Luke Schroder, son of Golden Globe winner and veteran actor Ricky Schroder, makes his acting debut opposite Dean Cain (Superman) in A Mile in His Shoes. The 18-year-old makes his entrance into the entertainment business with a leading role as a young farm boy with Asperger’s Syndrome and a killer fast ball. His down to earth and laid back attitude, not to mention his boyish good looks, makes him easy on the eyes and heart. TheCelebrityCafe.com’s Amanda Thambounaris spoke with Luke recently about his challenging role, family, and celebrity crush.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: You are starring in your first big role in A Mile in His Shoes. What made you decide to take this role, especially as your first?
Luke Schroder: Well, when I first read the script I was instantly intrigued by the role. I thought it was going to be really challenging, but I don’t know, I’ve always been up for challenges. And so, I auditioned and I kind of liked playing Mickey the character and I thought I could do well with him, so I auditioned and they liked it and met the director and everything and then I got hired. I actually haven’t seen the movie yet, they won’t show me.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: It is a big role to jump into right away- how were you feeling before/during filming and how do you feel about it now?
Luke Schroder: Yeah, when I was researching Asperger’s, the syndrome which is a form of autism, I was kind of nervous because I didn’t want to make anyone mad because people have a lot of experience with this in America; There are a lot of kids in America with Asperger’s, so I wanted to be respectful and I also wanted to do Mickey justice and play him as well as possible. And so, that was really a driving force of my motivation to train and to study beforehand. And then when I got there I was obviously feeling nervous and my first day was weird, it was the first time I’ve ever worked in front of the camera acting, so that was a little bit nerve wracking, but after the first day it was basically a lot of fun from there on out and it was a good learning experience. I really hope that people respond to the movie.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: In the film, you play the character Mickey, a young boy with Asperger's Syndrome, but a great throwing arm. What was it like to portray a character with such hardship yet success at the same time?
Luke Schroder: It was just another challenge trying to be this super star thrower when I don’t have that much baseball experience and so I had to learn throwing. So, it was kind of challenging to be this star player and then on the same side having to play someone that is a little bit more socially awkward and shy and closed in.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: You have said that you researched Asperger's thoroughly through acting classes and videos for this role. What was the most challenging part when playing this role? Were you able to relate to the character in any way?
Luke Schroder: The most challenging thing I’d say is probably because my character has such few lines in most of the scenes, he doesn’t talk a lot, so I wanted to bring a lot of energy and a lot of value throughout the dialogue when I was only given the few lines to work with. So, that was probably the biggest challenge, just getting the most potential out of the few lines that my character had.
Yeah, I was able to relate to Mickey because he was a kid my age and I don’t know, I can relate to most kids my age and he has a few little shy, awkward moments that maybe I’ve had in my adolescence, in my becoming a teenager that I think a lot of kids have.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: Did you actually get to meet Mickey; The film was based on a true story correct?
Luke Schroder: I actually did not get to meet Mickey. I think it’s based on a true story, but none of us actually know if Mickey even exists. It was based on a real story, I do not know if his name was Mickey, that might have been changed, but no I have never met anyone from the book.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: What was it like playing opposite Dean Cain in this movie? Are you a Superman fan?!?
Luke Schroder: I'm not a Superman fan, I never actually saw the movie/show, but I’m a Dean Cain fan because he was so easy to work with. He was just like my big brother or like my dad or something. After day one we were just best friends for the rest of the shoot, he was super cool and super easy to work with. And, he played high school baseball, so he was able to advise me with actually teaching me how to pitch correctly.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: How has your father, Ricky Schroder, influenced your acting career? Did you choose to become an actor to follow in his footsteps?
Luke Schroder: I’ve grown up in a house where he is always reading lines or reading scripts or talking about projects he’s working on and visiting him on set, so I’ve always been kind of interested in the whole production process and acting and what it is like being in front of the camera. So, I’ve always had that interest in me, but it probably wasn’t until maybe three years ago that I actually decided that I wanted to maybe go out and audition a little bit and get a commercial agent. But, it was definitely my decision to start acting. He was actually a little bit apprehensive about letting me go in when I was younger because he knows what it’s like for kids in Hollywood and their futures, that there is a lot of temptation.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: Other than your father, what other actors have inspired your journey?
Luke Schroder: Probably Cam Gigandet from Never Back Down. He was really cool and I like the way he carries himself on screen. And, I really like Ryan Gosling and Max Thieriot.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: Did you see Crazy Stupid Love?
Luke Schroder: Yeah I did. It was good, I liked it; It was really entertaining.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: I heard that you are an outdoor/extreme sports fanatic; you love to surf and snowboard. Was there anyone or anything that triggered these hobbies? What other past times do you enjoy?
Luke Schroder: Probably my dad just taking me and my brother skiing when I was like two years old I learned how to ski. Me and my brother are only 18 months apart and so we’ve pretty much taken on every extreme sport together at one point. So, I have a partner in crime when we are doing extreme activities. We love rock climbing, surfing, dirt biking, spear fishing, snowboarding, etc.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: So, word on the street is that you have a little celebrity crush on Selena Gomez. Are you prepared to go up against the 'Biebs'?
Luke Schroder: You can confirm that I do have a crush on Selena Gomez! I met her once at Justin Bieber’s movie premiere, but I probably didn’t look as cool as Justin Bieber at his own movie premiere.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: So, what are you plans now?
Luke Schroder: My plans now are to audition and to go to acting class and to finish high school, that is really it.
Catch Luke Schroder in his heart warming film debut in TV's "A Mile in His Shoes," premiering Sunday, September 25, 2011.