If you watch Everybody Hates Chris you know who Tyler James Williams the actor is, but in his real life while not on set he is a fine young man who is bright, well spoken, and isn’t consumed with the hype that could be around him. The 15 year old is happy for his opportunity, but you wonder if he’ll be able to make the transition from child to adult actor. In the end, you can’t root against this guy. Williams speaks candidly about so many things and I feel he is a good example of teenage celebrity who would be a good role model, but it’s obvious he is beyond his years.
Listen to the Tyler James Williams Interview
Chris Yandek: What does all this mean to you at 15?
Tyler James Williams: “It really does mean a lot. This is an awesome role. One of those roles you don’t get, like once in a lifetime. It’s an amazing opportunity to do it.”
CY: And do you wake up every day and say to yourself wow! This is my life?
TJW: “There are some days when I do have to wake up and remind myself because I get so used to it that sometimes I even forget. There are some days when I have to wake up and remind myself this is my life.”
CY: The show is somewhat based off the life Chris Rock, but how much do you think you are like him at that age of 15?
TJW: “Not too many people knew him at 15. I haven’t really had too much insight on how he was at 15. That’s one of the great freedoms of the role.”
CY: So he really hasn’t said much to you about you’re kind of like me, and that kind of stuff going on?
TJW: “No. I haven’t had really any of that. That’s where the freedom of the role came in. Not until we actually break into where he started comedy that I have to start watching and questioning his mannerisms.”
CY: In the upcoming episodes Chris gets into trouble gambling and trying to be a bad boy to impress a girl. All of these situations that Chris gets into, have you learned from them in your normal daily life?
TJW: “There are a lot of things that I just look at in the show and am like ok, I won’t be doing that, I’ll never be doing this because my family is a lot like the television family. It’s kind of weird that the reactions – I can kind of see my family doing them.”
CY: What would the fans of the show be surprised to know about this cast?
TJW: “We’re normal people, just normal people. A lot of times you’re watching TV and I guess see the people as characters, but we’re normal people doing what we love to do.”
CY: You're one of the top earners under 21 in Hollywood. I am guessing the allowance is pretty good right?
TJW: “(Laughs) Yes.”
CY: Is it just one of those things where you get to say I get to have this and I get to have that or as Miley Cyrus says, I go on the shopping sprees with my parents?
TJW: “Yes. That’s definitely how it is. Myself, I wouldn’t say cheap, but if I need it I’ll get it. If not I’ll wait. It’s not something where I need to have this or I need to have that unless I really need to have it, like something that pertains to work or if all my clothes are too small then yeah I’ll get it. I am not big on the whole spending money thing.”
CY: Do you feel you’ll be able to make that transition from child to adult actor?
TJW: “That is definitely one of the questions I get a lot. The whole stigma around kid actors and yes I would love to, but really it’s just through praying and saying what moves should I make next. This is not something I can just do by myself. Not something I can just figure out by myself. You really gotta go pray to God and ask ok, what roles should I take and what roles shouldn’t I take. Which ones will build my career and which ones will help me break out of the box?”
CY: So you understand that this business could close the doors tomorrow and you have to enjoy it while it lasts?
TJW: “Yeah. I totally understand that. Then there’s a freedom I have to take with it. If I’m sitting up here thinking this might not be here tomorrow so I might as well enjoy it now, there is not going to be too much enjoyment thinking about where my next job offer is.”
CY: Miley Cyrus has said recently that her way to stay grounded is her supportive family. What do you think keeps you grounded maybe besides your family?
TJW: “Definitely the thought and the notion that all the success that I have was given to me. I didn’t earn it. There is no real way to earn it all. It was given to me as a gift from God. This is definitely what it is. That’s what really keeps me grounded. You can’t get big headed saying well I did this and I did that and I worked this hard and I did all this. There is no way to get big headed if you know it was a gift.”
CY: But when you look at many of these troubled twenty something actors who were child stars, you must say to yourself I don’t want this to be me or I don’t want to be like that?
TJW: “Oh no, definitely not. I think that a lot of the time where that comes in is with some form of compromise.They just didn’t wake up one morning and say they were this. They were these troubled something 20-year-old actors and actresses. There was a moment in time where something shifted and they choose to do something or choose not to do something or there was just a lot of pressure in it. There is a lot of pressure in the industry. When everybody has a different type of outlet and some outlet is different than others and it might not have been the best choice then.”
CY: But do you feel you’ve dealt with the pressures very well for yourself?
TJW: “One thing I was able to find was that there is less pressure the less you think about it. If I’m sitting here saying I have to come through, I have to learn the lines this way, know it front and backwards, then I’m going to put more pressure on myself. The less I think about, this is not really a job to me. This is something that I love to do. When it’s something you truly love to do, the pressures aren’t really there. Especially if it’s something you love to do and know how to do it.”
CY: What is up with this Hannah Montana craze? Can you explain it to me?
TJW: “You know I thought that myself. I’ve had my conversations with Miley before. I think it was just the right timing. I am not a big Disney Channel kid myself. I never really understood, but I think it was timing. She came out with something new and that’s how it starts, something that people haven’t seen before or seen in a long time. She just came out with that and people love it. I think that’s another thing that happened with the show. It’s something you haven’t seen in a while. It’s something new and people loved it.”
CY: So do all the tween actors hang out together or is there this get together of guys or do you know each other and see each other from time to time?
TJW: “Yeah. It’s like we’re at the award shows and charity events and all these different things and it’s just hey, how are you doing? Some of us have become close friends and will go out and do things, but most of the time it’s at events and we’ll see each other. Just hey, how are you doing?”
CY: What does a fifteen year old think about when it comes to an upcoming Presidential Election?
TJW: “I think about the future. I’m watching. That’s what I’m doing now. I’m watching more on the sidelines because I am not quite 18 yet. In about three years I’ll be there. History always repeats itself and I’m watching what’s gonna happen here. With this election it could really change history. There is an African American candidate and a woman, something that has never really happened before. Depending on which way it goes, this could change the course of history forever. I am just watching to see what’s going to happen and from that I am trying to learn and watch these debates and watch what they’re talking about so I can find key things in a President. Just key things needed.”
CY: Finally, what else is coming up for you?
TJW: “There is a more recent thing I’ve only exposed in one other interview and that’s I’m delving right into music. Music has been a part of my life for really ever. I guess before even acting was. My parents were in the studio. I am not a singer. Let’s get that across. I cannot hold a note. Not the thing I do, but I am a lyricist. That’s something I got from my mom and I can come up and come to you with a bunch of lyrics at one time.”
CY: Basically you want to write songs and put them together and see the finished product?
TJW: “Write them, put them together, see the finished product. I am even now working on putting myself out there. I’m from New York and one of the key things is you have to know how to walk around with all these different types of people and you also have to know how to rap. That’s something I’ve learned. I’ve created my own style of it and I’ve been free styling since I was about seven.”
You can catch Tyler James Williams in new episodes of Everybody Hates Chris starting Sunday March 2nd on the CW Network at 8:00 PM EST. You can check out www.cwtv.com
