Check out our new interview with twin brothers Benjamin and Matthew Royer!
Benjamin and Matthew star together playing brothers on the Disney Channel show Best Friends Whenever. Season 2 of the show premieres on Monday, July 25th . There will be a full week of new episodes airing every night from the 25th to July 29th (8 p.m. EDT) on Disney Channel.
Photo Credit: Nate Taylor
upfrontNY: How did you both get your start in acting?
Benjamin and Matthew Royer: Our cousins were child actors and, when we were born, they mentioned it to their agents. The agency called our Mom looking for identical twin babies. We have been with that talent agency for over 13 years. Our first job was playing one baby in the movie The Terminal.
upfrontNY: Since you started acting, what has been the most exciting or memorable experience?
Matthew: My most exciting moment was finding out I was going to be a series regular on the Disney Channel.
Benjamin: My most memorable experience was filming my Disney Wand ID for the Disney Channel. I had already practiced it for years.
upfrontNY: Can you tell us about Disney’s Best Friends Whenever?
Benjamin and Matthew Royer: Disney Channel’s Best Friends Whenever is a show about best friends Cyd and Shelby. Through a mishap with a laser they gain the ability to time travel. The girls, their friends Barry and Naldo, and Shelby’s brothers Bret and Chet get to work through all kinds of life lessons with the help of being able to jump through time.
upfrontNY: What has been the best part about playing Bret and Chet?
Matthew: The best part about playing Chet is having our awesome fan base that supports the show and our characters.
Benjamin: My favorite part about playing Bret is the wonderful cast and crew that are like family.
upfrontNY: Do you each have a favorite episode from the show?
Benjamin: Season finale of Season One.
Matthew: I loved Girls from Christmas Past from Season One.
Photo Credit: Nate Taylor
upfrontNY: You both are working with Disney/ABC’s Choose Kindness Anti-Bullying campaign. Can you tell us what it means to you to join such an important campaign?
Matthew: The reason why I wanted to join the Choose Kindness Anti-Bullying campaign was because over the years my brother and I have suffered through all forms of bullying. Even though we are on television, it doesn’t make us immune to the unkind comments from people we have known and most recently strangers. We have experienced a lot of cyber bullying. Surprisingly, it is mostly from adults.
Benjamin: We wanted to be involved in a campaign where we could make a positive impact. We want kids to know that they have the resources to get help. They need to know that there is always someone to help.
upfrontNY: What is the best part about being a twin?
Benjamin and Matthew Royer: That there is always someone to have your back. That there is always someone to laugh at your jokes even when they are not funny.
upfrontNY: Do you ever try to switch places and play tricks on others?
Benjamin and Matthew Royer: We only tried once in the second grade. The teacher immediately knew. We haven’t been in traditional school in years, so we haven’t had much opportunity to try it again.
upfrontNY: When you are not acting, what are your favorite things to do?
Benjamin and Matthew Royer: We are both obsessed with sports. We love following statistics for many sports and especially baseball. In the last two years, we have found a love for professional wrestling.
Great interview. Best to my handsome cousins.