On Disney+, Ben Cockell plays Harold Biddle in the new R. L. Stine adaptation of Goosebumps, which was released in October, and he played Jackson in The Mysterious Benedict Society across both series. This year, Ben played Trey Akehurst III in The Irrational, and amongst his previous projects, he played 19-Year-Old Morgan Edge in Superman and Lois and was in the cast of the 17th film of Aurora Teagarden Mysteries as Jacob Hall. Ben filmed over the summer in Calgary for his first feature film, playing one of the lead roles – Tim – in This Too Shall Pass, with a release date yet to be announced. Talking with us recently, Ben told us about playing Harold Biddle in the new Disney+ series Goosebumps, filming as Jackson in The Mysterious Benedict Society and working on The Irrational this year.
How would you describe your character Harold Biddle in the new Disney+ series Goosebumps and what was he like to play?
Harold is a really awkward and sweet kid who’s moved schools a lot due to bullying. He’s a loner/weirdo who keeps worms as pets and makes creepy masks. His heart is in the right place though. Harold and his family move to Port Lawrence, a small seaside town, and he makes friends for the first time through the school’s photography club. Unfortunately… he gets possessed by an evil ventriloquist dummy who turns him against all of his friends and family. Harold perishes in a house fire which kicks off the central mystery of the season: who killed him and why is he back as a ghost?
I essentially got to play multiple characters, which was really appealing to me as an actor. You’ve got the sweet and misunderstood version of the character, which I was able to inject a lot more of myself into. You’ve got Ghost Biddle, who is hellbent on revenge. Finally, there’s Burnt Biddle (which took four hours in the makeup chair to achieve), who is a fiery spirit akin to Vecna or Freddy Krueger. It was very exciting to get a role where I could show off so many sides of myself. The awkward teen protagonist and the fantasy horror villain. I’m a huge horror fan, so this role felt like all those hours of film watching finally paid off.
How much did you know about the Goosebumps franchise before auditioning and how was it being part of the new TV series?
I had read Say Cheese and Die, The Haunted Mask, and Night of the Living Dummy as a kid. I’d also watched the film Rob Letterman made in 2015. I immediately knew it was Goosebumps when I got the audition because, even though it had the code name Port Lawrence ’93, it said “EPISODE ONE: SAY CHEESE AND DIE” at the top of the script.
I actually found out that I’d officially booked the show on Halloween. A couple of days later I was on set shooting the opening sequence, it was a trial by fire (literally). It was thrilling. I got to do so many things for the first time. They flew me down a hallway on wires. I had all of this prosthetic burn makeup. And on top of that, I just had more responsibility than I’d had before with any other role. The first three minutes of the pilot are just Harold. And in Episode 6, Harold takes centre stage and gets to be the protagonist. I learned so much from that experience. It was my first time being the focus of all of the scenes I was in. I learned I could carry that weight.
What was it like seeing the completed series for the first time and hearing the fan response to the show and your character?
Luckily, Rob Letterman (one the show’s creators) showed me the opening sequence before we were done shooting, so that calmed my nerves when the show first came out. I was nervous, but I had a lot of my friends and family around me when the first five episodes dropped. They made it really special.
I watched Episode 6 right at midnight when it came out. It was surreal to see, but I was really happy with how it came together. I’ve gotten some kind feedback from my friends, family and co-stars about it which meant the world to me. I think the character has gotten a good response! I hoped I could inject the character with enough sweetness that people would care when he dies at the end of Episode 6.
Was there anything you enjoyed most about filming as Harold and working on set?
Getting to work with Justin Long was really exciting, especially given the strange possession-relationship our two characters have. I had just watched his new film Barbarian three times before I booked this and I’ve seen him in so many films growing up. He is just the loveliest guy and his physical comedy astonishes me. All those scenes where his body turns against him? That’s almost all improv. Couldn’t believe it.
The makeup and prosthetics I got to wear were phenomenal. Zabrina Matiru and Krista Hann designed all of my ghostly makeup, it was fascinating to see that look come together. They piped these blue veins onto my forehead and temples, made my cheeks hollow and my eyes sunken. They are so talented and friendly, it was a pleasure to be in their trailer every day. The prosthetics work blew me away. I had no idea how gory Disney was going to allow them to go… the answer: pretty gory! Burnt Biddle took four hours in the chair to begin with, and they eventually got that down to about two-and-a-half hours. Felix Fox, Harlowe Macfarlane, and Mike Fields made me look absolutely monstrous, they’re all so talented! Mike has worked with all my horror heroes, I got to ask him questions about Dario Argento, John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper and John Landis. My film nerd heart was very happy.
I also got a whole friend group to hang out with during Episode 6! I became really close to my fellow 1993 classmates and we’re still in touch. I was just in LA and visited them. Alex Felix, Chris Sumpter, Taylar Hender, Michelle Mao and Sam Cutler are all gems. It was a joy to work with them. A lot of my highlights are memories with those folks.
You played Jackson across both series of The Mysterious Benedict Society, also for Disney+, how was this?
That show is a beauty. I loved working on it. I grew up reading the book series, I’ll include a photo as proof. I actually have a signed copy of the book from Trenton Lee Stewart that I got as a kid. I love whimsy, I grew up on Wes Anderson, so the whole aesthetic of Benedict felt like home to me. Jackson can’t be mentioned without Jillson. They are a dynamic duo, an oddball set of twins. Getting to play all of that deadpan comedy was a dream. And I had the best sparring partner you could ask for in Katherine Evans. She plays Jillson, she’s a close friend and a super talent!
What was it like working alongside the rest of the cast and do you remember how you felt finding out you’d booked the role?
The cast are all incredible. I was closest with Katherine. We had the same call times, all of the same scenes, we were sort of inseparable on set. We would freak out crew members by accidentally talking at the same time. There’s a shared love of reading and writing. Similar sense of humour. We got to shoot the second season in LA and had the best adventures.
The kids are all wonderful, so mature for their age. I can’t wait to see what they’ll all do as they grow up. Working with Tony Hale was a thrill for me. I’m a big Arrested Development fan and Veep fan. Like Justin, he couldn’t be kinder. I’ve been lucky to encounter two great role models like them on set.
I freaked out when I first got the call that I’d booked it. There was a lot of jumping and dancing with my mum. My other roles before this were one-liners. I will always be grateful for it. It’s rare to get to work on something as witty and as warm as Benedict.
Can you tell us about playing Trey Akehurst III in an episode of The Irrational this year?
Yes! That came out recently! Trey is a very entitled young man with a lot of rage towards his father. He’s the heir to a paper empire… and becomes a suspect in a kidnapping. No spoilers.
I randomly already knew two of my co-stars! Vincent Gale, who plays my father, is a family friend who’s known me since I was a child. It was so cool getting to actually work with him after knowing him for so many years. Rhinnan Payne played Allison in Goosebumps, so we had just finished working with each other when I shot this! I just kept on scaring her on screen.
Do you have any favourite memories from your time as 19-Year-Old Morgan Edge in Superman and Lois?
I remember there was a scene where I shoot lasers out of my eyes and kill these two dudes at the end of a hallway. A crew member came up to me and said “Okay, so have you ever shot lasers out of your eyes before?” “No. I haven’t” “So, what you’re going to want to do is take one big step forward, thrust your arms out at your sides, and slowly look from right to left. Do you want this laser pointer to help you aim?” It was dead serious and made me so happy. They had this headset I wore with two little laser-pointers attached near my temples to help me aim. I’ve always wanted superpowers so this was great fun. It’s inherently silly though without CGI.
I freaked out when I got the script and discovered I was playing Superman’s evil British brother. That was a big spoiler and I had no idea until I booked it. It was an honour to join the family.
How was it filming for Aurora Teagarden Mysteries as Jacob Hall?
They were super welcoming. This was the 17th film in the series, so they’re a family at this point. We shot most of my scenes for it in one day, which I’d never experienced before. It was great endurance training.
I got to know some of the cast pretty well from catching rides to set with them! They let me carpool because we were shooting so far away. I have a great memory of belting out the Silk Sonic album with Dylan Sloane on the way back from set.
What do you remember most from working on your episode of The Baby-Sitters Club as Caleb?
That was my first speaking part! I was super nervous. Originally the role was just called Lanky Goth Boy, but was renamed to Caleb which looks better on paper! I only have one line… and it’s a rap. It went “You kids shouldn’t talk back, you’re gonna need a Hallpass, or a Disneyland Fast Pass. Or you’re gonna get a headslap”. I still remember it. It was supposed to be a terrible rap. I think I just made them laugh in the room when I did it. I’m a big hip-hop fan so I think it’s hilarious that my first spoken lines on screen were rapped.
How did you get into acting and was it something you always wanted to do?
I’ve always been drawn to storytelling. I did children’s acting classes, but I was more drawn to writing originally. Now it’s equal. I went to a great high school, Byng Arts, and I did the Theatre Program and the Creative Writing program there. I did a screenwriting intensive after high school at Vancouver Film School. I always want to keep doing both. Making my own work and acting in other people’s. I’ve always wanted to tell stories and work in film, but I started taking acting more seriously when I was around 16.
What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?
I could go on forever on this topic, I don’t have an order of my favourites. But here are ten of my favourite films and TV shows.
Films: Fargo, Before Sunrise, Don’t Look Now, Close-Up, Rear Window, Alien, Tampopo, Night of the Hunter, Superbad, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
TV series: Succession, Game of Thrones (Seasons 1-6), Black Mirror, The Inbetweeners, Breaking Bad, The Office, The Leftovers, Fleabag, Freaks and Geeks, Sherlock.
How do you like to spend your time away from acting?
I watch a lot of films. I write. I spend lots of time with my mum, my girlfriend and my friends. The movie theatre is a weekly thing for me. I like to have personal projects on the go during downtime. Sometimes it’s just slow though! That’s okay too. The busy times come in waves. I’m pretty good at keeping myself entertained.
Have you been given any advice over your career so far that has stuck with you, and do you have a favourite aspect of working on screen?
I’ve been given so much good advice, mostly from my mum. She’s the best. Very wise lady. Superb actor and teacher too. “You are enough”. That’s always nice to hear! Lots of practical advice stands out to me. Show up early to set. Make an effort to remember names. Breath mints so you don’t gross out your scene partner. Bring a book. Lots of simple stuff.
I love the routine of being on set. They all have familiar aspects, no matter how different the project is. I like having a collaborative dialogue with a director that makes you feel like a fellow filmmaker. I’ve only had that with a couple of roles, but when you get that, it’s amazing. I love pitching ideas back and forth and seeing what sticks.
What are you hoping the next year brings for you and do you have any projects coming up that you can tell us about?
My big new project is my first feature film! It’s called This Too Shall Pass and I got to play one of the leads in it. It’s an 80s coming-of-age story about a Mormon kid who goes on a road trip to Canada with all of his best friends. I play Tim in the film, the sort of bad boy of the group, he’s very inspired by Robert Smith from The Cure. We had a lot of fun shooting the film in Calgary this summer. The cast is great, there’s Maxwell Jenkins, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Jaylin Webb, Aidan Laprete, Katie Douglas and Nikki Roumel in it with me. Can’t wait to see it on the big screen.
Follow Ben on: