EXCLUSIVE: Max Charles’ Adventures as Sherman

By: Lynn Barker

10-year-old actor Max Charles got to play a kid Spider-Man in the newest two films about the hero and is now co-starring in the humans-with-aliens-living-next door TV series “The Neighbors”. He has had voice roles on TV’s “American Dad”, “Family Guy” and “Robot Chicken”.

Starting March 7^th you can catch Max as the voice of Sherman, an orphan boy who was adopted by very, very smart dog Mr. Peabody in the animated, time travel romp Mr. Peabody and Sherman. The duo go back in time on a regular basis for the ultimate family adventure.

In Glendale, California at the DreamWorks Animation Studios, Kidzworld asked Max about voicing the movie and his own personal adventures.

Kidzworld: If you could go I the WABAC to any past time and place, where would you go and who would you like most to meet?

• Max: Probably back to see dinosaurs or the old “Mr. Peabody and Sherman” (on TV)…like meet the cartoon characters. “Hey, I’m Sherman. What’s your name?” “Uh, Sherman”.

Kidzworld: That would be funny. You are in a TV series now (“The Neighbors”). Was voicing Sherman and basically being the equal star of the big movie more fun for you as an actor or is being on “The Neighbors” every week more fun?

• Max: I like to do a lot of different things in acting. So pretty even and fun.

Kidzworld: How are you like Sherman and how very different?

• Max: Well, I’m different because his dad is a dog. Everything he touches, he breaks it but, at the same time, Sherman is pretty smart also. I break stuff a little bit, yeah.

Kidzworld: What type of movie that you haven’t gotten to do yet do you hope you can be in someday?

• Max: I would like to be in tons of different types of movies and do different things. I like action movies and with Mr. Peabody and Sherman, I got to see a historical movie too. I liked that.

Kidzworld: Did they show you any of the old Peabody and Sherman short films that were on “The Rocky and Bullwinkle” show way in the past? Did you like them?

• Max: Once I got the role of Sherman, I looked those up and watched some. It was really good. I would enjoy it if I was just watching it (for fun, not for research for the role).

Kidzworld: Do you have a dog? If so, is he smart?

• Max: I’ve actually got a boy beagle and Mr. Peabody is a beagle also. My dog does stare at the ceiling and bark at lights all day so I don’t know how smart that is.

Kidzworld: You didn’t get to record any lines with Ariel Winter who plays Penny but did you with anyone else at the same time?  

• Max: I did it mostly by myself. The first time I met Ty Burrell (who voices Mr. Peabody), I did a recording session with him. We just got there and the first scene we had to do was real quick. We had to yell at each other right away. When we were done, we were like “Nice to meet you. Great way to meet somebody”. There was a glass wall between us.

Kidzworld: You saw the old cartoons but the characters in this movie are different looking. Did they show you pictures of Sherman before you recorded so you would know what he looked like?

• Max: In the recording studio, there were pictures of (all the characters) on the walls; three or four of each character. It showed tons of Sherman drawings and when I saw the movie, they animated Sherman to have my facial expressions. That was cool.

Kidzworld: Sherman is very smart and you are homeschooled. What is your fave subject in school?

• Max: Math. I love math.

Kidzworld: Great! What does Sherman learn from Peabody and what does Peabody learn from his son Sherman?

• Max: Mr. Peabody learns from Sherman to be more trusting and Sherman learns a lot of different things about history and cool things in the past from Mr. Peabody.

Kidzworld: Do you and your dad ever go on adventures together?

• Max: I like being outside and seeing a lot of new things. Yes, we do.

Kidzworld: What singers or musical groups are you into?

• Max: I do rapping myself. Me and my brother Logan did cover a song by Justin Bieber “Boyfriend”.  I’m just learning to play guitar. I got a guitar for Christmas.

Kidzworld: You played young Peter Parker twice in the Spider-Man movies. Did you meet Andrew Garfield? What was that like?

• Max: I did meet him. In the first movie, we met each other and sat and talked. We look exactly alike.

Kidzworld: Why will teens and kids get into seeing Mr. Peabody and Sherman?

• Max: They can learn a lot about history in a fun way. It’s cool for parents too.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is in theaters March 7^th!

Mr. Peabody & Sherman Trailer