Sterling Beaumon on Law & Order SVU

Sterling Beaumon said it plainly: "There is a scene at the very end where he just breaks down and bawls his eyes out — because he figures out that his whol…" — and Premier Guide Miami was in the room when it happened.

Sterling Beaumon became widely known as a 13-year-old when he pulled off the memorable role of Max, the protagonist in Disney Channel's Mostly Ghostly — based on the popular R.L. Stine book series. Since then, Sterling has become a working actor with credits including Law & Order: SVU (NBC), Criminal Minds (CBS), LOST, Gunsword, and Astro Boy. Premier Guide Miami caught up with the young and talented Sterling Beaumon to dish about his role on SVU.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What was your reaction about the role you were playing, and why did you say yes?

STERLING BEAUMON: Well, I had been told that he was definitely going to be a total creep — and that it's different from just an average kid having fun. I've never really played a drunk kid before, which was a really interesting twist. Not only is he presumed to be a killer and a rapist, but he's also having a lot of problems with alcoholism, which is different and fun.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What was the challenging part of playing this character?

STERLING BEAUMON: A challenging part — and also one of the parts I really enjoyed the most — was trying to find a happy medium between being too drunk and being just right, or not drunk enough. And there is a scene at the very end where he just breaks down and bawls his eyes out, because he figures out that his whole life has been kind of messed because of an event that happened early in his childhood. That scene took a lot of focus and a lot of time. And thank God for the amazing director Holly Dale — she really helped me through and got the best performance out of me.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What has been the best part about playing the character and working on the SVU set?

STERLING BEAUMON: One of the best parts was working in fabulous New York City. And also the cast and crew were very welcoming — they brought me into their tight family. When they have guest stars they have to welcome that person in, and they really did. Also Rita Wilson, who is amazing, played my mother in this episode. She was just so awesome and so sweet and really helped me out — giving tips like, "Oh, why don't you try it like this." I think it genuinely made my performance better.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Was it intimidating to join such an established set like SVU?

STERLING BEAUMON: Not too intimidating. I'm actually really good about not having too many nerves. And I've fortunately had the experience of going into amazing sets with a lot of great people. So it wasn't too intimidating. But every time you go into a new set you do want to do your best, so I was definitely trying my hardest.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Can you share a little about your role and how familiar you were with the show before joining?

STERLING BEAUMON: I was never a huge SVU watcher — I never watched it religiously. But I had seen quite a few episodes and I did enjoy what I saw. The creepiest part about it, from what I found out, is that almost every single story on there is real and has actually happened. In terms of the scenes I did on set — a few were in the police station, then in a courtroom, on the courthouse steps, in a skuzzy little rundown apartment, and then in a high-class apartment. It's really just a wide variety of places we filmed at. And also a wide variety of emotions — anywhere from being completely wasted to being a smartass.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: How was it working with Chris and Mariska on set?

STERLING BEAUMON: Chris and Mariska were fabulous. They were very welcoming into their set and the crew's set, and very fun. They shared some awesome stories about some of the crazy stuff they've done on set. They were very open about running lines. They were amazing, amazing actors. I was honored to work with them.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Do you have any upcoming projects?

STERLING BEAUMON: I have a few projects that have some possibilities of going. And the one for sure right now is I'm working on a lot of music, because music has always been a passion of mine. Fortunately, because of being in film and television I've been able to pursue that and gotten some notoriety for it, which is awesome. So I have a new single coming out — hopefully it'll be out before the episode airs.

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