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RadioFree.com: How are you this afternoon?
LUCAS: I'm doing great, how about you?
Good...Just running a little late with the traffic...
Oh, yeah...That's not something I'm familiar with back in Nebraska. Like coming here [to Los Angeles], it's crazy. Yesterday, I was with some friends and I was like, "When do you think we'll get to the movies?" And they were like, "By six." And it was four. And I was like, "There's no way it's going to take two hours!" Like back in Nebraska, that's unheard of. [laughs]
I should probably be visiting Nebraska, then...So you're still commuting between there and LA for work?
Yeah. My family still lives in Nebraska, I go back and forth. And I'm actually going to be here for three weeks, so I'm excited. My manager has like a little guest house, so I'm going to be staying there. I'm going to be doing an improv class, so it'll be fun.
Fred: The Movie debuted on Nickelodeon, and now you're going to be on their series Supah Ninjas. Did your guest appearance on iCarly a couple years back sort of kickstart all of this?
That's pretty much how my relationship with Nickelodeon started. I remember I was in the LA Times because Fred was just starting to take off, and Dan Schneider saw it (he's the creator of a bunch of Nick shows). So I met with him and he wanted me to be on iCarly. And I did that, and then they picked up the Fred movie and I guest starred in an episode of Supah Ninjas...I mean, I think it was because Nickelodeon was familiar with me. And also because the producer of the Fred movie is also the producer on Supah Ninjas. [laughs] So when we were filming the Fred movie, he was telling me about Supah Ninjas, and I was like, "That sounds awesome." And then he was like, "You should be on the show." And I was like, "Sure, let's do it!" So that's how that came about.
Based on the episode's premise of an awkward kid who develops a superhero alter ego called Kickbutt, I'm seeing a parallel to the movie Kick-Ass...
Yeah. I love that movie so much. I feel like it's kind of a spoof of that...I mean, they're both kind of like the same thing, except in the movie Kick-Ass, I feel like he was more of a legit superhero, whereas Kickbutt is more of a wannabe--he thinks he's at the level of a big superhero, but [he's not].
Does Kickbutt have a crazed little girl as a sidekick?
No, he doesn't have anything like Hit-Girl! I don't think Nickelodeon would like that. [laughs]
Supah Ninjas has traditionally named its episodes after their villains. Since this installment is actually called "Kickbutt," does that mean your character is the bad guy? Or at least starts out that way?
No, he's not a villain. The Supah Ninjas got involved with him because he runs around town and tries to defeat crime. And usually it's pretty harmless, he'll do something small. But he ends up getting himself into big trouble when he messes with these really bad guys, and he videotapes them and puts it online, and they're obviously mad and embarrassed. He also steals money from them--like he finds their money, so he keeps it like as a bribe. So then the Supah Ninjas see all this because it's this big online sensation, and they want to help him because they know he's in deep trouble.
Fans are so accustomed to hearing you do Fred's signature voice. What should they expect Kickbutt to sound like?
I don't really change my voice that much for Kickbutt, but it's still, like, goofier than me. I mean, it's kind of hard because I feel like whenever I'm performing, I'm so used to performing as Fred. So like whenever a camera turns on and I'm playing a character, somehow the Fred voice comes out. [laughs] But luckily for Kickbutt, I pushed that back. He doesn't have the Fred voice. He has a kind of goofy voice, though.
Does this role allow for any drama or action on your part, or is it mostly rooted in comedy?
There's definitely not any dramatic scenes with Kickbutt, but there's lot of fighting scenes and that sort of thing. I have never done anything like that with fight choreography, so it was a cool change of pace, for sure...Kickbutt doesn't do anything too intense. He's involved in the fight scenes, but he isn't trained and he isn't a professional fighter. He's kind of just in the middle of it all.
 
The advent of the internet and viral media has given so many people the opportunity to get their work out there in a way that just didn't exist previously. Do you think you still would have gotten into acting had it not been for the web and YouTube?
Well, I've always wanted to be an actor and do comedy...So I think even if it wasn't for YouTube, I still would have come to some city like Chicago or New York or LA and tried out--like maybe joined an improv troupe or something like that. I don't know if it would have been on such a big level, because luckily with YouTube, I've gotten a chance to gain a lot of fans, and so many people are watching it. So I've been really lucky...But without the internet, I don't know what would have happened. [laughs]
Do you remember a specific moment when you suddenly realized how popular Fred had gotten? Like maybe reaching your first million views?
Yeah. I always was sort of taken aback by the views, but at the same time, that was just a number on a computer screen--like I thought it was so cool, but it felt like it was just an alternate universe or something. But it started getting weird when I got noticed in public, and people were asking for pictures and autographs. That's when I was like, "Okay, there's people watching this!"
Are you often approached by fans back home?
Not really so much back in my hometown, because it's a really small town and, like, everyone knows each other. So everyone's known me for a long time. [Sometimes] someone's relatives will come to town and they'll want to meet me or something, but for the most part, I feel like a normal kid there.
How long do you think you'll keep the character of Fred going?
I'm not really sure how long the Fred thing will go on. I mean, I have no problem with playing Fred--I think it's a fun character and there's definitely fans out there that want to see it. But at the same time, I also want to try out new things on the side. Like I have a show in development with Nickelodeon that I'm really excited about, and I got a guest star on Supah Ninjas...So it's cool to do other things. But as far as Fred goes, we have a second movie coming out, and then I don't know if I'll make another one. I think it'd be cool to take a break, but then when I'm like 40, make a Fred comeback movie when he's like 40, and is married to Bertha or something and has kids. [laughs] I think that'd be funny.
You just mentioned Bertha...Does that mean the awesome Jennette McCurdy is back for the second Fred movie?
Oh, no...Unfortunately, she was busy with her music. She was working on that, so we actually cast Daniella Monet from Victorious as the role...They both brought different things to the character, so it was cool getting to see both of their takes on Bertha.
Is there a reference made within the movie about the switch?
We don't explain it at all or anything. [laughs] Like I was telling them, "Maybe we should have a line like, 'Why do you look different, Bertha?'" But we decided we'd just pull a fast one on the fans. [laughs]
Does Daniella rock a crazy black wig like Jennette did?
Jennette had blonde hair, and Daniella has brown hair, so we didn't have to use as much hair extensions and stuff. [But] her hair is still really crazy in the movie, like primped and different colors and all that.
Aside from the second Fred movie, what else is on the horizon? Can you talk about the show you said you have in development with Nickelodeon?
It's called Marvin, Marvin, and it's kind of like the same type of thing as Mork and Mindy--like about an alien coming to earth. That's really in the early stages, though. But I'm really excited. I hope it all works out, because I think it'll be a really cool show.
How would you describe your process for creating a character? Does it start with a voice or mannerisms, or a backstory?
As far as making new characters, yeah, I feel like sometimes I start with the voice, because that's how I did it with Fred--like I wanted to make a character with a squeaky voice. [So] I think I start with the voice. [laughs] Like if you listen to my phone voice notes, I have all these different files of different voices that I can listen to and see if I like anything that catches a spark.
Do you find that fans are open to embracing your other characters, or do they want to see you only as Fred?
I think as far as traditional media like TV and movies, they'd be totally fine with me playing another character, like as far as Marvin, Marvin goes. But as far as YouTube...I've tried to post other characters on there, but I feel like they always are comparing it to Fred. I know that's something that I'm going to have to deal with, because even people on SNL, when they make new characters, everyone's comparing it to the old ones. But I think that's definitely the hard part about making new characters on YouTube, because people see me as Fred on there, so it's hard to break out of that.
Well, best of luck with the new show, I hope it works out...
Thank you. I hope so, too!
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