Tell me about yourself - what age did you start acting - why did you want to act... things
like that.
I think I was six years old, or so... I had moved down to L.A. with my mom for her to pursue her acting career.
She got a job as an extra for a film, so there were a couple of jobs where they'd call at the last minute and they needed
a kid to be someone on the show... my mom asked me if would do it, and that's how I fell in love with it... I got the acting
bug. I really enjoyed being on the set, because being on set is every actors goal (laughs)... no one wants to act so
we can go to meetings... (laughs) we do it for the making of the art. So from there I wanted to pursue it more
full time, and it was one of those things where as a kid my mom asked me every two weeks if it was something I wanted to do
because it takes a lot of work, and you miss out on normal kid stuff. Then my career kind of started over again when
I turned eighteen. I don't really count the first ten years or so... (laughs) 'cause with the American Pie movies...
and all of its success... it was sort of a re-introduction.
Like two different careers almost...
Yea, and not too many people put the old career together with the new one. One out of twenty people remember 'Rookie
Of The Year'.
Where you nervous when you got your first role?
I was really excited, I had gone out on a lot of appointments to get that first role so... it wasn't so much about being
nervous as it was being excited. I always say that my first role was on "Who's The Boss" as a young Tony Danza, but
really there was one job before that... that no one would have ever seen (laughs). It was a day time TV show called
"Family Medical Center", and I played a kid who got bit by a dog... (laughs) It’s funny because they put a fake scar
on me, and I think when we were done for that day of filming we came home and we played a gag on our roommates and said that
I had fallen in the parking lot and we were like suing the production.... they all freaked out. We had a big laugh.
What kind of steps did your parents take to make sure you wouldn't end up like other child
stars with drug habits?
Yes, granted... it tends to be very much affiliated with child actors because they're making more money than most kids
would be making if they had a paper route, but I think it was just good parenting. Because any kid could fall
into that, the difference between a kid that falls into a drug habit that isn't in the entertainment industry isn't going
to be publicized. Whereas the kids that were in the entertainment industry... you read about it. So I just
contribute that to good parenting.
Tell me about the transition from the child star to who you are now... How did you get past
the child star?
It was just a blessing. The reality of it is that three percent of child actors make it into the successful adult
career. So I just consider that a blessing. I can sit here and say, "well, it was because I worked hard and was
always prepared"... but I'm sure there are people who feel they did the same thing that didn't have the same blessing.
What's your most memorable role, or experience, while making a movie?
Two come to mind, one of them was a film called "Rules Of Attraction"... where I played a character who was (laughs)...
speaking of drug habits... was a coke head, it was a really fun sequence in a film where we go to buy drugs from this
drug dealer, but James Van Der Beek... who plays Sean Bateman... he owes the drug dealer three grand. So they basically
try to kill us (laughs), and we're running from them. It was a really fun sequence, and the character was someone totally
outside of myself. That's the work I'm probably most proud of, and working with Roger Avary, the director.. was just
a fantastic experience. And the other role that comes to mind is "Stealing Sinatra", where I play Frank Sinatra Jr.,
and that was fun portraying a person who obviously really exists. Studying them... making sure I was doing them justice...
singing swing music... all that fun stuff.
Are you still in a band?
I don't have a band anymore, but I am recording a solo record. I wont shop it around until it's done... it'll probably
be a self-titled type of thing. Just 'cause the guys that we're using - that we're fortunate enough to have playing
on it... are all in bands. We've got the bass player from Jane's Addiction, and Lawrence Katz who plays with The Mighty
Mighty Bosstones... we've even got Bruce Kulick who played with Kiss during the years of the makeup. He pretty much
shreds on a guitar. Brian Virtue is co-producing it, he engineered Audioslave's last record. So it's got a nice
modern tone to it. We pull Bruce back from shredding too much... (laughs) and my buddy Jeremy is producing it.
We've got a couple songs on MySpace...
Is that under your name on MySpace?
Yeah, it's myspace.com/thomasiannicholas. We're about half way done, just trying to schedule it in between all
of the acting responsibilities.
What kind of songs are on there - what are they about?
I mainly just write about my own experiences - I think I even have a tune in there that's more like a story... maybe
of someone else's or something that I felt... some of it deals with relationships or perspectives on situations. I try
to always write about something that's meaningful to me. The two songs that are on MySpace, one of them is just about
how things in like come unexpectedly... they come without warning. And the two songs on MySpace... I wrote with Dan
Lavery, bass player from Tonic. And you've actually interviewed him before.
Dan's a great guy...
Yea, he is... great songwriter as well.
You're a Christian, right?
Yes, I am.
How hard is it being a Christian in Hollywood today?
No more difficult than being a Christian today period. (laughs) It really just varies, it depends on what
people's perspective is... everyone has their own opinion. If you're a Christian and meet someone who believes the same
thing... you're like, "right on". You're tripped out to find someone (laughs) that believes the same things...
and other people are afraid you're going to try to convert them... or brainwash them. I always try to lead with actions...
I don't deny it if people ask, but I usually don't say, "Hi, I'm Thom, and I'm a Christian".
You don't want to push it on people too much.
Yea, it's one of those things... as you know... it's a very meaningful relationship that you get to have, and it certainly
helps put perspective on life. You're right, you can't force what you've discovered on other people... as much as you'd
like to share it. There is a moment where you feel like someone could benefit by knowing that there's an opportunity
for them... I always try to talk about what it means for me and not what it could mean for them.
What are your thoughts on the latest American Pie movie, Band Camp?
I have no idea, man... I haven't seen it.
Did they even ask people to come back for it?
No, none of us were approached. On the business side, obviously we've all seen re-makes and sequels... it's hard
to brand a new idea for the studio to create with an already created brand, and I think there were new people running the
show at Universal... they saw an opportunity to build off a franchise that they already created, and do it for a lot less
money. 'Cause if they brought us all back, they couldn't have made it for what they did. Remember when they made
"Lethal Weapon 4"? It was like five or seven years after the number three, there was all this publicity of what they
had to pay for everybody... how much money it took Mel Gibson to come back. That's what it would probably be like for
any future "American Pie" with the original cast. (laughs) Although it wont be 4, maybe it will be 9 or something.
(laughs)
Do you think you'd ever write or direct like you did for your movie, "L.A. DJ"?
Oh yeah. I'm jumping at the chance to get behind director side again - I've got a few projects that I've been mentioning...
and all that fun stuff. I'm going to start pitching those ideas, and hopefully get that opportunity again.
Would you rather do that than acting?
No, I would do them both. I directed a music video that I just started post-production on for Colette - one of
her new songs that's coming out in about six or eight months.
What are you working on now besides the CD and directing?
Always looking
for some meaty acting roles, maybe try my hand in an action role. I starred in a film recently where I played a hitman,
my buddy did it with little money. I offered to do the sound design for him, so I spent a few months working on that.
I'm kind of a tech geek. And I've been playing at church again - I'm involved with a church service... an evening service.
The website for that is thelastsunday.com. So that's been fun, playing one original song as well as a bunch of covers.
What kind of church is it?
It's a Lutheran church. I've been going there since '96, I was actually baptized there when I was sixteen.
What kind of movies and music do you like?
I have a really wide variety. (laughs) As far as music, I tend to go towards classic rock or current rock
that have nice hook filled melodies... one of my favorite bands, which has been for the last eight years, is a band called
Switchfoot.
I love Switchfoot.
Yea, at The Last Sunday I always play one Switchfoot song. They've got some really great stuff, they're an amazing
band. As far as movies, I like everything from comedies to the serious dramas. One of my favorite films of all
time is "The Shawshank Redemption".
Awesome movie.
Yea, I've seen it... I couldn't tell you how many times.
It's on TV every month, and if I see it I can't turn it off... I have to watch it.
(laughs) I was just going to say the same thing. I flip the channels and I'm like, "Ah, Shawshank's on".
