Interview with Ryan Simpkins of “Space Warriors” (and a Chance to Win A Trip to Space Camp)

Space Warriors is the story of a group of extraordinary teens recruited for Space Camp, who battle for their chance to win a seat in the next shuttle to space, and learn the importance of teamwork, dedication and friendship when they get called in to save some stranded astronauts.  It stars Thomas Horn (Extremely Loud Incredibly Close), Booboo Stewart (Twilight), Grayson Russell (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), Savannah Jayde (Big Time Rush) and Ryan Simpkins (A Single Man, Revolutionary Road).  The movie premieres on Friday, May 31st at 8/7c on the Hallmark Channel.   I am proud to present an exclusive clip.

Viewers can win a free trip to Space Camp by signing up now, and tuning into The Hallmark Channel on Friday 8/7c to find the secret keyword on screen.

I interviewed Ryan Simpkins about making the movie.

What’s the scariest part of Space Camp?

Well space camp isn’t really that scary, because everything is super safe and there are people there to help you no matter what. That being said, there was this one simulator that spun you around in a huge circle and it would slowly get faster and faster. It would come to a point where you couldn’t even lift your arms or open your mouth! The only fear I had was the fear of throwing up, and that was just because it was so hot in there.

 

What’s the most fun?

I really liked the scuba diving. It really feels like you’re just flying or floating. We played basketball with a bowling ball (I accidentally dropped it on Michael’s head, but he didn’t even feel it)! I also lifted a two ton ball above my own head down there. We were doing flips and flying around- it was amazing. I also quite liked our jumpsuits. We didn’t have pockets to put our hands in, so we just held them at our collar as if we were Bane from The Dark Night Rises. We also looked like we were in Starfleet Academy cadets from Star Trek. That was nice.

 

If you were an astronaut, which job would you want?

I would probably want to be in charge of the robots. I don’t know why, it just seems cool. I have a lot of friends who build robots in school and then go to competitions and compete, and they absolutely love it.

 

What are the most important things an astronaut has to know?

I think they really have to know how to work together as a team. There is one part of the film where the Warriors get in a huge fight and completely blow a mission. They failed and they had to pay for it. There is another part where the astronauts are making an extremely important decision and they have to draw straws. They don’t fight about who wins the game of straws, or say that it was unfair, they just work together to keep each other safe.

 

What are the most important qualities an astronaut has to have?

They have to stay humble and know how to work together, or else their egos will get in the way of getting the job done and doing it right.

 

What surprised you the most in what you learned about the space program?

I had no idea that they had moon buggy races. It wasn’t in the original script and it hadn’t been written in until about half way through the shoot, and no one ever mentioned it because they just assumed everyone knew. It’s actually a huge part of space camp training. I was lucky enough to actually go and see some of the races when I went back for the premiere. It’s pretty intense stuff.

 

What did you and the other kids do to have fun while you were making the movie?

We did lots of things. Every night after filming, we wouldd go up to the fifth floor where they served food and we would play games like Janga or Uno and watch the Olympics together. When we were done we’d head down to the pool and swim for hours; playing Marco Polo, Football, or just throwing a penny into the pool and searching for it. We all went to see The Dark Night Rises in the Imax Space Center Theater, and I forced them all to see The Avengers (it was my 7th time seeing it. I love that movie). We also went to this Safari that you could drive through and the animals would come right up to your car. On the night of the premiere we had this giant sleepover and stayed up till three in the morning watching The Hobbit, some of the behind the scenes footage, having pillow fights, and eating junk food. We also watched LOTS of Netflix. I love that cast more than anything.

 

What’s the best advice you ever got about acting?

Acting is always a challenge. A great man told me that. It’s never going to be easy, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go for it.

What makes you laugh?

Bad puns. I’ll go back and watch Avatar: The Last Airbender and Sokka will tell a joke that I thought was the dumbest thing when I was little but I’ll die from laughter watching it now. I don’t know why but bad jokes just make me cry from laughing. Also Edgar Wright movies. I will laugh the entire time while watching one of those.