movie adaptation of beloved book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid .

Cineplex recently spoke to the talkative tween, on the phone from his homebase in Vancouver, about balancing work and school, on-set Nerf fights and how NOT to deal with a school bully.


Cineplex: How did you get involved in the movie?
Alex:Well originally I went in to do my first audition and I remember I had a really good audition, it was really fun, the script itself was one of those scripts that you just read and know that you love it – the words really work together, it’s really funny. So I went in and gave a good audition and the next day, we were cruising for Alaska, so I got on to the cruise and midway through the first day, we get a call that they wanted me to go back for a callback and unfortunately I was on a boat, so I couldn’t go. For most of the cruise, I thought I hadn’t gotten the part but near the end, I got a call and they told me I had booked the part anyway, which was fantastic!


Cineplex: Did you know the books at all before this movie?
Alex: My friends kept telling me, ‘Oh my gosh, you gotta read this book, it’s so good!’ but I never really got around to it cause I was always reading another book. So I didn’t get around to reading the books until I got the part. I bought the first book and I read it and I liked it so much that later that same day, I went out and got the other two books and then the fourth book when it came out. I really do enjoy the books.


Cineplex: What is it about the book that you like so much?
Alex: I think just that it’s so relatable. I mean, when I look at these characters, I can imagine them as so many different people in my class; there’s the jock, there’s the smart nerdy person, there’s the bully. When you actually see some of the things these characters are saying, you think, ‘Oh my god, that’s so weird, that’s exactly what the person would say in that situation!’ I really like that aspect of the book.


Cineplex: Tell me about your character Colin. What’s he like and do you see yourself in him at all?
Alex: He’s sort of a snappy, Republican-style dressing little kid, he’s really nice and really good friends with [a character named] Rowley (Robert Capron). I tend to like to dress a little preppier or snappier than most people and Colin actually sort of dressed like me, which was a bit weird.


Cineplex: Even though you’re only 12, you’ve been acting for quite a while now. Did you have much of a school experience to draw on for this character?
Alex: I go to public school so sometimes it is a little bit hard. Like last year I missed 46 days of school, it was a bit of stretch but I got through it. I got straight-As last year so my teacher and my peers were able to help keep me updated on all the work we were doing. My parents, of course, always tell me that school is my job and acting is my hobby so if my school marks begin to slip then I’d be forced into a little bit of a hiatus [laughs].


Cineplex: You filmed this at a high school in Vancouver and worked with a lot of other kids. What was it like making this movie?
Alex: It was actually one of the most fun sets I’ve ever experienced because all of the main characters are kids so that means the producers have to keep the kids happy and make the set right for the kids. On the lunch menu, there was burgers and pasta instead of the normal, more elegant foods. One day, the producer actually went to Toys “R” Us and bought a couple of Nerf guns and we actually got to have a Nerf gun fight on set, which was really, really fun.


Cineplex: Greg, the Wimpy Kid at the centre of it all, doesn't like school and deals with bullies and his lack of popularity in his own way. Do you agree with how he handles things and what’s your advice for surviving school?
Alex: Greg is quite the character in the movie. He’s extremely egotistical and self-centered and unkind [laughs] so usually what he does...he thinks he’s absolutely perfect and he’s so desperate to be popular and he thinks that maybe the only reason he’s not popular is because his best friend isn’t as cool as him. So during the movie, he’s always trying to change who his friend is, so I don’t quite agree with him – he’s quite unkind to his friend so that’s what eventually leads them to having a bit of a fight.


Cineplex: So what do you think this movie tells kids about surviving school?
Alex: That everybody has a hard time at school and that you don’t need to worry – just be yourself and that is sort of the one thing you can do because people will like you for yourself. And if they don’t, then you probably don’t want them. In the movie, Greg is trying to change [his friend] Rowley and change himself and everything and in the end, Rowley becomes a lot more popular than Greg. That’s one thing I think people will be able to take away from this movie.



Diary of a Wimpy Kid opens in Cineplex theatres March 19.


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