Rising Star Andre Robinson On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
An Interview With Edward Sylvan
Rejection is not personal. My mom shielded me from rejection for years. She placed auditions, callbacks, and work in the same basket that I called “fun”. When I learned the true process and *really* desired certain roles, I’d think casting didn’t “like” me or my work. I now know that that is farthest from the truth. You just never know exactly what casting is looking for or the type of voice they’re after. This is what my parents instilled in me and is now my motto: “What God has for me will be mine.”
As a part of my series about pop culture’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Andre Robinson.
Andre Robinson was born in Southern California and began his career at the age of 6 years old when he landed the role as a baby Meerkat in the animated feature film Khumba with Laurence Fishbourne. Since then, his voice can be heard in over 2 dozen box office and feature films such as the Oscar-winning film Twelve Years a Slave, Despicable Me 2, The Best Man Holiday, and Bilal. His voice-over career soared on the small screen as well with such big roles as Donny McStuffins on Disney Jr.’s Doc McStuffins, Niko in Amazon Prime’s The Sword of Light, Cutter in DreamWorks’ Animation show Dragons Rescue Riders, Oliver on Cartoon Network’s Summer Camp Island, and Clyde on Nickelodeon’s The Loud House. Andre’s talent in front of the camera is evident as he can be seen in numerous national commercials for such companies as Apple, McDonalds, Ford, and Chrysler for which he toured the country filming a plethora of commercials with celebrities including the characters on Sesame Street. Currently, Andre will be playing the role of DJ on Disney + Cheaper by the Dozen released in early March 2022. A Young Artist Academy and People’s Choice Award winner, Andre is passionate about helping the homeless and the hungry, he works with The Original Project Team whenever he can. When he is not working, he enjoys playing Fortnite and Brawlhalla with his friends as well as riding his bicycle or hoverboard and spending time with his family.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I have the best, down-to-earth parents, and two older sisters, Sheena (29) and Andrea (23). I can’t forget my German Shepherd, Riley, and my fish, Ocean. We are truly a close-knit family of five, grounded in our faith in Christ. I was the only one homeschooled from 1st grade through the end of high school since I was the only one in the entertainment industry. We all love to travel (even though my dad is not a fan of flying).
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
When I was six years old, my mom quit her job to become a homemaker. Her good friend, who managed children, encouraged her to put me in the entertainment industry. She decided to give it a try for the fun of it, not knowing I’d enjoy it and soar.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your entertainment career?
I booked an animated movie entitled, Bilal: A New Breed of Hero. I voiced young Bilal and had the honor of working with Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (adult Bilal) and Jacob Latimore (teen Bilal). Surprisingly, the writer, Ayman Jamal, invited us to the premiere in Doha, Qatar! We couldn’t believe our eyes when my mom and I read the invitation. The people of Doha were so welcoming and kind. The country is absolutely beautiful. It was such a life-changing experience.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I first started, I was a *wild* little boy. Seriously. I was busy and would talk to anybody. One day my manager called my mom and said that casting (graciously) called and said, “I thought you should know that Andre is easily distracted by things he sees in the room, picking up things on the desk, and will ask for chips or candy he sees. I thought his mom should know.” My mom was SO embarrassed. I never did THAT again! LOL
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
Currently, I work behind the scenes with looping on two television series and various movies. Happily, I’ll be working with The Loud House again soon in a guest star role. I’m constantly auditioning. I’m currently waiting to hear if I booked a lead role in an animation film. I won’t know until next month. Fingers crossed!
Most young people your age don’t have to balance work and school. Can you tell us how you manage to balance your schoolwork, auditions, and time on set?
I must admit it was challenging at times. I was accustomed to doing schoolwork in the car or reading while waiting to be called in for an audition. It was the norm for me. I didn’t know any other way. My mom was an excellent teacher and made sure I finished all my assignments by Friday. If anything was left undone, we’d pick it up on Monday. She made a point of never doing schoolwork on weekends. That was her way of ensuring that I had balance and “me” time.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Although my mom has been by my side from the beginning, I must recognize my agent, Melissa. Words literally can’t express how she’s helped me, coached me, and guided my career. She’s so faithful to her clients and she has that tough love. She is serious about the business! She will lovingly admonish you when you’re wrong and will be your greatest cheerleader. I just love her.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s jump to the main part of our interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
I was six years old when I started in the entertainment business and auditions and work were just fun. I actually didn’t know until several years later that it was work! As I got older, these are the things I wished someone had told me and instilled in me:
1. The importance of self-tapes. Years ago my mom and I would dread when they came in because we just didn’t know what we were doing. No one gave us clear instructions on technique. Later, we’d pay a company to tape for us. Then…Covid hit. Thankfully, we took Crystal Brown’s iTapeLA class and it changed my life! I’m sure I missed out on many opportunities previously by not knowing what I was doing.
2. The importance of acting classes. I must admit voice acting comes naturally to me and 90% of my resume is voiceovers so I didn’t make acting classes a priority. Now I take classes consistently, learning improv, breaking down scripts, and much more.
3. As a young male voice actor, puberty presents a *huge* challenge when our voice changes. Although I knew it would happen, the “sting” was greater than I thought. It’s tough losing a job because your voice changed, and you can no longer play that character. Looking in retrospect, I wish I’d reached out to other males who went through that. It would have been much easier for me. I would gladly encourage a young male voice actor through that season because we do get through it and come out great on the other side.
4. The teenage challenges in the industry. Being a teen can be challenging in life and challenging in the industry. You’re no longer the “cute little kid”. Now you’re competing against adults who can play teens, which is understandably more beneficial for production. It’s not always the case, though, because we were all real teenagers in Cheaper By The Dozen.
5. Rejection is not personal. My mom shielded me from rejection for years. She placed auditions, callbacks, and work in the same basket that I called “fun”. When I learned the true process and *really* desired certain roles, I’d think casting didn’t “like” me or my work. I now know that that is farthest from the truth. You just never know exactly what casting is looking for or the type of voice they’re after. This is what my parents instilled in me and is now my motto: “What God has for me will be mine.”
You are a person of enormous influence. How do you think you can use social media as a platform to be a positive influence to your fans, and for society at large?
I’m a positive person. It was ingrained in me from my parents since I was a young child. I know who I am, and I embrace my uniqueness. We’re all unique, so there’s no need to be like someone else seen on social media. My mom would always make me recite, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” I would also encourage my fans to be very careful what they view on social media and who they follow. Make sure it’s positive, uplifting, and doesn’t make you feel less than. We must guard our minds from negativity.
If you had the ability to choose to work on any TV show or film, or work alongside any co-star, or with any director, what or who would that be, and why? You never know who might see this article, especially if we tag them. :-)
Miles Brown would be my dream co-star. We’re the same age, have a similar look, and I just love his style and overall swag. He seems like a cool dude.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
https://www.instagram.com/andrerobinson2/
https://www.twitter.com/andrerobinson_2
https://imdb.me/andrerobinson2
https://www.facebook.com/andrerobinson2nd
https://www.amazon.com/prime-video/actor/Andre-Robinson/nm4356347/
This was very meaningful, thank you so much!
