Dylan Riley Snyder

Season 2 of Disney XD’s Kickin’ It stars Dylan Riley Snyder as ‘Milton.’ Dylan took some time to chat about his acting, the show, and his character as well as how you can reach out to him and what he does to stay involved.

Arin: What got you into acting initially?
Dylan: From the time I was 4 days old, I’d been attending my sister, Cassidy’s theatre rehearsals. So I can actually say I took my first baby steps on stage. I loved hanging out with her and her theatre friends. So it kinda happened that way.

A: Being a young actor can be difficult at times, how do you stay grounded and try to be a normal teenager?
D: Normal is not a word my family uses with me. [laughs] I think other than being on TV, I’m pretty much like my friends back home. A lot of them have their outside activities from school that their parents support them in — show choir, sports, music, clubs — so mine, just happens to be on tv.

A: What is your favorite part about your role on ‘Kickin’ It’?
D: Milton is a mixture of different layers to his character! I get excited when I see the first draft of the script and it says that Milton’s an angry chef or I can create a wild scientist. He’s fun!

A: Who are some of your acting icons?
D: Matthew Broderick, Ed Norton, Robert Duvall. They all bring a great deal of believability to their roles.

A: What do you do for fun on set?
D: Usually, we are in school when not rehearsing or taping. I’ve gotten the opportunity to shadow the director during a few of the episodes. I like learning the whole process and how he sees the show play out. Think about camera angles and how to get a certain shot with least amount of takes. Also, I juggle and sometimes — there are co stars that can juggle — so we play around a bit. Mostly, I juggle with the executive producer when he’s got some down time.

A: Do you like live stage or TV/Film more?
D: I love a live audience, it helps me check in on my performance. For the show, we had a few live audiences which was amazing to see those kids who actually love the show and we’d get to meet them right then. I pretty much did film same as stage… Let’s try to get it in one take and then use the other takes to explore a different way, but still using the same purpose.

A: If you could be on any Broadway show, which would it be?
D: I was so hoping To Kill A Mockingbird would have been brought to Broadway since I had heard discussions about it from the director of the regional show. When I was younger, I did the show “Assassins”. I loved the music and the sense of history involved. At that time, I was doing a school report on Abraham Lincoln so researching was also tied into the show for me.
The sound track I’d listened to had Neil Patrick Harris as the narrator [which is] the role I would love to play.

A: Are there any charities or non profits you are involved with?
D: My hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama was hit by two devastating tornadoes within the same month, so I took some time to go home and help with Habitat for Humanity [to] rebuild a home for a family that lost everything. My family has been affected by cancer and so I find myself being drawn to help with meeting kids and bring awareness to the need of funding for research. I like the ‘hands on’ work involved… I’ve been working with a group of friends in a summer program of collecting new shoe donations for “A Place Called Home” for kids to have new shoes for the start of school.

A: What are your biggest goals with acting?
D: Ooh good one! I’d like to do a movie drama in a different time period. I love watching movies. Robin hood, Joan of Arc, and the new “Kings Speech”.

A: What social networks are you on and how can fans catch your attention when they send you a message?
D: Twitter- @dylanrsnyder
Facebook- Dylan Riley Snyder Fan Page
Fanmail-
Dylan R. Snyder
C/O Much and House PR
8075 W. 3rd Street, Suite 500
Los Angeles, CA 90035

I’ve been randomly phoning some of the kids who’ve sent their phone numbers. It’s quite funny sometimes, and only a couple of hang ups!