Sadly, summer is officially over. We now have to think of all the good memories from this past season and turn our heads to Fall. But, if you need a moment of nostalgia in your life, we recommend checking out Age of Summer starring Percy Hynes White. This is the perfect coming of age movie that’ll remind you of when you could just be truly carefree but also, grow into your own person. We’ve all had those moments without realizing it. We had that chance to chat with the star to tell us about how he scored the role, life on set, and even spoke on his character Andy on FOX’s The Gifted.
Diving right into your new film, AGE OF SUMMER, how did you come upon the role and get to work alongside Bill Kiely?
I was in Newfoundland visiting my family in the summer of 2016. I was casually going out for roles. I was emailed the script for a movie called Kook. I read it twice in one day. I was really excited to go out for it. My mom helped me learn my lines and film. I decided to enter the frame on a skateboard; Bill said that it gave the scene a realistic quality, and the extra effort made it stand out from others. I’m pretty sure I did one more tape after that and I got the part. I was so ecstatic that I was soon to be working with kids my age, doing crazy fun stuff that I’d never done, in a place I’d never been. As my first summer was ending, my second summer was about to begin.
What was filming like with having a literal beach as your set? It looked pretty fun by the looks of it!
Working on the beach is a dream come true. If I was hot I would jump into the ocean, and swim right back in. We would play ultimate frisbee on breaks. The marker that was on my back nearly every day was eventually tanned into my skin so even when I washed it off you could read “Peckerwood’s friend.”
Your character went through a lot of growing up in a span of one summer. How much of your real life did you put into this role? Were you and Minnesota sort of the same or different in some ways?
Everybody has a childhood friend that they must outgrow. Woods (Jake Ryan) didn’t understand Minnesota’s new social life. This is something I have experienced. I know the feeling of leaving a friend behind because they were more fitted to an older aspect of your character. That’s one way I can relate with Minnesota.
Minnesota had one hell of a summer. What has been one of your own best summer memories?
The summer I had before Age of Summer was the most fun because I was free to roam around my hometown and meet new people and explore new places I hadn’t seen before, while still being connected to my family. I wasn’t working, just skating around, exploring abandoned buildings, getting into shenanigans.
Your character Minnesota is pretty different than the one you play on THE GIFTED. One wants to fit in the group and grow into it, while the other one wants to abandon all the rules and embrace being a part of the outcast group. When playing one or the other, what do you do to get into the character’s mindset?
With Minnesota, I tried to be myself, be open-minded, be wise and accepting. With Andy, I have to get into a much angrier headspace and play it closed-minded. The contrast between the two is definitely noticeable.
Will we be seeing more interaction with you and Polaris now that shes sort of taken you under her wing? If so or if not, who can we see you interacting with more this season to grow your powers?
Andy is much more independent this year, he is developing his powers further and further. The dynamic is totally different because he doesn’t have people bossing him around anymore and he’s with people who are all fighting for the same cause.
Andy and Polaris both come from the same place and both had to leave family behind for what they believe. Polaris mentors Andy throughout the show but there are characters that Andy gets closer to throughout the season.
CONNECT WITH PERCY HYNES WHITE: Twitter