Words by Carol Wright | Photos by Tommy Flanagan and Sean Reilly
We got to talk with Christian J. Simon about his love working for the Disney Channel. You can check out him out in the role of Leo in Sydney to The Max.
Did a certain TV show or movie get you interested in acting?
I’ve always just loved watching TV and I would always love watching Disney Channel, that was a network, not specifically a TV show but a network. I also loved That’s So Raven that was another one of my favorite TV shows and I would copy lines from that.
How did you react when you got the opportunity to audition for a Disney show and then when you found out you’d gotten cast?
I was very excited and overjoyed and just so thankful and blessed to know that they wanted me on their show.
What was the audition process like for Sydney to The Max?
It definitely was kind of long because they kept bringing me back. I would say it was long but it was fun.
What drew you to the role of Leo?
I love Leo because he’s a funny and sarcastic character and he’s just so awesome and I love him because he has awesome relationships with people too. He’s very funny and the relationships that he forms with people are hilarious. Leo’s just an awesome person and he loves to dance and I love to dance in real life too.
You said Leo has great relationships on the show, did you and your castmates have to do off-set bonding to build those relationships before you started filming?
Yea I guess you could say that. Well, me and Jackson who works on the show, we kind of connected automatically so it worked perfectly.
You weren’t born in the 90s, but you play a character who grows up in the 90s. Is there anything about that era you love to see and wish was popular now?
I think the technology was really cool and Leo has this piece of technology called a briefcase laptop. It was a briefcase and then when you opened it it was a laptop so I liked it. It was really big on the show but I really liked it. I think the technology was really cool in the 90s.
Do you have a favorite episode you’ve done so far?
Yes, I would probably say the one that just came out not too long ago where we all were in it together. I thought that was a really fun one.
You were on the Amazing World of Gumball how does voice-over work compare to face to face filming?
It definitely is different being in a room by yourself with a mic, but it is very fun and I do like it because I noticed that with animation and cartoons it’s just very bright and out there and I love that about it.
Are there any skills you need for voiceover work that you don’t necessarily have to use when you do face to face acting, or do you pull from the same skill set when you do both?
Well, you definitely want to save your voice. I’ll tell you that much. Voice is very important when you’re doing voiceover.
Do you hope to do movies in the future as your career progresses?
Yes, I would definitely love to do a feature film for sure but I’m very happy and like I said thankful and blessed for what I’m doing right now with playing Leo and also my show T.O.T.S that’s on Disney Jr. I play Freddy on that show and that’s a sweet, loving show. It teaches kids about positivity, self-love, and it also teaches them to treat people the way you want to be treated, so I think that’s a really awesome show too.
What has working on Disney Channel taught you about the industry?
Being on Disney Channel is so awesome. The network is so sweet and they treat everyone who is with them so well and I would say being an actor and booking that job at Disney Channel taught me that it does take hard work and it won’t happen overnight but once you get there you are appreciative and thankful for it.
Who is an actor that inspires you?
I love Raven Symone she’s very awesome and funny.
Have you been able to meet her since you started working?
Yes, I have been able to meet her. She is so sweet and nice and funny in person too but the really cool thing is that they actually shoot on the same lot as us so I think that’s really cool.
Outside of acting what do you do for fun?
I love hanging out with friends and family. I also like dancing and I like doing art on my own time too, it really relaxes me. I also do martial arts.
Would you hope to build martial arts into your career?
That would be really cool. That’s definitely a goal and when I get a movie I definitely want to be able to have that on my resume to be able to say I can do stunts.
What advice do you have for aspiring actors?
I would definitely tell them to be yourself and have fun. That’s definitely the most important thing, have fun when you’re doing this and you have to believe in yourself and also treat people the way you want to be treated.