Breakout actor of the critically acclaimed film ‘KICKS’ spoke with us about everything from his movie to his other life as a rapper.
Starting at the age of 10, Christopher Meyer knew he was destined to become an actor. Now, at 19, Meyer has acted in a number of popular television series including General Hospital, Wayward Pines, and NCIS. The young actor even co-starred in a superbowl commercial with Kevin Hart, for Hyundai. In his most recent acting venture, Meyer starred in the urban coming of age movie, ‘KICKS’, acting alongside Biggie Smalls’ son, Christopher Jordan Wallace, and director Justin Kitting. In a very eye opening interview, Meyer revealed to us how his family reacted to seeing him portray his character in the film, and how in real life, he couldn’t be more different.
Why KICKS? What attracted you to this film?
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Meyer: I fell in love with the script. It was much like the movies I grew up on, like Juice, Boyz in the Hood
And, You play a character named Rico in the film, who is a very cool, confident kind of guy. Does your real life personality relate to him in any way?
Meyer: *laughs* I’m not even gonna lie, I learned a couple things from Rico for sure. I like to think of myself as a confident person, but I think Rico is overflowing with confidence, might be borderline cocky.
So, how are you different from Rico?
Meyer: I’m not as cocky! I’m not as willing to do the things that he does. Like, the way he approaches women, I’m not that rash. I don’t smoke as much weed as he does.
So, How was it working with the director of KICKS, Justin Tipping?
Meyer: Working with Justin is something I really hope I can do again. For someone who’s so young, he is so patient. It makes things go so much smoother. There have been times when I’ve been on a set and it’s been so hectic . . . he was never ever like that. Justin has this smooth way of operating that just kept everybody calm.
If you could choose a dream team of actors that you want to star in a movie with, who would they be?
Meyer: I love Shia Labeouf, I think he’s beast. I love Tom Hardy. Michael B Jordan. My brother Kofi Siriboe.
Directors?
Meyer: My favorite director of all time, my dream director: Martin Scorsesee. I would work with him for free. I would actually pay to work with him!
And, how old are you by the way?
Meyer: I’m 19.
Are you usually the youngest actor on most sets?
Meyer: I usually am, except for in KICKS actually. I’m always the youngest, but it doesn’t feel much different from my life. I’m used to always being the young guy. It’s kinda been fun because I have a lot more to prove. It allows me to go harder and prove that I’m worthy of being around veterans.
So, are you in school right now or do you act full time?
Meyer: Full time. I plan on going to college. It’s something that I promised to my mom, you know how that goes. My mom really wants to see get a degree.
What was your mom’s reaction when she saw KICKS?
Meyer: *laughs* It was definitely funny!
I know she must have been like “What?!”
Meyer: Yeah! I mean, you know what, I’ve always kept it 100 percent real with my mom. Actually, I’ll tell you a story: My mom knows me well. You know how kids are, right? Dirty. They don’t wanna take showers all the time.
Uh, yes!
Meyer: Well, I was that kid. My mom started realizing that I was brushing my teeth like 3 times a day and taking 2 showers, and she started getting suspicious. She kinda cornered me about it and asked me about it and asked me about girls. Ironically, it was around the time I started messing with girls. And, from then on out, she always told me I could be honest with her. I always was honest with her. So, for her to see me in this movie, I know the only thing that was funny for her was the weed. She’s not too big on marijuana.
I don’t think any mom is.
Meyer: Yeah, um no! *laughs* That was a little weird. I was just waiting for my grandma to see it. You know once grandma sees it, it’s definitely gonna be a conversation.
So what else do you have going on right now? Any upcoming films, projects?
Meyer: Yeah, I’m on Wayward Pines. I strongly advise you all to watch episode 8, it’s a big show for me. I also rap. I have a mixtape coming up.
Where can we hear your music? Do you have a Soundcloud?
Meyer: I do have a Soundcloud. It’s under the name “Wolf“. That’s what my friends call me. It’s my rap name. My mixtape coming out this summer is called Wolftape. I’m planning on providing visuals for it too.
Why do your friends call you wolf?
Meyer: Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been infatuated with wolves. I feel like wolves really symbolize a quality that I have in myself and that I thrive off of.
KICKS premieres Sept 9.
