With tons of shows and movies of princes and princesses, have you ever dreamed about being royalty? Well, Gavin Lewis is living out all of our childhood dreams, as he plays Prince Emil in Netflix’s new (and absolutely hilarious) series Prince of Peoria!
The sitcom centers on Emil (Lewis), a 13-year-old prince from a wealthy island kingdom, travels to the U.S. to live incognito as an exchange student. There, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with Teddy (Theodore Barnes), a fastidious overachiever who is Emil’s total opposite.
Celeb Secrets had the opportunity to sit down with Lewis to get the scoop on one of our new favorite shows this year. From playing a prince to his favorite memories on set, the young actor dished all in our exclusive Q&A below.
You can stream the entire first season of Prince of Peoria on Netflix here and keep your eyes peeled in 2019 for new episodes!
Celeb Secrets: What made you want to audition for Prince of Peoria?
Gavin Lewis: “I had an opportunity to read the pilot script before I auditioned, and I loved it. I also really liked the character of Emil. He was different from a lot of the characters I’d played before. I loved his positive attitude. The audition was also with one of my favorite casting directors, so it seemed like it was meant to be.”
Celeb Secrets: Emil is a prince who has to go undercover as an exchange student in the US — tell us what it’s like playing a prince!
Gavin Lewis: “It’s awesome playing a prince. Emil has a great wardrobe that’s unique to him being royalty. I also got to work with a monkey, which is a pet that most of us non-royals don’t have. However, Emil isn’t a typical prince in that he is living incognito, so it was a lot of fun showing a more relaxed, less royal side as well.”
Celeb Secrets: Are you anything like Emil? Did you add any personal touches to the character?
Gavin Lewis: “I think Emil and I share the same positive outlook on life. And I think we are both happy, energetic people in general. But I also think that Emil is a bit more outgoing than I am. He would definitely do some things that I would not be comfortable doing in public, but it’s fun to play. The writers and directors have been great. They always let me bring my own ideas to the table.”
Celeb Secrets: Tell us about working on set with the other cast members. Do you have any favorite memories from filming?
Gavin Lewis: “The cast is great! I am so lucky to work with such talented, professional people. One of my favorite memories from filming is when they let me and Theo switch rolls during rehearsal one day. Me trying to imitate Teddy, and Theo trying imitate Emil and his accent was pretty entertaining.”
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Celeb Secrets: What’s something you want viewers to take away from watching Prince of Peoria?
Gavin Lewis: “I hope viewers walk away feeling good. I think it’s important that there are shows that focus on friendship and positivity and family values. Whether you’re watching alone, or with your entire family, I hope Prince of Peoria is a show that makes people happy.”
Celeb Secrets: Since we are Celeb Secrets, what’s a behind the scenes secret from filming the show that we wouldn’t catch while watching it?
Gavin Lewis: “Something that viewers wouldn’t know is that Theo and I were constantly playing basketball during rehearsal and between takes. The props team have a mini basketball hoop on the back of our bedroom door on set. Every day, Theo and I (along with anyone else that we could pull into our games) would play mini rounds of basketball. After the Christmas episode, Magnus the Christmas Moose brought us a full size basketball hoop. Magnus provides!”
Celeb Secrets: If you could have Emil guest star on any other Netflix show, which one would you choose?
Gavin Lewis: “I think Emil should be the next villain on Jessica Jones. Like David Tennant, only gigglier.”
