By: Lynn Barker
This blonde, adorable Aussie is 15 years old and in two cool major films that are teen-friendly: Flipped, a warm and totally relatable tale about first love, and I Am Number Four, an action/sci-fi flick. Let's talk Flipped, in which Callan McAuliffe plays a cute 13-year-old who is the luv-target for the overly-ardent girl across the street. It's a rocky road to romance for the young duo.
Callan McAulifee
Chatting on the cell, we learned that Callan ended up an actor due to a dislocated kneecap; if you want to date him, you'd better not show up in ultra-tight clothes and with tons of make-up on; and hey, did you know that he "bought" Robert Pattinson for his cute co-star Madeline Carroll? Makes no sense you say? Read on...
Kidzworld: Did you and your co-star Madeline get to hang out off set for fun or did you get together to get to know each other before shooting in Michigan?
- Callan: Oh yeah, to help the relationship so we could bond and stuff. All the kids, we'd go out to dinner or go see movies together and things like that. Everyone really bonded.
Callan McAuliffe and Madeline Carroll in Flipped
Kidzworld: When you were like 10 or 11 were there any girls you hung out with who you still see as friends? Or, is there one you regret not staying friends with?
- Callan: Well, when I was 10 and 11 I was in an all boys' school. After that I was in a coed school but that's all just silly crushes and things like that so I didn't really make too many girlfriends there. But, I'm still friends with most of the people that I was ever friends with. I've got a Facebook page with a secret alias so I can keep in touch with anyone I need to.
Callan McAuliffe and Madeline Carroll in Flipped
Kidzworld: Are you homeschooled now?
- Callan: No. I'm still trying to complete high school but we'll see what happens. If time becomes a huge restriction, I probably won't be able to. I'm doing it back home in private school.
Kidzworld: What is your best subject?
- Callan: Either English or Science. I'm really into that biology sort of stuff; animals and nature but I'm horrible at math! I'm great with multiplication, addition, subtraction type things; the basics, but when it comes to the really complicated stuff, it just goes right through my head.
Callan McAuliffe in Flipped
Kidzworld: If your picture were in a class yearbook, what would the caption be? “Most likely to succeed?” “Class Clown?”
- Callan: “Class Moron!” It wasn't really a clown thing but I was always making stupid jokes that nobody would laugh at like, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” and everybody would groan. But I told jokes that are so bad that they're actually funny.
Kidzworld: Madeline's character Juli really comes after your character Bryce. Has it been your experience that girls are more aggressive than boys when they like someone?
- Callan: I think girls would be more brave with being open about it and asking the guy [out]. Most guys, someone would have to push them toward the girl. I remember when I was in like year 4 and 5 [in Australia], you'd have to have a group of your friends pushing you, literally pushing you toward the girl they knew you liked. It was kind of funny.
Kidzworld: Like "I know you like her,” push, push, “Go over there and say something?”
- Callan: [laughs] Exactly!
Callan McAuliffe and Madeline Carroll in Flipped
Kidzworld: Tell me something funny that happened either on set or off.
- Callan: There's a good one. The cast all went to the mall for a day to hang out in Michigan and a few of the guys and I were browsing through a video store to find something to watch. There was this cardboard cutout Robert Pattinson figure, full-sized. I thought, “You know what? Madeline might like this.” So we bought it and for the entire time we were at the mall, we carried it around and people were doing double-takes.
- Then we stuck it outside her door and knocked and ran away. She then had it sitting in the corner of her room the entire shoot. We'd be watching a movie in her room and there would be this really scary silhouette sitting in the corner. She definitely liked it but her brothers threw stuff at it.
Kidzworld: Hilarious! Was there a "Swear Box?” Tell me about that and did you have to contribute to it?
- Callan: Yeah, a Swear Jar and it was twenty dollars! A considerable amount so that kept the swearing to a minimum. I never had to contribute but I just didn't swear in front of anyone who could tell on me. I think I'm owed about 600 bucks for not telling on people. I'd be like, “Can I have ten bucks? [to keep quiet]?”
Kidzworld: Who was responsible for the most bloopers [mistakes] on set?
- Callan: Probably me because of the American accent. I'd hear myself doing something in Australian, talking to Juli [Madeline's character] and say, “Oh, I'm sorry, Juli!! Oh, that sounded a little Australian.”
Kidzworld: Was it hard to learn the American accent?
- Callan: I just sort of watch TV and pick it up. It's easy to mock [copy] somebody.
Kidzworld: How did you get into acting in the first place?
- Callan: I dislocated my kneecap in a game of basketball and I needed something to do. My school is really sports-intensive and you commit to a team and go on the weekend and play against other schools. If you can't play, then they'll drop you to give someone else a chance. So, I couldn't play for quite a while and I joined an agency. I wanted to make myself some money. I just stuck in the agency after doing some ads and some TV shows. I was then recommended to my current manager and we came over to meet him and my first audition was Flipped.
Kidzworld: Wow, and you got that job. That's awesome. OK, what must a girl never do if she wants to go out with you?
- Callan: I'd say if someone came up to me in really skimpy clothing with so much make-up on their face, it's ridiculous, which I do see a lot [I wouldn't be interested]. They do themselves up way too much. I like someone who has respect for themselves and doesn't make themselves look like a complete idiot.
Kidzworld: Teens and kids in the late 1950's and early '60' wore some pretty weird clothes. What did you think of your wardrobe. Luv or hate it? Was there anything you liked about anything else on set from that era?
- Callan: I hated my wardrobe. It reminded me of school because I had to tuck my shirt in. It was so uncomfortable and my hair, they had to spend an hour or two on the comb-over every day. And they put all this goop in it. The vehicles were beautiful. They had this vintage fire truck and all these amazing cars. They were really nice.
Callan McAuliffe in Flipped
Kidzworld: Who do you play in I Am Number Four?
- Callan: I play a character called Sam and it's an awesome action movie, which provides some contrast to Flipped. And it's Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay and directed by D.J. Caruso. [Nine alien teens come to Earth after their planet is destroyed by an enemy species but soon discover that their enemy is now after them on Earth].
Kidzworld: What music are you into?
- Callan: I love soundtrack music from movies and games. I like the orchestrated score music especially when it’s that epic, heroic sort of thing. I always play it really loud in the car when I'm on freeways. Like Hans Zimmer and I can recommend the amazing soundtracks from the Halo games.
Kidzworld: So you are a gamer?
- Callan: On yeah. There's a new Halo out the 14th of September and I've pre-ordered it.
Kidzworld: Do you play an instrument?
- Callan: I have a drum kit, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and a synthesizer. I play them all the time. I've brought friends around to jam but we don't have a band. We don't do anything professional with it.
Kidzworld: Who is a dream co-star for you?
- Callan: Johnny Depp and Ellen Page.
Kidzworld: Is there a character in a book or in history that you would love to play?
- Callan: Hercules or Ned Kelly [an Australian outlaw/hero once played by the late Heath Ledger].
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