Although it seems impossible to do a million things at once, somehow Ross Lynch manages to do it all! The 17-year-old has a very busy summer ahead of him: season three of the hit TV show AUSTIN AND ALLY will start filming soon, he is embarking on an international tour with his band R5 and he has a brand new movie coming out on July 19 called TEEN BEACH MOVIE!
The skillful teenager is bringing all of his talents to this movie musical, which features Ross and Maia Mitchell. The movie is about high school students Brady (Lynch) and McKenzie (Mitchell), who are dating. But the couple’s relationship is in trouble when McKenzie tells Brady she is going away to college. On their last surf session, both Brady and McKenzie fall off their boards and land in Brady’s favourite movie, WET SIDE STORY, set in the ‘60s era! As Brady and McKenzie get incorporated into the movie’s plot, it is up to them to make sure that the movie goes according to plan in order to get out!
THE MAGAZINE recently got a chance to chat with the fun actor. Ross spoke to us about his new movie and his upcoming Canadian concerts with R5!
The movie is filmed in Puerto Rico. What was it like filming in that beautiful setting?
It was amazing! There’s so many cool things to do, like surfing. The water’s so warm — if it was midnight we’d just run out into the water! The beaches were great. Since we’ve filmed the movie there, I feel like we’re all connected to it. We’ll always remember Puerto Rico for being this awesome place that we really liked!
Since you spent so much time with the cast in Puerto Rico, did you all get really along well?
Oh yeah, we’re all super close. I’d say I’m closest to Maia because I’m in every scene with her, so we were always together. But we are all really close!
You do a lot of surfing in the movie. Did you have to learn that from scratch?
I’ve surfed a little bit before, but now I’m addicted! I want to do it all the time. I try to surf whenever I can, but it’s kind of hard right now.
Do you have a favourite scene from the movie?
I’ve got a few! One of my favourite scenes is when the characters accidentally fall into the real people’s hands — that’s the turning point where MacKenzie and Brady mess up the whole movie. MacKenzie and Brady are freaking out because these other two characters are in love with them. That’s a really funny scene! Also the scene where Brady finds out MacKenzie is leaving is really fun. It wasn’t really dramatic but it was emotional. Emotional scenes are super fun to do for an actor. As far as musical numbers go, “Cruisin’ For A Brusin’” was just a blast!
This movie blends acting and singing. What was it like to film a musical?
It was great! It’s cool because there’s just as much singing as there was acting. It was like a party the whole time, we were always singing and dancing. When we first got there, I was kind of nervous because this was the first movie I’ve ever starred in, but it turned out to be really awesome!
Now that you know what it’s like to film a movie and a TV show, which one do you prefer more?
They’re both really cool! AUSTIN AND ALLY is really fast, we’re always onto the next scene. But TEEN BEACH MOVIE was really fun because it’s a single camera and it’s close up in your face, so it’s more real. AUSTIN AND ALLY has four cameras rolling all the time, so you have to be bigger for people to pick up on what you’re doing. For the movie, the camera was so in your face that the slightest movement or emotion in your eyes can be seen.
On top of the movie’s release this summer, you’ll also be touring with your band, R5! You have two stops in Canada, Calgary and Toronto. Do you enjoy coming to Canada?
I love Canada! Canada’s awesome! I would live there if I didn’t have to live in California for acting and stuff. The people are so nice. The place is only as great as the people who are in it, right? I love the people and it’s very beautiful up there.
R5 is made up of yourself, your brothers, your sister and your best friend. What’s it like working with people who you have been close to your whole life?
We all get along really well! I’ve never been in a band without my siblings. It’s really nice because if someone doesn’t sing something well, we won’t hide it. There’s no filter. If we don’t like something, we’ll just say it. Ultimately, I think that makes us a better band because we can say what we like and don’t like without having people get mad. Even though we are family, playing music brought us even closer together. We’re probably the closest siblings you could ever meet!
Does R5 have a ritual before performing onstage?
Yes, we put our hands in a huddle and we say, “AHHH” until we get super loud. Then we say, “Ready, set, rock!” altogether!
What essential items do you bring along on tour?
I always bring my iPod on tour. We all have our own blankets we bring on tour too so that when we’re sleeping on the bus, we’ll all be warm. I actually bought all this cool stuff, so I have a portable studio! I have a laptop, an apogee and a microphone, and I take it on the road with us. It’s really cool because now I can just record anything whenever I want!
How do you manage to keep up your high spirits and energy when you’re so busy all the time?
I try not to drink coffee. When I get tired it’s hard because it’d have a bigger effect on me. You’ve just got to stay excited and hungry for what you’re doing. If not, the next singer, dancer or actor can just swoop in and take away everything I’ve worked so hard to accomplish. It’s about realizing how lucky you are and how much you love it — you have to remind yourself of that every morning!
Since you’ve got so many dedicated fans, have you ever had a crazy fan encounter?
We’ve had so many! The moms love us for some reason! Especially on tour, that’s when all the crazy stuff happens. We get a lot of undergarments thrown on stage. One time, when we were filming TEEN BEACH MOVIE, I was sitting in a hot tub beside Riker, who’s in R5. One girl came up to us, pointed at Riker and said, “You’re Austin from AUSTIN AND ALLY!” And I’m like, “No, no that’s actually me!” Then she’s like, “No it’s him, I can tell!” I ended up having to sing for her to prove that I was actually Ross Lynch! There are all sorts of other funny things, like someone once gave me a fish!
Thanks, Ross! We can’t wait to watch TEEN BEACH MOVIE and see R5 at the Big Ticket Summer Concert!
Watch TEEN BEACH MOVIE and join the ‘60s party on July 19 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the Family Channel! If you haven’t bought your tickets for the Big Ticket Summer Concert yet, you can get them here!
(Images courtesy of Disney Channel)