Iron Man 3 has been climbing its way to gain top spot in the best movies of all time. Earning $232,178,000 in just one week , Iron Man 3 is the fortieth highest-grossing film worldwide and the second highest-grossing film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
If you have seen Iron Man 3, you are familiar with actor Ty Simpkin‘s role. Ty is the little boy that teams up with Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) in the film.
We hung out with Ty at Walt Disney Studios to get the 4-1-1 on his role, working with Robert Downey, Jr., and much more! Take a peep at the Q&A below. Iron Man 3 is currently in theaters nationwide.
CelebSecrets4U: What was it like auditioning with Robert Downey Jr.?
Ty Simpkins: We auditioned in a chemistry read, and that was pretty cool, working with him.
CelebSecrets4U: Were you star struck at all?
Ty: Um, no ‘cause I was just kind of like excited to meet him. I was kind of like looking at him for a couple of seconds like kind of an awkward silence kind of thing, but then later in our conversation, after I said a couple stuff about him, he asked me, “Are you nervous at all?” and I was like “No, I’m just really excited to meet you.” And that’s one reason why I got the job. One of the other reasons was that I kept saying, “I’m gonna get this!” and I told that to them. And then, the other reason is my acting, because that’s one of the most crucial things that you need to get a job. But then working with him, he made it so easy for me, and it felt really real and was just like an easy thing for me to act.
CelebSecrets4U: So what was the reaction from your family and friends when they found out you had gotten this part?
Ty: Well, I heard about it first, then I told my mom, and then we told my sister ‘cause I was at school when it happened, and I got pulled out of class. And then I got the call and was like “Oh my god, I got the job!” And then I just kind of walked back in. Basically, I just kind of got the call and luckily it was on vibrate and I was like, “Can I go to the restroom?” And then the teacher’s like, “Okay,” so I go out and then I go into the bathroom and lock the door and was like, “Yes? Who is this?” and they were like, “It’s Robert Downey Jr.” and I was like, “Oh my god!”
CelebSecrets4U: That’s really cool! So, you’ve worked on big movie sets before, you worked on War of the Worlds, and so how was this different from working on other big movie sets before?
Ty: Well, one, the other movies were the other movies and, two, this is Iron Man 3! And, three, I was with Robert Downey Jr. I did get to meet Tom Cruise on War of the Worlds, but I had more scenes on War of the Worlds, but then they got cut. And Steven Spielberg was really nice and gave me a credit! But the difference is I had more of a bond—like, I still have a bond with actors like Patrick Wilson and stuff, I actually still get to see him, not just occasionally. When I fly out back to New York, I get to see Patrick Wilson play a softball game. I actually get to hang out with Robert, like, I got invited to his Thanksgiving and his son’s birthday party.
CelebSecrets4U: So are you a big Marvel fan? Like, if your character could show up in any of the other Marvel movies, which one would you want to be in?
Ty: I would probably want to be in Captain America or—they may make this movie or they may not—Nova, that would be pretty cool. I would be Nova, of course. Harley probably could be Nova.
CelebSecrets4U: Since we’re a teen site, if you could give actors advice for balancing school and work, what would you tell them?
Ty: Oh, that’s easy! Make sure your teacher gives you the work, ‘cause that happened to me a couple times, they forgot to give me the work, and they said, “Where’s this?” and I’m like, “I didn’t get it,” and then it’s that long talk of, “I didn’t get is, so…” and then they either give it to you or not. But then you have a set tutor, so basically you don’t miss out on school. And then, sometimes if you’re working in your hometown and you have breaks that don’t involve acting, you can go back to your school on the weekend or like spring break or something. If it’s on spring break or summer or something, you can hang out with your friends on days off and stuff. So you still get to see your friends if you’re not out of the state or city or something. But if you have Skype or FaceTime or something like that you can still see your friends if you have their Skype or FaceTime or something.
