Photo credit: jeremy lee
Matthew Lewis Royer stars as Chet, who along with his identical twin brother Bret played by Benjamin Cole Royer, manage to stir up plenty of mischief for their older sister Shelby, including pining over her best friend Cyd, in Disney Channel’s comedy “Best Friends Whenever.”
Tell us a little bit about your characters on the series, “Best Friends Whenever” What makes it great and why should kids and families watch it?
Ben: I play Bret, Shelby’s brother and Chet’s twin brother. Time travel is such an awesome and interesting topic that appeals to all audiences which will make for a great kids and family show.
Matt: On “Best Friends Whenever” I play Chet, Shelby’s younger brother and Bret’s twin brother. What makes the show great is that it showcases the friendship of Cyd and Shelby and how they stick together through thick and thin. Kids and families should watch because every week is a new adventure!
Do you share any similarities with your characters?
Ben: Bret and I both love to be the comedians in the group and joke around.
Matt: Well we both have red hair, but Chet is a little more mischievous than I am.
How is it working with Landry Bender and Lauren Taylor?
Ben: Working with Landry Bender and Lauren Taylor is awesome. They are both like big sisters to me.
Matt: It’s great working with the girls. They’re both hilarious and like sisters to Ben and I.
What has been your favorite episode so far to film in the series?
Ben: My favorite episode is “Back to the Future Lab.” We had so much fun working with the robots.
Matt: My favorite episode of the season has been the Christmas episode. Stay tuned for the epic adventure!
Do you get recognized on the street, what is your best fan story?
Ben: While we were in NYC this summer an entire camp group recognized us. There were about fifty kids from the Art and Literacy Camp whom we stopped and hung out with for awhile. They were really excited to see us and appreciative to all of the questions we were answering.
Matt: We do get recognized a lot; I think the red hair makes it hard to hide. My favorite story is also from New York when we were at the musical Wicked. During intermission a young fan came running up to us screaming, ” I knew it was you!” We got her name and as we were leaving after the show we yelled, “Bye Presley!” I think she almost lost her mind – she was so excited.
Were there any funny behind the scene stories you can share with us while filming?
Ben: Sometimes between scenes Landry Bender likes to choreograph dances. We let her teach them to us and it is hilarious.
Matt: Most of the episodes my brother and I have to do silly things. There is always some crazy stunt that we have to do where there is usually a lot of laughing involved.
Is acting something you would like to continue when you get older?
Ben: 100%. I would also like to pursue directing and writing too.
Matt: I love acting and would like to continue as long as I can. I also have a desire to go into Sports Management sometime down the rode.
What would you say is your favorite Disney show of all time (past or present) and why (excluding your show of course)? Favorite Disney Actor/Actress of all time?
Ben: My favorite show was “Suite Life on Deck.” Dylan and Cole Sprouse were great twin role models for my brother and I. My favorite Disney actor is Matthew Lewis Royer.
Matt: My favorite Disney show is “Good Luck Charlie” because it showcases a hilarious, dysfunctional family. My favorite Disney actor is Jason Dolliy; he has great comedic timing.
Who is currently playing on your iPod?
Ben: Currently, I have Fall Out Boy, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, and Forever in Your Mind.
Matt: Currently, I have Walk the Moon, Billy Joel, and Forever in Your Mind.
Who has been your favorite actor/actress you have met and what have you learned from them?
Ben: I had the opportunity to meet Dylan Sprouse recently when he visited our set. He advised us to go to college and how important it is to keep our minds alive and active.
Matt: I met Bridgit Mendler when our show first started. She gave us all great advice on how to balance both school and work.
Being big baseball fans how much fun was it working on “Back in the Game?” I really enjoyed that show.
Ben: I’m so glad you enjoyed the show as much as I did. We loved playing those characters and really enjoyed working with that cast. We are still friends with most of those boys.
Matt: “Back in the Game” was a great experience! It was such a talented and funny cast. We loved working with Griffin Gluck, Maggie Lawson, and James Caan.
How do you find time to play travel baseball and who are you favorite players and teams in the MLB?
Ben: We owe a lot of thanks to our parents who have always made sure we could get to practices and games on time all season. We went to Cooperstown New York to play baseball this summer and it was a great experience. My favorite team is the Los Angeles Dodgers, which is the same team that my favorite player Corey Seager plays on.
Matt: We have always played baseball while we were acting. We somehow find a way to balance it all out. I also love the Los Angeles Dodgers and have always been a fan of Clayton Kershaw. Such a great player!
How was the set of “Brooklyn 99”, I have to imagine it is super fun?
Ben: Working on “Brooklyn 99” was so much fun – Terry Crews was hilarious! And the rest of the cast and crew were just as awesome. It was such a great experience all together!
If you could guest star on any show series what would it be?
Ben: I would have love to be on one of my favorite shows “Arrested Development.”
Matt: If I could guest star on any show it would the “Goldbergs.” I think the whole cast is amazing and I would love to be apart of it.
If you had a chance to redo a past performance what would it be and why? Any roles you missed out on that you had wish you had gotten?
Ben: I don’t have any roles that I would like to redo. I auditioned for Collin Farrell’s son on “True Detective,” which I would have really liked to play but there will be other roles. 😉
Matt: I also don’t have any performances that I would redo. Once I do my part it is put to rest. The only role I didn’t get that I would have wanted was Spanky in the remake of the “Little Rascals.” I would have loved to play that role but like my brother said, there will be others.
Any advice for other children getting into acting?
Ben: If you are serious about acting, I think the best place to start and get your foot in the door is first through background or extra work. It will really give you an idea of how much goes into being on set. The process is very time consuming and a lot of hard work, but is extremely fun and rewarding.
Matt: If you are interested in acting, I would say one important thing is to be patient. It’s a long process, but with hard work and dedication it will come when the time is right.
Can we find you on social media?
Ben: Find me @thebenroyer on both Twitter and Instagram!
Matt: Find me @thematthewroyer on both Twitter and Instagram!
You can also like our fan page on Facebook, Benjamin and Matthew Royer.
Thanks for talking with us!!! #twingers
Photo credit: jeremy lee
Thanks to both Ben and Matt for taking the time out of their schedule to talk with BSCKids!
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