There is a new Disney Channel actor on our hands and his name is Kyle Matthew! When you watch the Texas native do his magic on the big screen, you will imminently feel a sense of nostalgia, as he lets off an early 2000s energy that any true Disney fanatic would recognize.
For all the Millennials out there, you may remember the classics such as Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, or even That’s So Raven. Well, it was those shows that resonated with Matthew growing up. So when he received a phone call from a casting director over at Disney who asked him to guest star in the fan-favorite television show Bunk’d – he couldn’t help but jump on the phenomenal opportunity to further his career in the entertainment industry.
While many aspiring actors were out of work due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Matthew was out on set networking with the best of the best.
“Being able to work during COVID was especially lucky because I know that it’s already hard enough to work as an actor, and being able to work during a global pandemic is even more fortunate. So I don’t take that for granted,” the rising star told Celeb Secrets. “This is such a significant stepping stone in my career. Hopefully, it will open a lot of incredible opportunities to meet and work with a lot of more incredible people.”
Way before Disney came knocking on Matthew’s door, the talented triple-threat was breaking into Hollywood at full force. Thanks to his rich education and impressive resume, Kyle became an actor, writer, and producer who was not afraid to take chances. Straight out of college, he made his way to the writing-table for the short film UNINVITED, which premiered at the Burbank International Film Festival. In fact, after drawing out the plot, character descriptions, and more within the creative circle – Matthew ended up acting in that very same production.
“My experiences in writing and producing have only made my respect for writers and producers go through the roof. It is such an incredible and difficult job, that often doesn’t get as much recognition as it deserves,” says Kyle while sharing what it was like to wear multiple hats.
With that being, Celeb Secrets was hungry to sit down (virtually) with Kyle Matthew to chat about his rise to fame as an actor and to hear what it was like to work with Disney Channel on the television show Bunk’d. Throughout the exclusive interview, the cleaver performer shares why comedy will always hold a special place in his heart and where he would like to see his career go in the future.
You can connect with Kyle by giving him a follow on Instagram at @thekylematthew.
Celeb Secrets: Who is Kyle Matthew? Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Kyle Matthew: “So, I was born and raised in Dallas Texas. I am the youngest of three and I am my parent’s self-proclaimed favorite child, and I also loved basketball growing up. I actually thought I was going to be in the NBA… I wore sweatpants to school every day and I was obsessed with the lakers. My Bar Mitzvah theme was even centered around basketball and it wasn’t until eighth grade when I won Best Actor on “Shakespeare Day” at my school. That’s when I decided that I was going to make that switch from the court to the stage and the screen. It was also the same time when I realized my chances of being over six feet were slim to none. My goals are still inner loop though…I still have very high aspirations of playing in the NBA Celebrity Star game.”
Celeb Secrets: You are a writer, actor, and producer – which creative outlet do you love more and why?
Kyle Matthew: “I would say that my first love and primary passion will always be performing. I do love writing and producing as well. It’s actually super interesting – the school I went to growing up in Dallas had a video production program that I got super involved in. I also had an incredible teacher! So my primary passion has always been acting, but that program gave me the courage to be proactive about writing stories and roles that I wanted to tell or play. That idea became further emboldened when I became a part of the sketch troop at USC – which was called the “The Suspenders.”
My experiences in writing and producing have only made my respect for writers and producers go through the roof. It is such an incredible and difficult job, that often doesn’t get as much recognition as it deserves.”
CS: You are currently guest-starring in Disney’s Bunk’d – Could you tell us about this experience and your character?
KM: “There’s still not much I can say about the show. Hopefully, I’ll be able to share those details soon. What I can say is that the entire experience was absolutely incredible. The entire team, both performers, production, casting, you name, it was so welcoming to me. It was such an invaluable time that I will always treasure for the rest of my career.
Being able to work during COVID was especially lucky because I know that it’s already hard enough to work as an actor, and being able to work during a global pandemic is even more fortunate. So I don’t take that for granted as well.”
CS: Did you find it difficult to work on set during the pandemic?
KM: “I got tested four times over seven days, I like to think at this point, I’m like a pro in terms of the nasal swab. So, it was very organized. The entire production team would wear masks and face shields the entire time. The only time when the actors weren’t wearing masks, was when we were actually filming and we had to put them back on the second it was over. I think at this point it’s a super well-oiled machine and in a lot of ways, it seemed very seamless and amazing. It was nice to have those moments where you actually were able to connect with another human face-to-face fully! Which is something that we weren’t able to do a lot of over this past year.”
CS: Did you grow up watching Disney Channel? What would your younger self think of this role?
KM: “Definitely, YES! The Suite Life of Zach & Cody, The Proud Family, Hannah Montana – because my older sister made me watch it… I didn’t enjoy it on my own, OBVIOUSLY 😉 And we are not even talking about Disney Channel original movies!
It still doesn’t seem real! I feel so lucky to be able to be pursuing my dreams, but they still feel like dreams. So, I think that it will be a very different answer once the episode airs because I think that’s when it will really hit me. This is such a significant stepping stone in my career. Hopefully, it will open a lot of incredible opportunities to meet and work with a lot of more incredible people.”
CS: What is it like to be a part of the Disney Channel community?
KM: “Super great! Like I said before, it’s a super well-run organization that has just a lot of really kind people. I think that there’s a reason why a lot of the projects resonate with so many people. It’s truly because the people that they bring together to tell these stories have a lot of fun doing it and I think it translates into the screen. I mean, the people on ‘Bunk’d’ – the actors in the show and the writers and even the directors are so funny! Whatever the stigma is for kids shows, whatever that even means… like is so wrong because the writing on that show is brilliant, In my opinion.”
CS: You landed the role as Chris in “UNINVITED” – What was it like to act in a Hollywood film right out of college?
KM: “It was a super special project for me, because as someone who is a very, very, very proud feminist, it was very cool to get, to be a part of a project that was kind of centered around flipping the stereotypes of horror movies on their head and the whole idea of the damsel in distress. I got to work with a lot of really talented women on that project, and that was super special as well. It’s inspiring and it’s fun to be able to use art to hopefully advance the narrative of equality and hopefully a kinder more inclusive way.”
CS: Rumor has it that you are currently enrolled in comedy classes, Where would you like to see your comedy career go?
KM: “So right now I’m currently taking classes at The Groundlings, which have been so much fun, also super challenging. It’s given me the opportunity to reconnect with my inner child and meet a lot of incredibly talented people. It’s also kind of in a lot of ways, given me this space where I can just laugh. I think that there’s so much value in laughter.
There’s a reason why they say, laughing adds two years of your life. I don’t know if that’s scientifically true…but even if it isn’t, I want to believe it. Comedy will always have such a special place in my heart, because I believe that the feeling and the sensation of laughing might be the best or one of the best feelings a human being can experience. So, being on the giving end of that is something that I think is super sacred.”
