It has been announced that Simms May will play Young Mike Madden in the upcoming biographical sports film Madden, with the film based on American football coach and commentator John Madden, played by Nicolas Cage, and it will premiere on Amazon Prime Video in November. Simms was in the cast of the film The End of Oak Street, with the sci-fi survival film directed by David Robert Mitchell and starring Christian Convery (who Simms worked with) as well as Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor and Maisy Stella, and Simms attended the world premiere in August. Previously, Simms was part of the 2024 sports comedy film The Underdoggs, which starred Snoop Dogg, and he played Norman Fisher in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.. We caught up with Simms, who told us about playing Young Mike Madden in the upcoming film Madden, filming for The End of Oak Street and being in the cast of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. and The Underdoggs.
For those who haven’t had a chance to see The End of Oak Street, what can you say about the film and your character Zachary, without spoilers, and was there anything that drew you to the film?
A personal goal of mine has always been to die in a film, and what better way to go than by being killed by a giant dinosaur? I begged writer-director David Robert Mitchell to kill me off. I thought it would be awesome to get thrown into the air and torn apart by a Spinosaurus. Unfortunately for me, they had already filmed the dinosaur scenes, so Zachary didn’t get that kind of dramatic ending. I can say though that there are some pretty awesome kills in this movie. If you haven’t seen it yet, they are definitely something to look forward to.
What was it like being on the set of a sci-fi survival film and being directed by David Robert Mitchell?
It was so cool. CGI has evolved so much, and seeing the film before all the effects were completed, compared to watching the final cut, was a night-and-day difference.
I have nothing but great things to say about David Robert Mitchell. He’s an incredible director. I pride myself on noticing the small details in films, and there are so many things in this movie that you could easily miss on a first viewing. I also found the inspiration behind the film incredibly moving and powerful.
I have a tremendous amount of respect for David and the entire production team for honouring the life of my friend Hudson Meek at the end of the film. That meant a lot to me.
What do you feel you learned from your time working on the project, and how was it meeting and filming opposite Christian Convery, Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor and Maisy Stella?
I was fortunate enough to meet all of them on set, although I didn’t have any direct scenes with Anne Hathaway or Maisy Stella. Christian is really cool, and we’ve stayed friends since filming. He’s just a little older than me, so we were able to hang out between scenes and have a lot of fun.
I have to admit, I was a little starstruck when I met Ewan McGregor because I’ve been a huge fan of his since seeing him as Obi-Wan Kenobi. He actually signed one of my childhood lightsabers, which is something I’ll always treasure. Getting to work around actors at that level was an incredible experience.
How did you find the experience attending the world premiere in California in August and reuniting with the rest of the cast?
It was amazing. There’s a very unexpected moment in the film that, to my knowledge, very few people knew was coming. Watching it with a full audience for the first time was such a great experience because the entire theatre reacted at once. Hearing that kind of genuine shock from the audience was something I’ll never forget.
It was also really cool getting to see Christian again and reconnect with everyone. When you spend so much time together making a movie and then everyone goes back to their normal lives, getting to come together again and finally celebrate the finished film is really special.
It has been announced that you will be portraying Young Mike Madden in the upcoming biographical sports film Madden, which follows the life of American football coach and commentator John Madden, played by Nicolas Cage; what was this film like to be part of?
It was truly amazing. I made several friends on set who I still talk to, and I learned so much just from being around the cast.
One of the biggest experiences for me was getting to watch Christian Bale work in real time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an actor transform the way he does. Seeing it happen right in front of you is pretty incredible. It’s almost like watching someone flip a switch and completely become another person. I’ve never considered myself a method actor, but watching his process definitely made me interested in learning more about different approaches to acting.
How did you prepare for taking on the role of Young Mike Madden, and what are you looking forward to about the film premiering on Prime Video in November?
I spent a lot of time researching the Madden family and learning as much as I could about their lives. It was actually challenging because the Madden family, outside of John Madden’s public career, has remained relatively private. I tried to take the information I could find and use it to understand Mike and the family dynamic as much as possible.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how audiences respond to the film. It’s always interesting hearing what people think about a project once it’s finally out, whether the reactions are good, bad or somewhere in between.
What do you remember most from being on the set of the 2024 sports comedy film The Underdoggs, which starred Snoop Dogg?
What a crazy, fun project that was. I’ll be honest, one of the things that initially made me want to do it was the chance to meet Snoop Dogg. I mean, who wouldn’t want to meet Snoop? The entire experience had such a fun energy, and it’s definitely one of those projects I’ll always remember.
Do you have any favourite highlights from playing Norman Fisher in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. that you can share?
That was my first role, so it holds so many great memories for me. A lot of the cast were kids around my age, and many of us are still friends today. I also got to know several of the local background actors, and we’ve stayed in touch as well.
Kelly Fremon Craig was amazing to work with. She knew exactly what her vision was, but she was also so great at working with all of us kids and letting us bring something of ourselves to the characters. Kelly and James L. Brooks appreciated my improv skills, and they actually adjusted some of the scenes to incorporate things I came up with. As a young actor on my first film, having people at that level value something I brought to the character was really special.
What did you enjoy most about being in the cast of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. and what were your scenes like to film?
Everything about filming that movie was fun, but some of my favourite memories came from shooting Norman’s party scene.
I had mentioned to Kelly that during my live auditions, my acting coach, Julia Jones, would play Katy Perry’s Firework right before I went in to get me fired up. When it came time to film my big solo moment, we were shooting in the basement of this 1970s-style house. I walked downstairs to a huge crew and all of these cameras, and Kelly had Firework blasting on the stereo for me.
It was such a small gesture, but it meant so much because it immediately brought me back to those auditions and helped get me excited for the scene. One of the design crew members even made a sticker of my character from that scene, which was really cool.
Where does your love of acting come from, and how did you originally get into it?
When I was little, my grandmother signed me up for a three-week acting camp. I loved it so much that when I came back home to Atlanta, I decided I wanted to keep taking classes.
My first real love was probably improv comedy. Even as I’ve started doing more serious roles, improv has continued to help me as an actor. Directors appreciate when you can react naturally in a scene or find those funny, awkward moments that make a character feel like a real person. For me, acting is ultimately about making whatever you’re doing feel real.
What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?
My all-time favourite TV show is Breaking Bad. I’m a huge fan of cinematography and all of those small details that you might not notice the first time you watch something. Breaking Bad does that incredibly well, especially with its visual storytelling and use of color.
Some of my all-time favourite films are Interstellar, The Sixth Sense and V for Vendetta. More recently, I thought Curry Barker’s Obsession was incredible.
How do you like to spend your time away from acting?
I attend school full-time and I’m a junior this year, so I spend a lot of time studying. Outside of school and acting, I really just enjoy hanging out with my friends and getting to be a normal teenager.
Have you been given any advice over the years as an actor that has stuck with you?
One of the biggest things I’ve learned is to do your research and really understand your character. You need to know who that person is and have an idea of who you want them to be before you step onto set. You can still have fun, experiment and make discoveries along the way, but you have to show up prepared.
What are you hoping the next few months bring for your career?
I would love to do something in comedy that really allows me to use my improv skills. Comedy was one of the things that made me fall in love with performing in the first place, and I’m a huge fan of so many great comedians. Getting the opportunity to work alongside some of the people I’ve looked up to would definitely be a dream.
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