Sterling Beaumon On Law & Order SVU
By: Daedrian McNaughton
Sterling Beaumon became widely known as a 13-year old when he pulled off the memorable role of ‘Max,’ the protagonist in. Based on the incredibly popular (book) series by R.L. Stine, Ghostly, has become one of the most popular movies ever on the Disney Channel and has sold an astonishing number of DVDs. Since then, Sterling has become a working actor and performer with various credits movie and television credits to his name, including one of primetime’s most popular drama, Law & Order: SVU on NBC.
Credit: Law & Order: SVU (NBC) and Criminal Minds (CBS), LOST, Mostly Ghostly, Gunsword, Astro Boy.
Premier Guide Media caught up with the young and talented Sterling Beaumon to dish about his role on the show.
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 totally creep, and that it’s a different than just an average kid with his fun. And I’ve never really played that – played a drunk kid before, which was really an interesting twist on the fact that 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.
What was the challenging part of playing this character?
Sterling Beaumon: A challenging part of playing this character also was one of the parts that I really enjoyed the most, was also trying to find a happy medium between being too drunk and being just right or being not drunk enough. And also there is a scene at the very end where he’s just breaking down because he figures out that his whole life has just been kind of messed because of an event that happened early in his childhood. And he just breaks down and just bawls his eyes out. And I think that scene was, it 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 really got the best performance out of me.
What has been the best part about playing the character and working on the SVU set for you?
Sterling Beaumon: One of the best parts was working in fabulous New York City. And also the cast and the crew were also welcoming into their own tight family. And when they have guest stars they have to welcome this person in. And they were very welcoming and I really enjoyed my time with them. And also Rita Wilson, who is amazing, she played my mother in this episode. She was just so awesome and so sweet and just helped me out like, and gave some tips on stuff. Like, “Oh, why don’t you try like this,” or something. And really I think it made my performance better.
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 or anything about that. And also, I fortunately have had the experience of going into amazing great 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 your best. So I was definitely trying my hardest.
Can you share a little about your role and how familiar you were with the show before joining?
Sterling Beaumon: I was never really a huge – like I never watched SVU religiously. But I had seen quite a few episodes and I did enjoy the episode that I saw. But I wouldn’t call myself a huge fan. I didn’t watch it every single week. But the ones that I did see I really did enjoy. And I definitely thought that they had a lot of really great stories and great plots. And the creepiest part about it, from what I’ve found out, is that almost every single story on there is real and has actually happened. And in terms of the scenes that I’ve done – I did on set, a few of them were inthe police station to being in a courtroom, to being on the task courtroom steps to being in a skuzzy little rundown apartment sort of thing, and then being in a high class apartment. And it’s really just a wide variety of places that we filmed at. And also a wide variety of emotions, anywhere from being completely wasted to being a smartass.
How it was 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 they were very welcoming about having a guest come in. And they were very fun and they shared some awesome stories about some of the crazy stuff that they’ve done on set. And they’re verybopen about running lines. They were very amazing, amazing actors. I was honored to work with them.
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’s always been a passion of mine. And 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.