| MEDIA |
Interveiws
Behind the Scenes of The Beautiful Ordinary with Khleo Thomas! (June 15, 2006)
Reporter: You've been one busy guy this year Khleo. Touring with Bow Wow, recording your album, and now filming the Beaurtiful Ordinary. How do you do it?
Chelsea: Thanks for doing another interveiw Khleo. Exclusive Khadeem Thomas Interveiw! I asked Khadeem some of your questions during an exclusive interveiw. I'm sorry to all of those people who I didnt ask there questions; I ran out of time. If you have any questions for Khleo please send them in for his next interveiw. I got together with Khadeem and he told me about his family, friends and Christmas List! Check it out below
Chelsea: Ready? Behind the Scenes Roll Bounce interview! Thomas describes his character this way: "His father is black and his mom is white, which stood out a lot in that time, so Junior's always cracking on him because of it. Although Mike has a quick temper, he likes to have fun and is cool to hang out with." Thomas, too, was drawn to the film's themes of friendship and striving. "I think one of the great things about the movie is that it reminds you that if you're down at the moment, there is always something that can bring you back up - and for these guys it's the friends they are close with and their skating. It means everything to them." Adds Khleo Thomas, who plays Mixed Mike: "We really learned to support each other each and every step of the way. Everybody had their bad days, but we stood together and if someone needed a little more help that day, we were all behind him." Exclusive Khleo and Khadeem Thomas INTERVIEW! (Note: Please read the Terms of use before you put this on your site.)
KTkhleo Staff 1: ok now the interveiw has started
KTkhleo Staff 1: So can you guys explain the whole MySpace sitaution
deem: im at www.myspace.com/shortyball akt23
deem: wait
deem: no
Khadeem: www.myspace.com/shortyball a23
KTkhleo Staff 2: lol
KTkhleo Staff 2: but ppl are like its not the real khleo or khadeem!
khleo: Real profesional D-Yea my page is www.myspace.com/mixedmik e yea
Khadeem and I are going to work on "proofing" our pages with our cell
deem: And yes-I am 13. It says 23 cuz its my fave numba n cuz u gotta
say ur at least 16 in order 2 even get myspace but im only 13!!! and YES
I CUSS AND "talk like that" haha KTkhleo Staff 2: haha KTkhleo Staff 2: and khleo, ppl are like mona is a fake so can u clear that up too? khleo: Yes Mona is real we've been seeing each other since March and no we're not married. khleo: However khleo: Never mind I'll update you when the time comes but yeah Mona's my girl KTkhleo Staff 1: Ok thanks for that. KTkhleo Staff 2: Khadeem- alot of people are wondering...are you single? deem: yup! im completely single KTkhleo Staff 2: Khleo can you tell us a little more about your upcoming Album. Like what we can expect, when it will be out, videos, enc. khleo: 06! I know, I know, I've been saying next year for awhile now but in June this year I finally got signed onto Bow Wow's record label LBW ENTERTAINMENT and so for the rest of this year and the beginning of next year I'll be in Atl KTkhleo Staff 2: Congrats!! KTkhleo Staff 1: That's awesome. khleo: with Bow and his crew alot I'll be working on the album I have all 14 songs done but I just have to professionally record them and sign a few release forms KTkhleo Staff 2: Nice! is there anyone featured on your album? khleo: So it's hard to get your first album out my cuz has been trying for 5 years now but I really think I can have it out to you guys in a little less then a year. KTkhleo Staff 2: im soo excited!!! khleo: Yea I got a few I got my cuz Sci, Bow Wow, Brandon T. Jackson, Kristinia Debarge, Rekeniz, and 2 other groups that aren't really well known KTkhleo Staff 2: thats soo cool! KTkhleo Staff 1: Thats cool khleo: Yea me and my group are pretty excited too, as for music videos we tried some for fun in the studio one day we tried one for tribute and one for show me but I'm not sure if they're really happening KTkhleo Staff 2: im acutally listening to show me right now lol khleo: Jermaine Dupri wants me to release a remix single of one of my songs and he wants to be featured in it and have a music video so who knows lol Cool KTkhleo Staff 2: You need to have a video khleo! KTkhleo Staff 1: yes u do! KTkhleo Staff 1: Anyways.... KTkhleo Staff 1: Khadeem- I heard you rap, are you planning on a cd like Khleo? deem: Yeh I rap but its usually just for fun...at a few of Khleo's concerts he's done in Cali ive gone on stage as his "hypeman" when his real backup guy couldnt make it so thats fun deem: but nah i aint gonna make a cd its 2 much work deem: and i gotta spend that time doin bball KTkhleo Staff 2: cool so u wanna be a professional bball player? deem: but im hopin my kind cool older bro will record a 15th bonus song on his cd of the 2 of us doin one of our things KTkhleo Staff 2: hahahahaha deem: Yea I'm plannin on goin 2 college and playin college ball in da NCAA and then gettin drafted 2 da NBA KTkhleo Staff 1: That would be soo good i bet! KTkhleo Staff 2: Dang the thomas family has tons of talent in it! khleo: Just remember who started it all KTkhleo Staff 2: who? khleo: Yours truly deem: pssht-more like mom and dad who kinda created u KTkhleo Staff 2: hahah deem: and listened 2 u when u wanted 2 live in hollywood and b on tv KTkhleo Staff 1: Lol KTkhleo Staff 2: nice KTkhleo Staff 1: And you cant for get the little KTkhleo Staff 1: people.... khleo: Khameel is going to be my dj in a few years KTkhleo Staff 2: haah how cute KTkhleo Staff 2: hes a funny little guy khleo: He's very talented with a computer and the keyboard he gets all kinds of beats going khleo: but then he ruins it by tryin 2 do stand up comedy acts wit da microphone KTkhleo Staff 2: thats impressive for a 6 year old khleo: He's a cool kid KTkhleo Staff 2: what about your sister? deem: Khaleea's gonna be 2 on october 14th KTkhleo Staff 2: cool KTkhleo Staff 1: thats cool khleo: She's a handful right now and about to enter "terrible twos" but she's real cute and we all chip in to take care of her when mom and dad are working even Khameel knows how to give her juice KTkhleo Staff 2: haha cute deem: mom works at home but yeh I leave Khleo to do diapers KTkhleo Staff 2: ur nice lol KTkhleo Staff 1: Lol KTkhleo Staff 2: deem always thinking of others KTkhleo Staff 1: Khleo- what type of car do you drive? khleo: Fans say they want to live my life but really I have alot of chores that I have to do everyday and I have schoolwork and everything that they have. KTkhleo Staff 2: so ur juss like a normal guy KTkhleo Staff 1: and the hollywood stuff is just extra.... khleo: Yeah definately how I'd put it. Acting and the hollywood stuff is just my job it's like any other 16 year old who works and goes to school. The difference is I love my job and started it when I was 5 but yeah that's how it is khleo: Now for my car khleo: After going to the 2005 Volkswagen Jetta Sedan launch party in January I fell in love with those cars
KTkhleo Staff 2: haha cool KTkhleo Staff 1: Did you get one khleo: So when I was in Utah for my 16th I learned that my dad had bought me one it's dark "galactic" blue with black leather interior. It's a real sweet car it isn't anything that fancy compared to what some people drive khleo: but it's a good first car for a 16 year old khleo: Aight. KTkhleo Staff 2: its sitll a car KTkhleo Staff 2: ok KTkhleo Staff 1: Thanks soo much Khleo and Khadeem for doing this KTkhleo Staff 1: Talk to you all a little later deem: no prob KTkhleo Staff 2: ok soo ne wayse ummmmm lets see KTkhleo Staff 2: who are your role models? khleo: Who me or D? KTkhleo Staff 2: both deem: BEYONCE KTkhleo Staff 2: hahahahah KTkhleo Staff 2: no bball players deem? lol deem: MICHAEL JORDAN (thats y my fave numba is 23), Shaq O Neil, all da basketball greats out there, Jkwon cuz he's a good rapper, KTkhleo Staff 2: cool khleo: If Khadeem started with Beyonce I'll start with all the beautiful Hollywood actresses I've met and had the priviledge of working with KTkhleo Staff 2: nice khleo: And I've gotta say Will Smith has always been an idol of mine KTkhleo Staff 2: he is a great actore KTkhleo Staff 2: actor* khleo: and rapper he's just so catchy and he doesn't cuss and he's very talented KTkhleo Staff 2: yea khleo: Same with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Wayne Brady is the funniest man alive, Chris Rock deem: DAVE CHAPPELLE IS A GENIUS KTkhleo Staff 2: haha yup
KTkhleo Staff 2: khleo you have worked with wayne brady in 2 movies
right?
khleo: Yes I have worked with him on Going To the Mat and Roll Bounce
and I did an interview with him on his show the day Going to the mat
premiered KTkhleo Staff 2: do you like working with him? khleo: He's funny, he's smart, and he's made a great career for himself. Every day on the set of Roll Bounce we would get the job done as early and quickly as possible so we could all just goof off.
KTkhleo Staff 2: haha khleo: Unfortunately Wayne's part was cut alot in the final movie of Roll Bounce but he was still really great. KTkhleo Staff 2: yea he was only in like the end KTkhleo Staff 2: but i still loved the movie
KTkhleo Staff 2: Deem what is your favorite movie that khleo has acted
in? deem: Well i still aint seen baadasssss yet
KTkhleo Staff 2: same here KTkhleo Staff 2: i wanna though KTkhleo Staff 2: i was juss wondering khleo do you have a charity yet?
deem: probly Roll Bounce cuz i like skatin and i like all da actors so
its my kinda movie n i think that its gonna b a real successful movie
cuz khleo's "official breakthru" was holes but roll bounce is like his
new breakthru KTkhleo Staff 2: yea khleo: I've gotten even more involved with the Starlight Foundation since my last interview question about charities back in March last year KTkhleo Staff 2: thats cool
khleo: I'm playing in Frankie's HoopLA game this year which is coming
up in October or November KTkhleo Staff 2: wish i culd go :-( khleo: And after I get done with CD stuff I'll be working on more involvement with different organizations
KTkhleo Staff 2: cool KTkhleo Staff 2: well ther is a charity 4 my friend with a disease i do but thats another story
khleo: It's definately good to get involved with stuff there's so much
out there KTkhleo Staff 2: yea her disease is soo sad deem: ne1 wanna donate 2 tha cause of keepin khadeem's room clean?
KTkhleo Staff 2: to make things short shes growing a second skeleton
litterally KTkhleo Staff 2: i will donate 50 cents lol
KTkhleo Staff 2: if i ever become famous my friends disease is what my
charity will be KTkhleo Staff 2: soo ne wayse khleo when are you gonna be preforming near NYC? juss wondering
khleo: I'm not sure I probably won't be preforming out of state until
after my cd drops KTkhleo Staff 2: ohhhh ok KTkhleo Staff 2: well ill be 1st in line 4 ur concerts KTkhleo Staff 2: ok lets see....... what is craziest experience you have had with a fan?
khleo: On the Scream Tour Vegas definately had the craziest fans hands
down KTkhleo Staff 2: haha, like in a bad way? khleo: I had fans who were slipping underwear under my hotel room door with messages on them
KTkhleo Staff 2: ohh wow KTkhleo Staff 2: thats kinda crazy if you ask me
khleo: I had fans who kept trying to grab me when they saw me, I had
fans pointing to their bodies and then to me, yea Vegas the worst as far
as crazy fans KTkhleo Staff 2: dang i bet KTkhleo Staff 2: thats gotta be pretty akward KTkhleo Staff 2: at least you know have lots of fans! lol khleo: Yea that's good
KTkhleo Staff 2: lol KTkhleo Staff 2: who are your nicest fans?
khleo: All my fans are generally nice, Chicago was real tight we saw
fans on set of Roll Bounce and then saw the same fans again when we went
back for the tour KTkhleo Staff 2: cool deem: im the meanest/craziest fan he's ever had KTkhleo Staff 2: hahaha KTkhleo Staff 2: well chelsea and i are your biggest fans!
KTkhleo Staff 2: deem ur not mean or crazy though ( or at least thats
what i think) lol
khleo: He's a good brother he helps me out alot with fan mail sorting,
audition practices, rap ideas like he'll tell me honestly if something
doesn't work KTkhleo Staff 2: thats good khleo: But at the same time we fight and mess around like normal siblings but I was the one who seriously injured him KTkhleo Staff 2: yea he told me lol KTkhleo Staff 2: khleo or deem u shuld tell readers what happened lol deem: He punched me in the lip and I needed 12 stitches
KTkhleo Staff 2: talk about brotherly love
deem: yeh thats basically all that happened
KTkhleo Staff 2: lol INTERVIEW DATE: MONDAY SEPTEMBER 26th,2005! (Terms of Use: This interveiw is a "KTkhleo Exclusive", which means it is COPYRIGHTED by KTkhleo. You may not put this on your website, Messageboard, or use any of the content of this interveiw unless you have permission from me.) Roll Bounce interveiw with the cast.(Just added!) When Bow Wow's not shooting scenes on the set of his upcoming roller-skating movie, "Roll Bounce," he's practicing. Not practicing roller skating, but "Madden '05." "I'm all on it!" Bow Wow boasted. "I'm murdering people on this set. Can't nobody beat me!" As for the roller skating, Bow Wow already put in his practice, spending two weeks at skate camp before production began. Legendary roller skater Bill Butler led the sessions and is also on set for additional advising. "He's crazy on the skates," Bow Wow said. "He taught me what I needed to know." It's important that Bow Wow, or at least his stunt double, can skate like a pro, as his character is supposedly one of the best in Chicago. "Let me go ahead and just brief you with the story," Bow Wow said after a little "Madden." "[My crew's] skating rink gets shut down, so we're forced to go up north in the Chicago area to Sweetwater, which is kind of a whole different vibe for us. I'm the best on my side of Chicago, but Wes [Jonathan], who plays Sweetness, he's the best on this side of town. So we kind of cross each other's paths." Along with a lot of action-packed skating, and plenty of '70s disco music, "Roll Bounce" is loaded with drama. "My character, X, I'm a real calm kid and skating is like my freedom, but the thing with X is, he has so many other issues in his life," Bow Wow explained. "My [character’s] mother passed away. Me and my father, which is played by Chi McBride [of 'Boston Public' fame], we kinda go back and forth. And then there's Naomi ..." "Who is Bow Wow's love interest," continued Meagan Good, whose includes "You Got Served" and "Biker Boyz." "I'm the girl that he has a crush on, but I kind of remind him of his mom who passed away, so we kinda have a little confrontation going on where he can't really be around me." The couple's fate depends on who you listen to. "I get to kiss Meagan in the movie, y'all," Bow Wow bragged. "What are you talking about?" the actress responded. "When? Is that in the script?" As for the roller skating, Bow Wow already put in his practice, spending two weeks at skate camp before production began. Legendary roller skater Bill Butler led the sessions and is also on set for additional advising. "He's crazy on the skates," Bow Wow said. "He taught me what I needed to know." It's important that Bow Wow, or at least his stunt double, can skate like a pro, as his character is supposedly one of the best in Chicago. "Let me go ahead and just brief you with the story," Bow Wow said after a little "Madden." "[My crew's] skating rink gets shut down, so we're forced to go up north in the Chicago area to Sweetwater, which is kind of a whole different vibe for us. I'm the best on my side of Chicago, but Wes [Jonathan], who plays Sweetness, he's the best on this side of town. So we kind of cross each other's paths." Along with a lot of action-packed skating, and plenty of '70s disco music, "Roll Bounce" is loaded with drama. "My character, X, I'm a real calm kid and skating is like my freedom, but the thing with X is, he has so many other issues in his life," Bow Wow explained. "My [character’s] mother passed away. Me and my father, which is played by Chi McBride [of 'Boston Public' fame], we kinda go back and forth. And then there's Naomi ..." "Who is Bow Wow's love interest," continued Meagan Good, whose résumé includes "You Got Served" and "Biker Boyz." "I'm the girl that he has a crush on, but I kind of remind him of his mom who passed away, so we kinda have a little confrontation going on where he can't really be around me." The couple's fate depends on who you listen to. "I get to kiss Meagan in the movie, y'all," Bow Wow bragged. "What are you talking about?" the actress responded. "When? Is that in the script?" As for the roller skating, Bow Wow already put in his practice, spending two weeks at skate camp before production began. Legendary roller skater Bill Butler led the sessions and is also on set for additional advising. "He's crazy on the skates," Bow Wow said. "He taught me what I needed to know." It's important that Bow Wow, or at least his stunt double, can skate like a pro, as his character is supposedly one of the best in Chicago. "Let me go ahead and just brief you with the story," Bow Wow said after a little "Madden." "[My crew's] skating rink gets shut down, so we're forced to go up north in the Chicago area to Sweetwater, which is kind of a whole different vibe for us. I'm the best on my side of Chicago, but Wes [Jonathan], who plays Sweetness, he's the best on this side of town. So we kind of cross each other's paths." Along with a lot of action-packed skating, and plenty of '70s disco music, "Roll Bounce" is loaded with drama. "My character, X, I'm a real calm kid and skating is like my freedom, but the thing with X is, he has so many other issues in his life," Bow Wow explained. "My [character’s] mother passed away. Me and my father, which is played by Chi McBride [of 'Boston Public' fame], we kinda go back and forth. And then there's Naomi ..." "Who is Bow Wow's love interest," continued Meagan Good, whose rasume includes "You Got Served" and "Biker Boyz." "I'm the girl that he has a crush on, but I kind of remind him of his mom who passed away, so we kinda have a little confrontation going on where he can't really be around me." The couple's fate depends on who you listen to. "I get to kiss Meagan in the movie, y'all," Bow Wow bragged. "What are you tal about?" the actress responded. "When? Is that in the script?" Along with his love interest, Bow Wow's character spends a lot of onscreen time with his crew, the Garden Boys, who were happy to introduce themselves on set (with the exception of Rick Gonzalez, who plays Naps and was appropriately taking one). "I'm playing Junior, Bow Wow's best friend," Brandon T. Jackson said. "I'm the leader of the group at first, but X becomes the leader because he's the best skater. I influence Bow and everybody to get in the competition and stuff like that." "I play Mixed Mike. He got the quickest temper of all of them," said Khleo Thomas, from "Holes" and "Walking Tall." "As soon as someone says something, he's quick to snap." "I'm playing Boo, he's the sporty cat," added Marcus Paulk, a "Moesha" veteran. "He's real laid-back, having a real good time. He's not too cool with the ladies yet, but he gets himself a little fine honey at the end of the movie." One of Bow Wow's musical peers, Nick Cannon, also has a small role in the movie, which Malcolm D. Lee ("Undercover Brother," "The Best Man") is directing. "He's the coolest director I've worked with, although we couldn't bring our cell phones to work," Bow Wow said. "I was trying to get them in the mode of 1978," Lee said, "and they still brought them! But these guys are putting in a lot of dedicated hard work with the skating and the acting, and after this [Bow Wow] is going to be known as Bow Wow the actor slash rapper, not the other way around." It's My Life Ever since Holes, Khleo Thomas has been one busy guy. The fifteen-year-old actor plays the best buddy and wrestling teammate of a blind teen in the Disney Channel movie Going to the Mat, and he’ll be back on the big screen as The Rock’s nephew Pete in Walking Tall. Balancing Hollywood with schoolwork, family, and friends is no problem for this talented teen, and he told IML why! IML: Had you ever wrestled before shooting Going to the Mat? Khleo: No, but we had a good coach and he put everything together for us. He made us go through the steps of each move that we needed to do. We had training before the movie and during the movie. I noticed that I picked it up really fast. It was a fun experience, but full of surprises, too. IML: Like what? Khleo: When I first heard it was a wrestling movie, I knew that I had to wear those tights, but when I first saw them I was like, “Oh my God!” because I look so skinny in them. Each day I had to walk out in front of a crowd with them on. After a while, I kind of got used to it and laughed about it a lot. IML: Did you identify with your character, Fly? How are you alike? Khleo: There are definitely some similarities but the difference is I’m not a nerd. Fly’s kind of a nerd, and nervous around people, I’m not. I try to be as cool with people as I can. That’s kind of why the school is against him. But he’s a musical guy, and music is something we both share. IML: There’s a scene where the jocks invite Andy’s character Jace to go with them, leaving Fly behind. Did you ever have that happen to you? Khleo: Yeah, when I was elementary school one time. It was about music. There was a music group out that I liked and no one else liked them, so it got lonely after a while. IML: You have two brothers and a sister, right? Khleo: Yeah. I’m the oldest! IML: Are any of them interested in being in show business? Khleo: Actually, the brother right after me, he’s the athletic one. I thought I was athletic until I saw him. His name is Khadeem. When it comes to football, basketball, track, he’s got it all. Khameel, the four-year-old, is into music and computers. We have a digital piano in our living room and he knows how to set it up and he can do anything on the computer, watch DVDs, go on the Internet, play videogames. My little sister Khaleea was just born five months ago, so we’re trying to figure out what she is. We all have the ‘Kha’ thing in our names. It’s hard for my dad sometimes! IML: Do you and your siblings get along Khleo: Yeah, we do a lot of fun stuff together. It’s all fun and games for us. We hang out all the time. We have family reunions with both sides of my family. IML: Is it a big family? Khleo: Yes, especially on my mama’s side. She’s from Morocco and has a lot of aunties and cousins she hasn’t met yet. She came here when she was my age. IML: What have you learned about her culture? Khleo: My mom’s culture is amazing. She tells me everything about it. Their math over there is so easy and it helps with math here, with multiplying for instance. IML: You were born in Alaska, right? Khleo: Yes, I was born in Anchorage, Alaska because my dad was in the military. I lived there for like a month, that’s it. Only Khameel and Khaleea were born in the U.S.. Khadeem was born in Germany. I was about four when we came to the States. IML: What was it like working with The Rock on Walking Tall? Were you nervous to meet him for the first time? Khleo: I’ve been a fan of The Rock ever since he first came to wrestling. Every time I went to school I talked about The Rock. So when I finally got to meet him I couldn’t believe it! When he walked through the door I went bug-eyed! “I’m standing next to The Rock, man!” He’s huge. He’s very nice, though. Everyone thinks he walks around with steam coming out of his head. No. He’s a real nice guy. But all that wrestling stuff he does he could do easily with me. It was fun doing scenes with him. We would joke around on the set. One time, he was supposed to throw me a blanket ‘cause I was sleeping outside, but he threw a teddy bear to me. It was pretty funny. IML: Do you generally keep in touch with people you work with? Khleo: Yeah, always. I’ve called Andy (from Going to the Mat) a bunch of times now. I talk to Shia LaBeouf. We hooked up on the set of the movie he’s doing now, Constantine, with Keanu Reeves. IML: Of everything you’ve done so far, what’s your favorite? Khleo: I’d have to say Holes because of the experience I had. It was my first major motion picture and I got to work with the best people in the business: Jon Voight, Sigourney Weaver, Tm Blake Nelson, Patricia Arquette. And Eartha Kitt, who played my great-great-great grandma. It was a dream come true to be on set and work with these people every day. IML: Who would you want to work with if you had your choice? Khleo: I’ve been wanting to work with Adam Sandler for a while, and Bruce Willis too. And Halle Berry! IML: When did you know you wanted to be an actor? Khleo: At a very young age, I was in Germany watching TV and I told my mom I wanted to be an actor. She said, ”Go for it.” When my dad retired from the military we moved to Los Angeles and it all kicked off. IML: Do you think you missed out on anything by starting out so young? Khleo: There’s nothing I missed out on. I do everything a normal kid does. My parents keep me grounded. I still play sports. I still go to a rec center every day. IML: What do you play there? Khleo: Basketball! IML: What else do you like to do in your free time? Khleo: Work on music. Hang with my friends. IML: Since you’re home schooled, when do you see them? Khleo: Every weekday, after they do their homework, we chill. If we want to we go to the mall and see a movie. IML: What do you think is the most important quality in a friend? Khleo: Basically, people who’d be on my back. Three of my friends, the closest ones, I’ve known them forever. I grew up with and played on the same basketball and football teams with them. They always stick by me. IML:Do you have a girlfriend? Khleo: No, I’m actually single right now. I am looking! IML: And what do you look for? Khleo: Personality, a great smile, funny, and very smart. IML: What turns you off? Khleo: A girl with a phony laugh! IML: What would people be surprised to know about you? Khleo: I can’t stop biting my nails. It’s a bad habit of mine. I like anything to do with math and numbers. I know a lot of people don’t like geometry, but for me it’s fun. IML: Do you plan to go to college? Khleo: Yeah, that’s my plan. I want to go to college and get my degree. I want to major in acting or biology. I also want to play basketball. IML: Do you think you can make the team? You’re not exactly Shaq-sized. Khleo: I know, but size doesn’t matter. If you can shoot and dribble and run fast, you can get on the squad. I’ve got some more to grow. I have big hands and feet. I wear a size 10 1/2 now! IML: Who are your role models? Khleo: My parents. My mom and dad have been together since they were in ninth grade. They had to deal with racial issues along the way and to this day they’ve been together. They taught me that no matter what people say, you have to be yourself. And if stuff isn’t going a good way, it could turn out good the next time. IML: Which entertainers do you admire? Khleo: Will Smith, because he doesn’t cuss in his rap. He’s an artist who does everything, from TV to movies to rap. IML: You’re working on a music career too, aren’t you? Khleo: Yes. I’m so into music. I love reggae, rap, rock. I love all kinds of alternative. My own style is hip-rap. I’ve been in the studio and I have six tracks down. IML: Do you play any instruments? Khleo: On the set of Holes, Shia taught me some of the strings on the guitar. IML: What advice do you have for other kids who want to sing or act? Khleo: It’s hard at first, but don’t give up. You may go out on something you think is right for you and you might not get it. The first time it happened to me I wanted to stop acting. It was a TV show, Wanda at Large, and it didn’t come through. I felt I was perfect for it. You can go two months or a year without booking something. It’s a challenge. There are so many actors and actresses out there who want to make it. My mom said, “You don’t have to stop. Don’t give up, this is just one.” IML: Do you work with any charities or do volunteer work? Khleo: I’m planning to get with the Starlight Foundation. I’ll be playing in Frankie Muniz’s charity basketball game this year. IML: Good luck in everything, Khleo, and thanks for talking to us! Khleo: Thanks to you too! Popstar magizine interview Our mailbox has been overflowing with "Please put Khleo Thomas in Popstar!" messages, so theres only one thing we could do- Meet up with the "Holes" hottie to bring you the first hand scoop! He won you over as the lovable "Zero" in the big-screen hit and then tugged at your hearts even more on Disney Channels "Going to the Mat", and now hes about to mesmerize you with his musical talents! How the D-tent boys song "Dig it" happend! "We were on the bus and we just wanted to be raucaus everyday. We'd be in the bus for an hour on the way to the set in the desert and we'd just start writing and start coming up with stuff." There reaction when asked to record "Dig it!" "We didnt know we'd get a studio to actually do the song! We told the producer that we had a song and she said 'Oh, okay,' and two months later she was like 'We want you to come into the studio and do the song!' And we were like, 'Huh?!' And we were just really surprised and happy! And 'Dig it' helped me start my own music!" SCOOP: Khleo's music! "I'm going to say it's something new. Something that I dont think you're ever going to hear out there! It's a little bit of both rap and singing. I did a song for my fans called 'Tribute'. It's about thanking my fans for being there, writing to me and sending emails! Just to tell them that I do read all of it!" Is is music or singing for Khleo? "It's a totally diffrent experience because you get to see the peoples reaction when you sing. You get hyped off of them! I'm going to continue to do both. If I'm not acting, I've got alot of time on my hands- So I'm constantly writing music!"
Celebrity close-ups interview (2003) KHLEO THOMAS is a young, talented, up and coming actor who recently portrayed the character "Zero", in Disney's hit movie "Holes". And also played "Mixed Mike" in the Up coming movie "Roll Bounce" We first interviewed Khleo at the "Holes" premiere and was very impressed with his charming personality and acting abilities. From the moment we put up Khleo's interview, we were been bombarded with requests for more Khleo. We read each and every request and immediately knew we had to do a follow-up interview with Khleo. Celebrity Close-Ups was fortunate to recently have lunch with Khleo and his father at a cafe in the Los Angeles area. After lunch, Khleo was gracious to give us an in-depth interview and allowed us to have a photo session with him. The questions we asked were all submitted by you, the readers. Credits for the questions are at the bottom of this interview page. During the interview, a fan recognized Khleo and wanted his autograph. Immediately after the interview, Khleo did not hesitate to talk to the fan and take a photo with her. (The photo of Khleo and the fan is in our Photo section). The fan was very excited to meet Khleo and Khleo was happy to meet his fan. Now, for all of you girls who are dying to know what Khleo is like, well, he is a charming, intelligent and sweet young man. He is a lot of fun to talk to and has a darling smile that will melt your heart. He is definately grounded in his beliefs and comes from a strong family upbringing. He loves his parents and speaks highly of them. He is a young man who makes time for his family, career and friends. Overall, Khleo is a young man who knows where he's going and what he wants out of life. We see Khleo going very far in his career and we wish him all the best.Celebrity Close-ups would like to thank Khleo and his parents for allowing us to do this interview. Thank you Khleo for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer questions submitted by your fans and for giving them a more in depth look at who you are. Celebrity Close-Ups: Can you introduce yourself, please? Khleo Thomas: My name is Khleo Thomas and I'm fourteen (14) years old. I normally don't like to ask this quesion, but we have tons of girls asking this. Do you have a girlfriend? At this time, no I do not have a girlfriend. Would you ever date a fan? Yeah, every girl is the same, I don't like to single anybody out. What do you look for most in a girl? Personality and how she reacts to certain things and an open relationship When did you first know you wanted to be an actor? When I turned four (4) years old and I saw people on TV and I thought man, I gotta do this. My mom supported me and my Dad supported me and I got into it, and there it is. When did you first start acting? I first started acting when I was five (5). I did a commercial, it was for a Disney sweepstakes. They were giving away a Van and people saw me on that and people started liking me and that's when I got an agent and a manager and things started to roll. How has fame changed you? It hasn't change me at all. I am still the normal kid you see walking down the street. I still go the mall, I hang out with my friends, I still talk on the phone. If a fan sees me I talk to them for as long as they like, as long as I'm not in a rush. I don't think I will ever become one of those guys that have a big head. So, what's a typical day for you? Everyday is a typical day. I go out whenever I can if I'm not doing my chores. I go outside and I call my friends up and say do you wanna see a movie or what? Then I go out. What time you do get up in the morning? 9:00 o'clock in the morning, every morning. How do you feel that there are thousands of girls out there that are in love with you? Sometimes I see how the girls react to me out there, and I start to talk to them and they start (Khleo raises hands and makes a shocked expression) 'AHHHHHHHH'. Have you had any crazy fan experiences yet? No, not yet. When you were shooting "Holes" what was your favorite scene to shoot? The lizard scene. Probably everybody knows that from me. They were just so cool to be in the hole with because they just run all over your body. What did you do when you weren't filming? We were either getting in trouble or play arouund with eachother. We had a mini Playstation on set. We also came up with the "Dig It" song while we were in the school trailer. We had tournaments...baseball, basketball, fighting. Anything like that! It was real fun. Who were you closet with? Um, probably Shia. We had alot of fun together. Play around with the lizards. He taught me how to play guitar. What's the funniest thing that happened on the "Holes" set? We had a food fight but with squirt guns. What we did was put water in the guns and added Ketchup, Mustard, lettuce...not lettuce, I'm sorry, relish, we smushed the relish 'till it got real thin, and we had a food fight at the base camp and it got really, really wet and nasty. Do you still keep in contact with the guys from "Holes"? Yeah, I call almost everyone every other day. I keep in contact with them. Shia was actually in Vancouver with me. I keep in touch with Jacob when I'm in New York, same thing with Max, and everybody. We became a big family. If you could act with any actor or actress or would it be and why? Michelle Rodriguez because she's sooooooooooo, soooooooooooo fine! Do you have any new projects you are working on? I'm working on a new movie called, "Walking Tall". It's a remake of the 1971 movie. It's starring The Rock and Johhny Knoxville. I play The Rock's nephew. That's a real fun shoot. We're shooting in Canada. It's real fun. I get to ride a motobike in it. Would you ever consider getting into a music career? [smiles] Yes, actually. I'm going to start making my own cd. I'm writing my own lyrics. I have a record label that wants to pick me up. What kind of music can we expect? Rap and R&B. What kind of music do you listen to? Rap, R&B, Rock and Underground. What are some of your hobbies? My hobbies are basketball, football, martial arts, collecting Japanese animation, hanging with my friends, uh I am just a normal kid. What's your favorite movie? My favorite movie is "The Nightmare Before Christmas". Which actor/actress were you most excited to meet? Sigourney Weaver. The first time Sigourney Weaver came on set and she came around the corner, I just screamed because I have the whole "Alien" trilogy in a DVD set and I just screamed her name. I've seen all her movies and she kicks butt. What would you like to say to all your fans? I would like to say thank you guys for all the support you've given me. I will continue to do my work. For all the posers out there, I only have one e-mail adress, it's Khleo2003@yahoo.com and I only sign on in one message board which is yahoo.movies.com. I'm not signing into other kinds of message boards and I don't have another e-mail address and that's it, just those two. So, if you find someone else saying they're me, it's not, they're lying. Thank you Khleo.
Peace.
: How did you get the role of Zero? Khelo: By auditioning. The first audition I went on, I impressed the casting director and then they called me back. I then went to audition for the director and producer of the film. Q: Was this specifically for the role of Zero? Khelo: For Zero. Then they called me back a third time and I had to go to a screen test. That is when they bring the best of the best of the character that you'll be playing. They put you in the studio in a scene and they switch people in and out to see who looks the best. There were 10 kids going for my role. They weren't really paying attention to me, so I said, "OK, so I didn't get this one." Then, when [our group] was leaving, there were 10 more Zeros coming in. I said, "Eh, I'm not even going to worry about this one." Two days later, I got a call saying I got the role. Q: Why do you think you were picked? Khelo: I think it was the director; I think he really liked me because I acted well and was very polite. Q: What was the most fun thing about filming the movie? Khelo: Meeting new people on the set and the lizards. to Khelo's description of these lizards. Q: So, they don't really bite? Khelo: No. Q: Was there an animal trainer on set to make them seem harmful, like they are in the movie? Khelo: Yes, but he didn't really have to do anything because they were acting [like] themselves, actually moving around. Q: Did you know going into this project that you would wind up in a hole with a bunch of lizards? Khelo: I like lizards. Q: Did the other actors pull pranks on each other when the cameras weren't rolling? Khelo: Shia had put mud on Max's brand-new studio chairs. Max was so mad, so when Shia left to do his scene, Max threw his chair in a hole and started dumping bottles of water on it. Q: Were you involved in this? Khelo: No, but there was a fight. It was Jacob, Shia, and me versus the other kids. We had squirt guns and we filled them up with ketchup and mustard. We ran after the guys, chasing them, and we started squirting all of them, everything at them. We ran back to Shias trailer, and when we were coming out, they just threw stuff at us: onions, relish, mustard, and mayonnaise. Just everything! Q: Not those huge onions that were in the movie? Khelo: No, no! Those were actually apples with edible ceramic wrap. Q: How long were you out in the desert filming? Khelo: Two months. Q: What was there to do when you weren't filming? Khelo: We stayed in school. They had a VCR, so we could watch movies. We'd play pranks on each other. We'd talk, or sing some songs. Q: How did you handle school when people were in all different grades? Khelo: They had a school trailer for us with two teachers. I was home-schooled, so it was easy for me. Q: Have you always been home-schooled? Khelo: No, from kindergarten through seventh grade I went to regular school, and I was just starting home school when I found out I got the part. Q: Which do you like better? Khelo: I prefer home school because you learn more by yourself than when you're around other people because you get distracted. At school, it would take me an hour just to finish an assignment. Now it takes 20 minutes. Q: What's your favorite subject? Khelo: Science, because you can do so many different things, like dissect frogs, find out about different chemicals. Q: Did you dissect one of those lizards? Khelo: No way! Q: Do you like to read? Khelo: Every other day I read a book. It takes me two days to finish a book. I like reading because if I'm not doing anything, then I read. If my mom tells me to go take out the trash, I'll go take out the trash, and come back and start reading again. Q: What's your favorite book? Khelo: The Harry Potter series. Q: Had you read Holes before you got the part in the movie? Khelo: No, I didn't. When I had to go audition for it, I went and got the book. Q: Was there something they took out of the book when making the movie that you wish they had kept in? Khelo: Stanley's character, Shia, is supposed to be fat in the beginning, but they ended up not doing that because they didn't want Shia to be overworked. Q: Did Sigourney Weaver or Jon Voight give you any acting advice? Khelo: Jon gave me pointers on eye contact. He told me that if you're doing a close-up, you should imagine the person that you're supposed to be in the scene with there.
So you go one on one with The Rock? Yeah [laughing]. I hate The Rock in the movie, and I’m afraid of him right now just in case he still has it in for me. Me and The Rock became good friends off the set. What’s the most surprising thing about working with The Rock? I think it is that everyone thinks he’s like a real tough guy, that he walks around with his mouth shut fuming. The guy is great. He’ll talk to you about anything. Any pranks or anything going on behind the scenes? Between me and The Rock? No. Actually me and Johnny Knoxville played around a lot on the set. Me and Knoxville fooled around a lot on the set. The last day of shooting we were all joking around. We ruined a lot of takes. Who got the better end of the jokes? I think he did. He ended up giving me a wet willy right in the middle of a scene. It all just came falling down but it was good. It was fun. So even though Walking Tall is a drama, it sounds like you had a comedy going on behind the scenes? Yeah, the film’s an action movie but there was a bunch of comedy going on on the set. What’s next for you? I have Bad******* [now titles How to Get the Man’s Foot Outta Your a*****] which is a movie by Mario Van Peeples. He directed it, wrote it, and stars in it. Mario plays his father, and I play him. I play Mario. Is that kind of weird playing someone who is standing there watching you play them? Yeah, it is because don’t know whether you’re doing it right. You don’t know how he would react. But Mario told me off-set what he did and how he reacted to certain things. I learned more and more as I talked to him.
|