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I played Matt McGuire in Lizzie McGuire, Stickler in Cory in the House, the evil kid in A.I., and some other stuff. AMA you bustas!
Hello everyone!
My name is Jake Thomas. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0858969/ I got a few requests to do an AMA last week, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I'm a long-time redditor, but I'm using a throwaway so you guys don't know about all my activity in /r/spacedicks (OH GOD TURN BACK NOW).
Verification. Twitter. Instagram.
I've been working as an actor since I was about 6. As mentioned, I'm mostly known for my work on the Disney channel, but I've also done a number of guest star roles on various primetime dramas, and a few cool movies here and there.
Lately I've been working on guest stars, Lifetime movies, going to school, and doing some photography on the side. I've got a new Lifetime movie coming out at some point in the next few months called Taken Away, and I'll be starting soon on another season of a webseries called Storytellers.
Alright, AMA!
Edit: Aaaand now I have more karma than my actual account. Great.
Edit:Edit: FRONT PAGE?! ALL MY DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE.
Edit:Edit:Ok it's been a bunch of edits, whatever: 845PST- I'm going to take a break. This has been everything I ever hoped it would be, and way more. We laughed, we cried, we talked about starcraft. I'll try to come back later tonight and answer more. You guys are awesome.
1130pst. Im going to answer a few more. Also, for those that want to help me get back into sc2: Hologon, 714
ok, what is it, like 2am now?! jeez. Well, i guess this is pretty much my primary account now... Goodnight guys. This past 13 hours has been... interesting....
WishfulOstrich207 karma
Farragut High School ftw
If you're ever in Knoxville again I'll buy you a beer.
Nikernaker1730 karma
I remember an episode where you played sick. Your mom had caught you with a penny in your mouth. Later they changed the episode so you were using a flashlight. Did disney get in trouble for kids sticking pennies in their mouths or something to that extent?
ImJakeThomas2390 karma
YES! I'm pretty sure this is the only time we had to do this. Apparently some kid tried this and choked!
MXBM1263 karma
Would you kindly upload a picture of you holding cheese in your hand? I like cheese.
ImJakeThomas3273 karma
http://i.imgur.com/KHSfb24.jpg
Edit: GOLD?! Goddamnit, thank you, youre awesome. Also, that figures that my throwaway would get gold while I've never gotten any on my actual account...
m4stur_ch33f242 karma
Heh. You're a funny guy. I don't think I've even watched any of the shows above, but yet I still feel like I should follow you on twitter or something.
captdoodles1256 karma
what got you into photography and why is it pokemon snap?
Edit: Gold? Thanks, ya fucks.
CarlSpiceyWeiner1275 karma
Don't play with my emotions. You have to deliver something after a name drop like that.
ImJakeThomas2816 karma
No joke, he had a fucking 7 foot tall slab of Amethyst crystal that you could walk into and be surrounded by.
benniefer861 karma
If I could get you back on the Disney Channel with your own show would you do it?
StarBP847 karma
A while back there was an AMA where a guy said that Disney Channel has a family values clause in their contract that is pretty much "hey here's a long list of things not to do in public, but if you do it in private we'll help cover it up as long as you keep this wholesome image to the public eye." How true is that, and is there really a large "underground" insider culture within Disney Channel actors?
ImJakeThomas1001 karma
Hah, I've never heard of that clause before. But maybe I just don't remember it. I wasn't a series regular on the later disney stuff. I wouldn't put them above doing something like that though.
What would be considered "underground"? I mean, disney is a big company, they have their own politics and way they react to things, but noting too crazy.
ImJakeThomas1443 karma
Mr_Abe_Froman342 karma
You can always add ### to the beginning of a line to make it really bold.
Example:
FUCK YEAH.
Edit: Now everyone is yelling What have I done?
Edit2: While you are all yelling at me, add some lines, why not.
"***","---","___":
"===":
**BONUS**
Fun | With | Tables |
---|---|---|
A | B | C |
Fun|With|Tables
:---|:--:|---:
A|B|C
compromisinglie641 karma
Besides talking into a microphone until you get the right take, what was a day of voice acting on Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy like?
ImJakeThomas1066 karma
Well, it usually started with me wondering around Cartoon Network studios to my heart's content. Then, when we recorded, it was the entire cast in one room doing random voices, sound effects, and just generally being funny. Voice actors tend to be a tight knit group that do voices in everything, so I kinda geeked out getting to work with the people that voiced most of my favorite shows.
paparazzo25626 karma
Do you still keep in contact with people from Lizzie McGuire? What do you think of Disney today, has it gone down hill as much as everyone thinks or is it just a generation thing?
ImJakeThomas1237 karma
Yeah a few people. Though I don't see them all as often as I'd like. It's kinda weird because growing up around them they all kinda became like family to me.
Disney channel has absolutely changed. I even got to experience this change going from Lizzie to Cory in the House. Lizzie was single cam (no live audience, film every day), while Cory was multi (audience, laughtrack, rehearse 3 days and film only 2). Most of the writing these days doesn't change. I still see them do things that take certain nuances or plotlines from episodes of Lizzie. The control that the network has over the multicam shows (which is what they all are now) is far greater. On Lizzie we were able to just shoot whatever we wanted and if the network didnt like it, there wasnt too much they were able to change via editing. On Cory we had to have network people come in and watch us play out the whole thing, an usually they would make major changes and often things in the script would end up totally different by the time we filmed.
aznkupo819 karma
So this is why I tend to like the 90's-early 2000's disney shows way more, or maybe its because I was actually of age to watch them.
ImJakeThomas1364 karma
Could be both, but the quality of the plots on the earlier stuff blows today's out of the water.
JohnnyAcesDueces605 karma
Whatever happened to Clayton Snyder?
Did he finally decide to wash, rinse and repeat?
ImJakeThomas710 karma
Hah, I always loved that line. He's getting back into acting! He played pro water polo for a while.
SilentEdge731 karma
Whoa hey, wait a minute. Pro water polo?
Did he play in college? I might've played against him...
EDIT: Holy hell, I HAVE played against him! Both in high school and in college. What a small world.
ImJakeThomas1339 karma
I'm in los angeles. I went cycling this morning, but my knee has been bugging me so I came home early. I'm writing my first script and I'll probably work on it some more today I guess.
And then I'll probably just browse reddit all day. Like every day....
masshamacide538 karma
Any strange/hilarious moments that happened while filming Lizzie the show or the movie, that you would care to share?
jonnyd005509 karma
I've never seen the Lizzie Mcguire show, or almost anything Disney really, I'm 33 now. But you're entire AMA has been pretty damn awesome. I will probably start watching whatever it is that you're in (at least any of the non kiddie stuff) simply because of this.
SophSaysYo510 karma
What's the weirdest thing a fan has done when they've recognised you in public?
PrincessKarmagasm508 karma
In "A.I", when you pushed Haley Joel Osment`s character in the pool did you feel a little bit of satisfaction? He always appeared to be a whiney kid to me.
ImJakeThomas780 karma
he actually pulled me into the pool in the movie, causing my character to almost drown.
Haley is a talented guy. Haven't seen him in a long time.
We actually were put through a month of underwater training just for that scene.
ImJakeThomas665 karma
Yeah, it was pretty crazy, but it worked. They needed us to be comfortable working and staying underwater for long periods of time and just taking a air tank between takes instead of resurfacing.
tildeloltilde502 karma
I remember watching Disney YEARS ago and their was a quick 1 minute segment during the commercials with LM cast members describing their favorite pizza and you said, "light cheese, with extra extra EXTRA sauce". You were maybe 10-11.
Does that statement still hold true?
esunmineralmarie299 karma
it's been around 10 years and i still remember that little segment whenever i have pizza.
technicallyinclined472 karma
Hey, I grew up watching Lizzy McGuire and whenever I talk about Disney Channel now, I always compare it to that and Even Stevens. Those shows were legit. Thanks for being awesome! Disney Channel shows nowadays have nothing on Lizzy McGuire and Even Stevens! Did you ever interact with the Even Stevens crew?
ImJakeThomas832 karma
We had a huge rivalry with them and our crews had an on-going softball tournament. We shared some directors too, who we always gave a hard time and made sure that they liked us better.
SophSaysYo463 karma
In the short period you did go to school between Lizzie McGuire and your next roles how did you find it? Did you get recognised by your class and treated differently or was you just another kid?
ImJakeThomas1020 karma
I'm not going to lie, it was weird. Your first day of school is awkward no matter who you are, but it's even more so when everyone already knows who you are. Some people were mean without reason, others were overly nice.
But I managed alright and after a little while I made friends that either got over it or didn't care to begin with. I'm actually dating a girl that I've known since that time.
Vilvern418 karma
Who's your favorite Pokemon, and are your ears ready for the beautiful trumpet barrage that will be Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire?
clearairinspace379 karma
I was a huge fan of Lizzie McGuire growing up. So I'm curious, what was your strangest experience on the set of Lizzie McGuire?
ImJakeThomas976 karma
Working with a chimp. It was just... creepy... They kept telling us that if it got scared it could kill us... It freaked out once.
ImJakeThomas825 karma
The role in Lizzie McGuire was perfect for me at the time. I was 10, I got to do crazy/fun/wacky stuff almost every day, it was a blast.
Nowadays I really find myself enjoying doing the dramatic/crazy person roles like CSI:NY where I played a serial killer, or Lie to Me which was challenging but rewarding.
EZPlayer12344 karma
You played a character in a show (can't remember which) that ran away from home and tried to hang himself. As a child that watched Lizzie McGuire, that was traumatizing.
ImJakeThomas87 karma
I am so sorry for that, but he had to do it.
That was Without A Trace "Wannabe". It's an extremely well written episode btw.
MistletoeAlert326 karma
Have you had a former child star meltdown yet? What's your opinion on why this happens so often? Anything that the industry could do to help prevent these issues?
ImJakeThomas675 karma
No, I turned out ok for the most part. Partially due to the fact that I'm a pretty normal person.
I think support from the parents plays a big part.
dontwalkonby810 karma
Just give it time. You'll be snorting cocain off of Lindsay Lohan's nipples in no time. I believe in you.
carpe_vitam315 karma
How long did it take for you to stop being seen as the guy who played Lizzie McGuire's kid brother?
ImJakeThomas585 karma
Puberty. Although I still get recognized for it today, which continues to baffle me.
After Lizzie I had some time off and went to a regular school and then started up with dramatic roles around the age of 13/14.
Maikumizu301 karma
How long did it take to do your hair for Lizzie?
http://powet.tv/powetblog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/lizzie_mcguire_jake_thomas_as_matt.jpg
GreeneSisters292 karma
If you could have played any other disney show character, who would it be?
saphake271 karma
What's your experience of child actors in Hollywood?
Pushy parents/drugs/Hollywood parties? What's it like?
ImJakeThomas452 karma
I didn't see a ton of it, but mainly because I never was really into going to parties. Only a few of my good friends are actors.
ImJakeThomas1032 karma
I mean, he's Jude Law, he has to be bad at something. I'm gonna say he sucks.
lesgineer226 karma
I'm from Knoxville. We have mutual friends. Seeing your new stuff makes me happy but it also makes me feel so so old. What was your very first acting gig? How did you get the role of Matt? Thanks!
ImJakeThomas265 karma
Hey awesome! Did you go to farragut?
First acting gig, hmmm. I actually was in local commercials with my parents in knoxville as a baby. Jim Cogdill Dodge!
kanji_tatsumi213 karma
How is it being a kid on set?
How did the cast treat you on Cory in The House? that always seemed like a really cool cast too!
Thanks man!
ImJakeThomas383 karma
It's a weird experience. Had to kinda grow up faster in some ways and be professional. You're still a kid, but now adults have jobs that rely on you doing your job.
The cast on Cory was awesome. Everyone was a delight to work with and everyone was very funny. Wish it lasted longer.
evieee200 karma
For you to be able to make me hate a crippled kid as much as I did when you were in AI is amazing. Seriously, you were great. Did you understand that you were being cast in this type of role? Do any of your roles match your real persona?
ImJakeThomas274 karma
hah, I'm so glad that I made you hate me. That character was an asshole. I don't think I was type casted in that at all, but when I do comedy roles I tend to end up being the "nerdy guy" which I guess I can relate to more.
lowercase_hyphen137 karma
This is the best response. Also thanks for replying to most people. I never ask questions on celeb AMAs because they answer like 10 questions total. But you've been really cool about it :)
ImJakeThomas266 karma
No prob. I always see that too. Most just come in and stay for an hour to promote, and then they're gone. I tried asking a couple celebs stuff on AMAs and never got any responses, and that sucks.
Plus, I was going to be on reddit anyway, so why not hang out a while.
lowercase_hyphen132 karma
You are definitely the best kind of celebrity. It's always nice to see that people can follow their passions and have notoriety but still be very down to earth.
ImJakeThomas305 karma
Thank you very much! I'm sure I probably had some douchebag moments when I was younger, but if we all didnt have moments to look back and cringe on, then we're probably all still douchebags.
ImJakeThomas390 karma
My friend thinks it is and constantly uses it to get girls' attention.
SarkastikAmbassador156 karma
I'm stoked that I got a response! I grew up on Disney and I always imagined being your friend on an episode and smoothly wooing Lizzy until she fell in love. I was a weird kid.
witchling_22163 karma
The new film coming out looks interesting. Can't wait to see it. How was NCIS? Is Mark Harmon nice? Has working with Disney given you any insights into the troubles of other Disney stars?
ImJakeThomas295 karma
NCIS was pretty fun. It was a quick role, but I got to be the bad guy. Everyone was very nice, including Mark. The only scene I had with him though was when he was pointing a gun at my face.
Working for Disney growing up can be interesting. I enjoyed it and came out fine. I know people who have had issues with all the attention, but I also know just as many who turned out fine. I think a lot of it has to do with the parental support during it all. I as fortunate to have parents that always looked out for me in my career.
SophSaysYo136 karma
Have you kept in touch with any of the guys from the shows you've been on?
ImJakeThomas303 karma
Yeah a few people. Jason Dolley and I have always been pretty good friends, and I just started hanging out with my friend Spencer Breslin again, we hadn't seen eachother in a decade or so.
ImJakeThomas211 karma
I was plat, but I stopped playing last year when I moved. I'm going to get back into it soon but all of my builds are useless now.
ImJakeThomas468 karma
Pink Floyd, Doors, Daft Punk, Beastie Boys, I also like this guy called Omodaka.
ImJakeThomas281 karma
I had to take a second language in highschool and I decided Japanese would be challenging. I was a big fan of japanese horror movies at the time too.
Took it for a few years, traveled there for a month or so. I'm pretty decent for casual conversation, but I've forgotten a lot due to disuse.
adorkable__x103 karma
Hey! I just wanted the say that the episode you did of Without A Trace in 2004 was incredible. I remember I watched it when it aired at 14yo and cried my eyes out. I still think, to this day, that that was one of the best episodes of anything that I've ever seen. It was so emotionally moving. How did you feel having to play such a hurt character? Was it difficult to go from quirky Matt on L.M. to more serious roles?
ImJakeThomas111 karma
Thank you so much!
It was such an incredible and essential role for me at that time in my career. It still makes me cry too.
mrmightymyth91 karma
Where was the best pizza you've ever had?
It says on IMDB that you were in a Nintendo commercial. Which commercial? And did Nintendo hook you up with anything cool (other than the role) for it?
ImJakeThomas167 karma
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWvVb9PA9_I&feature=youtu.be
Red jacket, green shirt. Nah, I didn't even get one of the things we were advertising. But one time when I did a voice for a playstation game I got PS2.
ImJakeThomas138 karma
Be open to ideas on improv or doing things that feel more natural for dialog. I like making lines my own to sound more natural. Sometimes directors don't like that (especially if they wrote it too)
Stromz68 karma
Would you rather fight 1 horse sized duck or 100 duck sized horses?
As for a slightly more legitimate question, would you say that growing up on TV is something you'd want to do ovee, or would you rather have waited to be older and still been granted some of the same TV opportunities?
ImJakeThomas205 karma
YES! I FINALLY GET ASKED THE QUESTION I CAME HERE FOR.
100 duck sized horses. Without a doubt. Oh man, I would mess those little bastards up. Open F'n season on their asses.
Growing up being on tv has its ups and downs, but I wouldnt trade it for anything. Not many get a chance like that, and I turned out ok for the most part.
SpagattahNadle45 karma
Wow, thanks for doing this AMA! I just had a quick question- what was Hilary Duff like at that age? I mean, you had to play brother and sister, did you guys get really close/like was she a mentor to you?
ImJakeThomas88 karma
All the kids treated eachother pretty equal. I got to be closer friends with Clayton (ethan craft) and Lanny.
doquaric19 karma
You were great as Carl Stargher in The Cell. What do you remember about filming?
ImJakeThomas32 karma
Thanks!
The cast was amazing. I didn't fully appreciate who they all were until much later in life. Also, I didn't actually see the whole movie till I was much older. It was a pretty intense movie and my dad had to take me in and out of the theater during the premiere so that I wouldn't be traumatized.
One thing I remember the most goofing around with Vince Vaughn between takes. He was a cool guy, and great to work with.
gpwtb7 karma
Has anyone ever told you you're insanely attractive? You just got a new Instagram follower >_>
Raxes9896 karma
What is a good sandwich that I can make for lunch? I just cannot think of anything good right now.
ImJakeThomas8 karma
Yes. I've submitted a few things and I lend advice every once in a while in the weekly beginner's thread.
ImJakeThomas7 karma
My parents got me into it. But more so I think it was more of an accident.
Here's a quick summery how it happened: My parents came out to LA when I was 6 to become actors/writers, I came along to a meeting they had with their agent, agent wanted to sign me too, parents wern't sure, agent was persistent, parents eventually said ok but didnt want me to get too involved with it, ended up doing pretty well and here I am.
I often wonder what my life would be like if my parents never came out here. But I wouldn't trade this life for anything, I've enjoyed it.
Well, maybe I'd trade it for a life where pokemon were real... That'd be worth it.
ImJakeThomas7 karma
For Lizzie it was a long process. Had to come in like 5 times, they mixed and matched people to see how we looked as a family. It's exhausting.
mnpeanut2 karma
Has there ever been a moment where you asked someone "Do you know who I am?"
ImJakeThomas7 karma
Not sure, but if I did, and they replied "no", then I'd probably say "ok, good"
ImJakeThomas5 karma
Hard to say. It was a great experience, but at 9 years old I didn't fully comprehend who he was.
ImJakeThomas4 karma
I actually haven't. I don't watch a ton of TV other than Walking Dead.
its__PMG2 karma
You were awesome in Storyteller! I loved your character and the whole story of Finn.
My question is: what was the best part of being in The Storytellers?
ImJakeThomas1 karma
Thank you!
The interaction with all the fans! The whole series is so embedded with the youtube/online community. It's like nothing I've experienced before.
ImJakeThomas4 karma
HAH! I wish. That was absolutely the coolest experience for me at the time. I loved the show, got to run around Cartoon Network studios, and I recorded with my hero Weird Al.
iiPixel2 karma
What is your favorite sport? And are you watching the World Cup? If so what team are you pulling for?
ImJakeThomas5 karma
The only 2 sports I enjoy are extremely boring to watch: Cycling and golf.
Destinyx31 karma
Wow! I used to have a huge crush on you when I was little watching Lizzie McGuire. You're still looking great!
Anyways, could you tell us more about Storytellers?
ImJakeThomas1 karma
Thanks!
Storytellers is a crowdfunded fantasy drama webseries on youtube. It's about 6 friends that have a series of supernatural things happen around them and some of them realize they have powers/etc. It's fun, but unfortunately my character is the only one without powers.
ddwag11 karma
What are a few of your most played songs on iTunes? Also, how was working on Lie to Me? I loved that show.
ImJakeThomas5 karma
I'm going to guess it's probably Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd. Used to wake up to it every day in highschool.
Lie to Me was a challenging role, but I feel so fortunate to be a part of their pilot episode. Tim Roth is cooler than cool.
shark_wrangla2561 karma
Did you bang Hilary Duff?
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