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Shawn Pyfrom Talks About 'Housewives,' The
Writers' Strike, Playing Danny Bonaduce & More
14th December 2007
Shawn
Pyfrom is amazingly astute and mature for
a man of his age. At only 21, he already has some fine
ideas and ideals. Starpulse talked to him recently
about his past work, his current role as the gay
Andrew Van De Camp in "Desperate
Housewives," his upcoming movie, and more.
We
heard that you just turned 21 in August. Happy
Birthday!
Thank you.
It's very exciting to be 21.
Why?
I would be
lying if I said that I hadn't had a few drinks before
then, but every time you go to a place that features
alcohol, like a bar, club, or restaurant, it's nice to
be able to get a drink and not have someone say your
ID is fake. Although I will say that because I look
awfully young, I know people are going to ask me if it
is real.
There has
been only one time when someone thought that it was
fake. I was in Rhode Island about a week ago and a guy
looked at my ID and asked to go check it out. The
manager pulled out some sort of "ID book."
Because I got it before I was 21, my picture was on
the wrong side. So no beer with my pizza that day.
(laugh)
You
get to vote for president. Do you have a favorite
candidate?
No,
honestly I don't. I want to look into it more.
Are you working now? Have you been affected by
the writers' strike?
The show
is on hiatus, but I did just finish shooting a film in
Rhode Island. That's why I was there. It's called
"Tanner Hall." I am hoping to get in another
movie while the strike is on.
It
basically follows four girls at a prep school. It's a
story where they come into their own, realizing some
things about themselves as the movie goes on. It's not
one of those "Die
Hard" action flicks where there's a mission
that needs to be accomplished. I was watching them
shoot some of the other scenes and it looks absolutely
beautiful with the surrounding area and all the leaves
turning.
Is
your character one of the boyfriends?
Yeah. I
play a best friend, but it's more complicated than
that. He is in love with her, but she is realizing
things about herself that confuses her. She's just not
into him.
So
it is more of a drama?
It has its
funny moments, too. We have Chris
Kattan and Amy Ferguson in it and that adds
comedic bits.
Do
you know when it will be released?
Not
really. Next year, I think.
Tell
us about your work on "Desperate
Housewives"? Do you work with divas or do you all
get along?
We've
worked together for four years now, so we all get
along fine. I've been on sets where I don't get along
with one of the other actors and it seems different.
You can feel that there is no chemistry. It's good
to get along. (laughs)
We
think it is really interesting that, considering how
"straight" Bree (Marcia
Cross) is, they decided to make Andrew gay.
I think
the Van de Camps are loosely based on producer Marc
Cherry's family life, although I don't know if his
real mother was a strict as Bree. I can't imagine that
there are too many people in the world like that. It
is always interesting to watch Andrew and Bree go at
each other's throats. She believes something so
different and he does everything to make sure to cause
her stress.
Where
do you see that character going? Do you think she will
accept him?
It seems
like they are already on that path. Andrew and Bree
have resolved their issues, as when he apologized for
the way he used to act. He is beginning to mature now
and has forgiven his mother for leaving him on the
side of the road.
That
was wicked.
It was,
but it was so awesome to shoot. But I think he is now
on a path towards becoming an adult. I think it's
necessary because the character is 20 now. Andrew
still has his manipulating ways, he just approaches it
more maturely.
I
think you have made him a very positive role model.
Thank you.
The good thing about Andrew is that in Season 1 and 2
as a gay character, he was very strong and confident
as to who he was. I think that could be encouraging
for other young homosexuals to become more confident
and comfortable with who they are.
A lot of
times gay characters can be portrayed as the
flamboyant and weak stereotype. Andrew is sociopathic
and narcissistic and doesn't get along with his
mother, and he is also gay. Your sexual preferences
doesn't define you as a person. I'm heterosexual but
that doesn't define me as a person. No one would say,
"Oh, he likes to have sex with girls," so
why should it be the other way around?
You
are very wise for your age! Do you know when the show
will be back on?
I don't.
At least as long as the strike is going on. We shot
one last show after the tornado episode, but that's
it. I wish the studios would just cave already. They
make so much money. I understand that they are a
corporation, that they are a money making machine;
that's what they do. At the same time you have to be
fair. How are you going to have a success on your
hands if you have disgruntled employees? Maybe you
will have more hits if you have happier writers and
your company will make more money anyway.
It's
sad for people who want to work and sad for viewers
who are tired of nighttime game shows.
That's
true. It's also sad for the workers like grips,
make-up people, and lighting people, as well as the
writers. Sometimes I have to wait 2 or 3 hours before
a shoot, and then I think, 'Wait a minute. These
people have been here since 5 in the morning and come
in 5 days this week, and I only have to come in two.'
And they won't be able to leave until late. It takes a
group effort to make a show a hit and they barely get
recognition for it. Sometimes they sleep in their cars
because they have a 6 hour turnaround.
Are
you afraid of being stereotyped with the character of
Andrew?
I would be
lying if I said I wasn't a little worried, but
honestly I think we are at a point now with television
and movies where people can watch something and not
stereotype the actor playing that character. I think
if I had played a gay character 10 years ago then I
would probably have something to worry about. I think
people are a little bit more open-minded now.
I think
that the only time people stereotype is when the actor
acts out in public. They go around parading things out
to the media and then that is all people see when they
are watching them on the screen. That's one reason
that I don't do that. It's not like there's this huge
interest in what I am doing in the public right now
which is okay with me. I want people to forget that
they are watching me and are seeing a real person. I'm
glad that I can still go out to eat and not have to
worry about photographers taking pictures of what I
just ate.
We bet you have your share of groupies.
Occasionally,
I will get the random fan that may create a small
scene, but almost everyone that I encounter seems to
be respectful and appreciative of the work I do and
therefore I'm grateful for their praise.
Tell
us about your first gig.
My first
was a Holiday Inn commercial as I remember it. I was
an extra. They were doing a brunch scene and the
camera barely showed me sitting at a table in the
back. They had all these fake families eating and I
had to sit alone. I started to cry because no one
wanted to sit with me. I was 4 or 5 years old.
When I was
in Florida there were a lot of other commercials here
and there, but my first real part was this Disney kids
show "Sing Me A Story." It was live action
and had Belle from "Beauty and the Beast ."
She would always read us stories. It's hard for me to
remember because I was only 7 or 8 at the time, but we
had animatronic puppets. It was a good show.
Did
you get to sing? Can you sing?
I did not.
It was all her. I can, but I do mostly in private
unless somebody is carrying a karaoke machine around.
My favorite artist is D'Angelo
so I always try to do some of him.
Who
else is on your playlist?
Right now,
Björk
is because I am going to see her in concert and then I
am going to Vegas to see her again. She puts on an
amazing show. I really like her and Radiohead.
You
have done other Disney stuff as well.
They like
me to be in the family, whether is Disney or ABC. I
guess "The Mouse" likes me. (laughs)
You
were in "The
Shaggy Dog," right?
Yes, but I
try to forget that one. (laugh)
You
were also in the "C'mon Get Happy: The Partridge
Family Story."
I was Danny
Bonaduce. I met him as part of the process of
preparing. Before I started, I sat down with him to
take notes and watch how he spoke. I also listened to
some of his stories to know what he was like. I
watched all the episodes.
Families
really didn't exist like that back then.
I think it
was what families wanted to strive for, but it was
only a pipe dream. But that was just boring. Who wants
a family that gets a band together to sing about how
well they get along?
Are
you close with your own family?
I have a
brother (Christopher) and a sister (Amber.) I see my
sister a lot more than my brother. My brother is going
to school in Louisiana and is probably one of the most
hard-working people I have ever met. He's going for a
double major and a minor in four years. He has two
jobs including being involved in local theatre, and is
also in two bands. I don't know where he gets all that
time.
Do
they act as well?
They did
when they were younger, but both decided to get out of
it. I am the last remaining actor in the family.
We read that you wanted to become either a
doctor or an entertainment lawyer. Are either of those
things true?
It was
true, because when you are younger you always have
ideas of what profession you want to be in. I did want
to be a doctor for quite some time, then a lawyer, and
even thought about having my own business. But now I
paint as I have always wanted to be involved in art.
We
understand you were a voice in "Family
Guy."
I did it
twice, actually. They were very brief moments. I
played Charlie Brown and Cousin Oliver from "The
Brady Bunch" in another episode. It was in
those moments when they break away.
That's
one of our fave animated shows. Have you ever seen
"Aqua
Teen Hunger Force?"
I haven't
seen that one. I don't watch TV much, but "Family
Guy" and "The
Simpsons" are two of my favorites. Most of
the shows I liked were cancelled so I watch DVDs.
Were
you also in "Reba"
and "Nip/Tuck?"
Actually,
I wasn't in "Nip/Tuck." That is the one
thing on my IMDB Page that's false.
You
had a part in "Pay
it Forward."
Yes. It
was really nice acting with the likes of Haley
Joel Osment, Kevin
Spacey and Helen
Hunt. It was a very good cast.
What's
your favorite genre to work in?
I enjoy
drama because I like acting out real life situations
and whatnot, but comedy is harder for me to do. I'm
funny when I have my own words to say, sometimes I can
be a little crazy. When you are saying other people's
lines you are not sure what their intention was when
they wrote that. The delivery will be different than
when they wrote it on the page.
What
medium do you prefer?
I would
say movies. I like being able to play different
characters. That's the fun of acting. But at the same
time, the great thing about TV is that you get to
develop a character, to really figure out how he
ticks.
What
has been your favorite role so far?
I really
enjoyed playing Danny Bonaduce in "The Partridge
Family Movie" because that was the first time
that I had gotten to play a character that was so much
the opposite of me, like his personality and the way
he ticked. I would love to do more playing of real
people because I like to figure out their intentions
and reactions and emulate their personalities and
quirks. Sometimes you can make a most eccentric
character on the screen but still make them
believable.
Ben
Foster ("3:10
to Yuma," "Alpha
Dog") is one of the best actors out there now
around my age. I've never seen him play the same
character more than once. When he creates characters,
they are so specific you feel you are watching that
person. That's the kind of actor I want to be. I want
to be like Ben Foster. I want to be like William
H. Macy. I have an awful lot of respect for those
people.
We
agree with you about Mr. Macy.
He is
incredible and he is such a cool guy. I've gotten the
opportunity to meet him a few times. He has been my
favorite actor for a long time. When I found out he
was married to Felicity
(Huffman,) I flipped out. He is such an awesome
guy, down-to-earth and interesting. He and Felicity
are both incredible. I love watching Felicity act, the
way she prepares and delivers.
Everyone
is really talented in the cast of "Desperate
Housewives."
Yes, they
are. They all have their own ways and methods, and I
have learned so much just from watching how they go
about getting into their characters. Working on the
show has helped me grow substantially in the last four
years. I hope I can continue to do so.
It's
like being in an acting school.
Oh, yeah!
It feels like being in an acting class every week.
It's an amazing learning experience. Being able to do
a scene with them and feeding off of their energy, you
have to give it your all, or the scene will fall flat
on your end. You really care about your craft, how you
are doing, and what you portray on the screen,
especially when you are working with the likes of
Felicity and Marcia. I'm not slighting the others, but
I work with those two most of the time.
How
can your fans get in touch with you?
My
official web page has not been updated in a long time.
The best way would be through my IMDB page, or my
agent, manager, or publicist, Mike Liotta at True
Public Relations.
We've been
having a great conversation here, but I just realized
what time it is and I "gotta get to gettin."
It
has been fun. Take care and don't get in too many
situations where you have to get carded.
(laugh)
I'll be good.
(c) by Sheila
Franklin, Starpulse.com
(Link
to Interview)
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