(DISNEY CHANNEL/ADAM LARKEY)
Sean Astin gave me gray hair. Seriously. It wasn’t enough the child-star of “Goonies” donned hobbit feet as a grownup in “Lord of the Rings.” Oh no, he had children and is now the star of “Special Agent Oso,” one of my 6-year-old son’s fave Disney Channel shows.
This circle-of-life thing boggled my mind. That and prompted me to take an intense, deep look at my life. Know what I found? That’s right, gray hair. Thanks, Sean.
All kidding aside, Sean was kind enough to answer a few questions about his role as Special Agent Oso and hobbit feet.
You’ve played adventurous characters from “Goonies” to “Lord of the Rings” and now the second season of “Special Agent Oso” is about to debut. What’s it like starring as an action-based cartoon character compared to in front of the camera?
SPECIAL AGENT OSO - "To Grandma With Love/Gold Flower"- When Stacey loses the Birthday Card she made for her Grandma, Special Agent Oso must leave the snowy peaks of his Mountaineering Training Exercise to help out. Oso must help find the card and get it into the mailbox before the mail truck arrives! Meanwhile, Molly wants to plant yellow marigolds for her Mom, but isn't sure how to do it. Special Agent Oso rockets in from his Space Walking Training Exercise to help find, plant and water the seeds before Molly's Mom comes home!
It’s Awesome!!!!! I do all my own stunts.
What can kids learn from Special Agent Oso?
So much. 1) They can learn to keep having fun and play special agent games with space ships and submarines and talking watches etc …
2) They can learn that it’s important to start trying when you don’t know how to do something…and that breaking the learning process down into steps, say three special ones for example, can make it easier to learn
3) They can learn that mistakes happen and the right way to deal with it is to smile, have a little laugh and try to do it better next time.
Did you have to do any special training for this role?
Three months with MI6 … you know the Elite Special Forces/Spy organization in England? Ok, no, not too much. Just having been a kid, having kids and having spent a few years trying to get comfortable in the recording studio … techniques and what not … But I AM Oso, so there was no special training really required.
What’s it like working with comedy legend Mel Brooks and Brad Garrett? Are they funny all the time?
Not when they are at the dentist or paying taxes. It is such a blessing that these great talents wanted to contribute to the show – it’s a testament to the creators of the show actually.
All right, I have to admit, it boggles my mind that an actor (that’d be you) from my all-time favorite movie as a kid (that’d be “Goonies”) is now entertaining my 6-year-old son. Does it boggle your mind that you’re playing a character your kids could watch?
Every single day… I use the phrases, ‘it trip me out’ or ‘it’s like I’m hallucinating…’
On the other side of that, what was it like to be a child star being raised by a former child star?
My Mom had serious issues, many of them related to mental health. That said, she was an incredibly loving and giving Mom who handed me a child acting career on a silver platter. Hearing all of her child star war stories made me smarter and more sympathetic to her.
Hope you don’t mind, these last few questions are from readers of my blog MotherofConfusion.com. … What was it like to bring life to Samwise, a character that was already well known and loved?
I started to sense early on that I would be “judged” on how well I did it.
But in a real way, I knew I only had to be true to myself, follow the direction I was given and own my own space. The ocean of compliments that came my way meant the world to me.
How long did it take to put on the hobbit feet? (OK, that’s really my question.)
I’ll send you a kit (45 mins for lower quality-far away shots) (1hr 20 mins for extreme close ups) (2 Days if you’ve been hijacked by Lord of the Rings fans and dragged into the woods for a demonstration.. )
(MOC: ROFLMAO!)
Will there be a “Goonies” sequel.
SPECIAL AGENT OSO - "Thunderbubble" - Special Agent Oso must put his Waterworks Training Exercise on hold to show Andrew how to blow bubbles for his grandparents' anniversary dance. This episode of Playhouse Disney's "Special Agent Oso," airs SATURDAY JANUARY 30 (8:00-8:30 a.m., ET/PT). (PLAYHOUSE DISNEY/DISNEY CHANNEL)
Yes. Someday.
And to wrap it up, what’s more challenging acting in front of a green screen or starring as the voice of a cartoon character?
Green Screen. They make you wear funny tight pants.
Thanks for your questions, they were fun to answer!!!
Fans, young and old, can tune in Saturday, July 10, and watch Sean Astin as a lovable, bumbling panda in “Special Agent Oso.” (8:00 – 8:30 a.m. ET/PT) New episodes will air every Saturday through August.
(DISNEY CHANNEL/ADAM LARKEY)
Sean Astin gave me gray hair. Seriously. It wasn’t enough the child-star of “Goonies” donned hobbit feet as a grownup in “Lord of the Rings.” Oh no, he had children and is now the star of “Special Agent Oso,” one of my 6-year-old son’s fave Disney Channel shows.
This circle-of-life thing boggled my mind. That and prompted me to take an intense, deep look at my life. Know what I found? That’s right, gray hair. Thanks, Sean.
All kidding aside, Sean was kind enough to answer a few questions about his role as Special Agent Oso and hobbit feet.
You’ve played adventurous characters from “Goonies” to “Lord of the Rings” and now the second season of “Special Agent Oso” is about to debut. What’s it like starring as an action-based cartoon character compared to in front of the camera?
SPECIAL AGENT OSO - "To Grandma With Love/Gold Flower"- When Stacey loses the Birthday Card she made for her Grandma, Special Agent Oso must leave the snowy peaks of his Mountaineering Training Exercise to help out. Oso must help find the card and get it into the mailbox before the mail truck arrives! Meanwhile, Molly wants to plant yellow marigolds for her Mom, but isn't sure how to do it. Special Agent Oso rockets in from his Space Walking Training Exercise to help find, plant and water the seeds before Molly's Mom comes home!
It’s Awesome!!!!! I do all my own stunts.
What can kids learn from Special Agent Oso?
So much. 1) They can learn to keep having fun and play special agent games with space ships and submarines and talking watches etc …
2) They can learn that it’s important to start trying when you don’t know how to do something…and that breaking the learning process down into steps, say three special ones for example, can make it easier to learn
3) They can learn that mistakes happen and the right way to deal with it is to smile, have a little laugh and try to do it better next time.
Did you have to do any special training for this role?
Three months with MI6 … you know the Elite Special Forces/Spy organization in England? Ok, no, not too much. Just having been a kid, having kids and having spent a few years trying to get comfortable in the recording studio … techniques and what not … But I AM Oso, so there was no special training really required.
What’s it like working with comedy legend Mel Brooks and Brad Garrett? Are they funny all the time?
Not when they are at the dentist or paying taxes. It is such a blessing that these great talents wanted to contribute to the show – it’s a testament to the creators of the show actually.
All right, I have to admit, it boggles my mind that an actor (that’d be you) from my all-time favorite movie as a kid (that’d be “Goonies”) is now entertaining my 6-year-old son. Does it boggle your mind that you’re playing a character your kids could watch?
Every single day… I use the phrases, ‘it trip me out’ or ‘it’s like I’m hallucinating…’
On the other side of that, what was it like to be a child star being raised by a former child star?
My Mom had serious issues, many of them related to mental health. That said, she was an incredibly loving and giving Mom who handed me a child acting career on a silver platter. Hearing all of her child star war stories made me smarter and more sympathetic to her.
Hope you don’t mind, these last few questions are from readers of my blog MotherofConfusion.com. … What was it like to bring life to Samwise, a character that was already well known and loved?
I started to sense early on that I would be “judged” on how well I did it.
But in a real way, I knew I only had to be true to myself, follow the direction I was given and own my own space. The ocean of compliments that came my way meant the world to me.
How long did it take to put on the hobbit feet? (OK, that’s really my question.)
I’ll send you a kit (45 mins for lower quality-far away shots) (1hr 20 mins for extreme close ups) (2 Days if you’ve been hijacked by Lord of the Rings fans and dragged into the woods for a demonstration.. )
(MOC: ROFLMAO!)
Will there be a “Goonies” sequel.
SPECIAL AGENT OSO - "Thunderbubble" - Special Agent Oso must put his Waterworks Training Exercise on hold to show Andrew how to blow bubbles for his grandparents' anniversary dance. This episode of Playhouse Disney's "Special Agent Oso," airs SATURDAY JANUARY 30 (8:00-8:30 a.m., ET/PT). (PLAYHOUSE DISNEY/DISNEY CHANNEL)
Yes. Someday.
And to wrap it up, what’s more challenging acting in front of a green screen or starring as the voice of a cartoon character?
Green Screen. They make you wear funny tight pants.
Thanks for your questions, they were fun to answer!!!
Fans, young and old, can tune in Saturday, July 10, and watch Sean Astin as a lovable, bumbling panda in “Special Agent Oso.” (8:00 – 8:30 a.m. ET/PT) New episodes will air every Saturday through August.