In the Disney+ series The Santa Clauses, Liam Kyle plays the recurring guest star role of Gary alongside Tim Allen (Santa Claus) and Elizabeth Mitchell (Mrs. Claus), who both reprised their roles from the original The Santa Clause trilogy, and Liam appeared across both series and attended the 2022 premiere event in California. During his time as an actor so far, Liam’s projects include playing Eli in the Apple TV+ series Best Foot Forward, the recurring character Nate Buxaplenty in The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder – the live-action reboot of The Fairly OddParents, having his first major acting job in 2022 playing Nate in the Netflix sports comedy film Home Team alongside Kevin James as head coach/NFL player Sean Payton, and his acting debut was playing Young Stefan in the short film. We chatted to Liam, who talked to us about playing recurring guest star Gary in The Santa Clauses, playing Eli in Best Foot Forward, being on set of The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder and working on sports comedy film Home Team.

Do you remember how you felt finding out you’d booked the recurring guest star role of Gary in The Santa Clauses for Disney+ and had you seen the original The Santa Clause films before auditioning?

I remember feeling so excited when I found out I had booked such a fun character like Gary, head of E.L.F.S., to audition for. It was something so different from what I usually do, and the fact that I also booked it was great! I had heard about the The Santa Clause movies from my parents, but had not seen them before auditioning. To prepare for the audition, I watched all three movies, with my favourite being the second.

Can you tell us about Gary and what was he like to play?

Gary is the epitome of a guy past his prime. He was very irritable and witty, and overall, a guy whose favourite thing to do was reminisce about his glory days. It was such a blast to play this cranky old man elf, and I had to tap into a side of me I didn’t even know I could get out – my inner old man! I had to channel grumpiness incarnate and morph that into this old elf. I even created a gritty and grumpy voice for him. Compared to the typical roles I had played in the past, this one was on a different level when it came to turning into a character.

How was it seeing the costumes and set for the first time and filming with Tim Allen and the rest of the cast?

It was very magical. The set was so intricately designed, and it really just felt like I got dropped off at the North Pole. Every day was like Christmas. For filming, the whole cast and crew were so nice and amazing to work with. Tim Allen is a great guy, who really made sure the kids felt looked after and could truly shine. I remember one time, between takes, I asked him a question in my normal voice and he did a double-take and jokingly asked who are you. He’d gotten so used to Gary’s old man voice!

What was it like reprising your role for Series 2 and developing your character across further episodes?

Reprising this already-fun character to play for Season 2 was amazing. Like I said before, Gary was truly something else, and developing his character further, finding out more reasons as to why he exactly acted the way he did just added another layer to the already wonderful experience it was to play him. I also got to work a lot with Elizabeth Mitchell, who plays Mrs. Claus and that was wonderful.

How did you find the experience attending the premiere event in California in 2022?

It was a wonderful experience with a nice vibe. Everybody there was really nice and it felt great seeing the cast again after finishing filming. Also, I knew I was going to walk the white carpet but I didn’t expect so many reporters to interview me. Luckily, I have a lot of experience in speech and debate so public speaking on-the-spot was fun for me.

How would you describe your character Eli in Apple TV+’s Best Foot Forward and was there anything that drew you to the show?

Eli was a man of many talents. Eli loved being a ‘dungeon master’ for his DND-like club at school, and he overall didn’t care what anybody thought of him, which is something I can respect. I think the overall positivity of the show drew me to it. I already followed Josh Sundquist on social media so it was really cool meeting him on set and the fact that the show was based on his middle school days.

How was it taking on the role of Eli and what did you enjoy most about playing the character?

It was a fun experience taking on the role of Eli! I enjoyed the old-fashioned and magical language Eli used due to his DND hobby.

In The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder – the live-action reboot of The Fairly OddParents – you could be seen playing recurring character Nate Buxaplenty, what was the series like to be part of?

It was an amazing experience to be part of this series! The cast and the way the crew took care of the cast was something super amazing and fun for all of us because of the way they would go out of their way to set up fun events for the cast to partake in occasionally.

How was it on set of The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder and how did you prepare for playing Nate?

It was a great and peaceful experience on the set of The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder. It was my first multi-cam sitcom and it was so fun seeing all the sets and performing on them. My character is a rich kid who really wants friends, even if he has to buy them. He was so fun to play and my catchphrase “Ahoy, ahoy” caught on and everyone was saying it! I prepared to play Nate by studying his cousin, Remy Buxaplenty from the original animated show. I also worked on what his voice would sound like, how he would walk and other ways to bring him to life.

What are some of your favourite memories from your time filming for the 2022 sports comedy film Home Team as Nate alongside a cast including Kevin James as head coach/NFL player Sean Payton?

There were so many great memories! It was my first big acting job and my first time on location. I spent almost three months in Louisiana filming. One of my favourite memories from my time filming Home Team was when the rest of the cast had a freestyling competition, seeing who could come up with the best bars. I also had so much fun just talking with the cast and getting to know everybody. I still keep in touch with them on Instagram and it was the overall bond we all shared that made it such a great experience. Kevin James is also such a nice guy who is great to work with.

What was Nate like to play and how was it watching the completed film when it was released on Netflix?

Nate was just a well-rounded guy who was there to have fun, but also to just play football so he had something to do. I actually had never played football before this film so it was fun learning the sport. Since Nate isn’t very good at football, I could get into that level of ability! Watching the film and seeing the accumulation of all of the cast and crew’s hard work was something so magical that it is hard to put it into words. I think my parents cried when they watched it. Not because it was sad but because they were so emotional seeing me in the film.

You played Young Stefan in the short film Sissy, can you tell us about this?

Sure! Young Stefan was my first ever acting role, and it truly was the start of my career. He was a simpler character as he was mainly one of the bullies in the short film. He was a great starting character for me to begin practicing the way I get into character and the way I try to embody them.

We understand you are currently training, and have recently performed on stage as Alf in Peter and the Starcatcher, how was this?

My first ever experience with musical theatre at my school was very unique. It was great playing Alf and performing live and genuinely hearing how people in the audience reacted in real time! I don’t talk about my singing too much so my friends were shocked that I was singing on stage and, more importantly, that I could sing well!

Where does your love of acting come from and how did you get started in the industry?

My love of acting comes from my love of comedy movies and my mom getting me into it. I have also been doing speech and debate at my parents’ academy since second grade and was doing events like storytelling where I act out every character. It was great training for acting. So, I started acting in late 2020 because my mom wanted me to try it out and one of the students at my parents’ academy was an actor. His grandma recommended some reps to me and gave us some great advice about the entertainment work permit, Coogan Accounts and other information about getting started as a youth actor. And, when I did my first ever audition for a student film, I realised that I really liked doing it. I just wanted to keep going. Eventually after booking Young Stefan in Sissy, I then booked my first movie gig, Home Team. That is what got me started in the industry.

Do you have any favourite films and TV shows to watch?

My favourite film at the moment is Liar Liar, and I have two favourite TV shows: The Boys and Impractical Jokers. I just love comedy and interesting plots!

How do you like to spend your free time?

I like to draw, write stories and play video games with my friends. I also enjoy the occasional amusement park outing with friends!

What are you hoping this year brings for you and do you have any upcoming projects that you can talk about?

I hope for success overall and I can speak of some speech and debate projects that I am working on currently, such as informative speeches and storytelling performances, as well as continuing to audition for interesting acting roles. I also look forward to continuing to develop my acting skills at my performing arts school, through my acting and speech work and building stories and artwork on my own that show my love of storytelling.

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