Casey Trotter plays Cliff in Camp Rock 3 alongside fellow leads Liamani Segura (Sage) and Malachi Barton (Fletch), and Casey attended the Los Angeles premiere earlier this year. In the Disney Channel and Disney+ new sequel in the Camp Rock franchise, Casey also works alongside original cast members- Maria Canals-Barrera as Connie, Demi Lovato as Mitchie, Joe Jonas as Shane, Nick Jonas as Nate and Kevin Jonas as Jason, who reprised their roles from the original two films, and he recorded for the soundtrack, including his solo song My Own Drum. Recently, Casey performed with his Camp Rock 3 co-stars at D23, and it has been announced that he will appear in Disney’s upcoming pilot of The Mickey Mouse Club. We spoke to Casey about playing Cliff in Camp Rock 3, what it’s like being part of the Disney Channel/Disney+ sequel in the Camp Rock franchise and being announced for the upcoming pilot of The Mickey Mouse Club for Disney.

For your first feature film, you star as Cliff in Camp Rock 3 (Disney Channel and Disney+’s new sequel in the Camp Rock franchise); what was it like finding out you’d booked the role, and how did you feel watching the completed film for the first time at the Los Angeles premiere?

I never thought in a million years that I would book something like Camp Rock 3. I have been performing as a drummer in bands for a long time, and the only film or TV acting I had done was a few lines in an episode of The Thundermans. To go from that to a lead role in Camp Rock 3 is still wild for me to digest! I found out I booked the role 10 minutes before playing a show with my band in Vancouver, so I was pretty pumped that night!

Seeing the movie for the first time was really interesting because there were parts of the movie I didn’t even know about, since I was not in those scenes. We actually started filming with the Final Jam, which is at the end, and our last day of filming was the scene with the paint fight, which is in the middle. So, it was so cool to see how it all came together.

How did you find the experience attending the Camp Rock 3 premiere and how has it been seeing the fan response to the release so far?

I have been lucky enough to attend a few movie premieres, so I knew a bit about what to expect on the red carpet, but this one felt different because I felt like my work was really appreciated. The premiere was one of the most fun events I have ever been to, and I love that when I go to these events, the whole Disney family shows up to support and we have such a fun time.

The fans are what make the movie, so being able to meet fans in person and see people who love to watch what I do is a real privilege. I always love when I run into people on the street who recognise and appreciate the movie.

Can you tell us about Camp Rock 3, and how would you describe your character Cliff?

Camp Rock 3 is a classic Disney movie with lots of great music, big dances and relationship-oriented drama, but I think this third film is actually a bit deeper this time. The movie is about the journeys of each of the main characters, and audiences are able to really get into their storylines. I love hearing that people wanted the movie to be longer so they could see more character development, and that’s amazing. I hope we get to come back for Camp Rock 4 to continue those stories!

What was Cliff like to play, and how did you prepare for taking on the role?

As soon as I got the audition, my mom called my agent and told her, “Disney doesn’t need to create this character, he’s right here”! I share a lot of similarities with Cliff, so it was more about tapping into what I had inside than acting like someone else. I relate a lot to Cliff and was able to dig deep into my past experiences to develop the Cliff you see in the movie.

Did you have any favourite scenes to film, and what was it like reading the script?

Filming my Final Jam song, My Own Drum, was so much fun, and I’m really glad I had the chance to do a little bit of drumming on that song. It was fun because we got to do so many takes of the full song, and they shot from so many angles. The room was super-hyped with the crowd they brought in to watch, and the professional dancers on stage with me were some of the greatest around. It was really like performing a live show!

What was it like meeting original cast members Maria Canals-Barrera (Connie), Demi Lovato (Mitchie) and Jonas Brothers (Connect 3) and filming with your fellow leads Liamani Segura (Sage), Malachi Barton (Fletch), Lumi Pollack (Rosie) and Hudson Stone (Desi)?

Meeting the OG cast members was such a privilege because they are the people who built the franchise. I particularly bonded with Maria. She was a true camp mom and has a real mom vibe, which was really calming on set. She helped us with advice, fun TikToks, and even helped boost our confidence as a pillar of the franchise.

The new cast are truly so great and talented, and everyone has a great sense of humour. At first, I was intimidated because I was new to acting and the rest of the cast all came in with lots of Hollywood experience, but they made me feel welcome and like an insider from the moment we met. I am certain we will be friends for life.

How was it recording the soundtrack and working on Cliff’s solo song My Own Drum, which was written by Jaheem King Toombs?

The very first thing I did on day one when I started working on Camp Rock was get driven to the studio to start recording music! We had the crazy pleasure of working at Bryan Adams’s studio in Vancouver, which is an amazing facility. I spent hours in the studio there working with Jaheem Toombs, who wrote My Own Drum, which was my Final Jam song. The experience of working with him on that song at the start of my Camp Rock journey will live in my head as one of the best experiences of my life.

What do you remember from your first and last days on set of Camp Rock 3, and what are some of your stand-out memories from filming?

The first day on set was a stop at the music studio to record some of the music, and then on to dance rehearsal for about six hours. I didn’t know I’d be dancing because I was not asked to do so in the auditions, but on day one they brought us into a rehearsal space with 40 professional dancers! There were dancers in the room who I’d been following for a long time, like Eldon and Humoza, and I couldn’t believe I was supposed to dance with them.

It was definitely intimidating, but it’s the sort of thing you need to just jump into and go for, and they were great.

The last day on set we filmed the paint fight. It was a great ending. It was a very choreographed scene, but at the end the they said to go for it. They put safety glasses on us at that point and said that we could use anything in the room, and the paint fight went on and on until we were all drenched in paint. The director then came into the room and said we had just wrapped Camp Rock 3.

Wrapping my first movie with such an epic scene is a moment that I’ll never forget.

I also really liked the campfire scene between Cliff and Rosie. The character development in that scene was really important. The bus scene, and singing Echo in the bus with the cast, is another great one.

School on set was also really special and was a place we really bonded. Although we had to do schoolwork, it was also a place to relax, goof off and be ourselves. The teachers were great at finding a balance between giving us some downtime from the stress of production while making sure we still got educated!

You have recently performed at D23 alongside your Camp Rock 3 co-stars, how was this?

My lifelong dream was to drum on a stage like the one at D23. It was a surreal experience to perform a drum solo in front of 20,000 people. In case you didn’t see it, my drum solo was actually projected on the massive screens above and around me while I played it, and I don’t know if anything I do will ever equal that!

It has been announced that you are in the cast of Disney’s upcoming pilot of The Mickey Mouse Club, what are you looking forward to for being involved with the project?

I’m so proud to be part of The Mickey Mouse Club reboot. It’s a true honour to be associated with such an iconic franchise! The kids in the new show are from all over the world and are so talented. I’m so excited to be able to show people my music, and especially my drumming, and I really can’t wait to let that shine again!

How long have you been playing the drums, and what is it like being able to incorporate drums with acting on both stage and screen?

I’ve been taking drum lessons since the age of three. My dad had drums at home, I gravitated to them and always played. Drums have opened so many doors for me, getting me into my first acting gig, which was a major theatre performance of School of Rock, where I played the role of the drummer and drummed live on stage all summer long. In fact, three of the four acting roles I’ve been cast in involved drumming.

All forms of art share similarities, and I feel with music, dance and acting they all have similarities in emotion. You have to use emotion in drumming and acting.

Where does your love of acting and performing come from, and how did you originally get into it?

I think you are either born to be a performer or you aren’t. I was definitely born to perform. I’ve always performed. I got into performing through my drumming. I started with recitals when I was probably about five, then started playing in bands and performing on stages at age seven.

What are some of your favorite films and TV shows to watch?

I just watched Road House with Jake Gyllenhaal, which I thought was really good. I’m a big Star Wars and Avengers fan and love those movies. My favourite TV show is The Office, which I’ve watched three times now!

How do you like to spend your free time?

I live in Vancouver, and we have three ski resorts within 30 minutes of my house, so I’m always skiing in the winter. I spend a lot of time listening to music, and drumming, of course.

Is there anything you enjoy most about acting, and have you been given any advice that has stuck with you?

What I like about acting generally is that I am given the opportunity to play in someone else’s shoes, and that I’m trusted to make choices that affect my character and the character’s development. It is a lot of responsibility for a 15 year old, and I feel like it is a big responsibility to be an actor.

The guidance I’ve been given about acting which I think has resonated most with me is that, as an actor, you strive to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances.

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