Sterling Knight is
"StarStruck"
by Lynn Barker
 Adorable blonde, blue-eyed hottie Sterling Knight of "Sonny with a Chance" on TV and the Zac Efron film 17 Again, sings and romances pretty Danielle Campbell in the Disney movie "StarStruck" out on DVD in an extended edition packed with fun extra musical features on June 8th. You get a real bonus with all the music from the film on an included CD!
Sterling plays pop rocker/megastar Christopher Wilde who must decide if he can truly be himself if he becomes a movie star. Complicating his decision is Danielle's character Jessica, a tourist to tinseltown who simply isn't impressed with the star's hotness factor.
We are on the cell with Sterling who is in his "Sonny" dressing room between photo shoots and we've got the latest on this hunk..
AGW: Your middle name is Sandmann? That is so cool. Where does that come from?
Sterling: It's a family name. It's my dad's mom's maiden name. It's German.
AGW: Where are you calling us from?
Sterling: I'm in L.A. I just got done with a photo shoot right down the street from my studio so I'm hanging out in my dressing room (for "Sonny with a Chance")
AGW: You get to sing a ton of songs in this film. Did you get to pick them, which is your favorite and why?
Sterling: I got to record "Starstruck" which was great; definitely a learning experience. That's my favorite because that's my voice. The "Gotta Believe" song which is on the DVD Extended Edition is probably one of my favorite to shoot. It was more like a music video, like a performance rehearsal scene. That was a fun, upbeat song with a strong rock vibe so that was probably my favorite to film.
AGW: Do you prefer performing on acoustic guitar or electric? You do both in the movie.
 Sterling: I don't know. They are both so different. Acoustic is great because you get this added soul and it's convenient because you can just carry it with you and make music but electric is really fun too. It depends on my mood really but, for the most part, I'm on my acoustic guitar though.
AGW: How disgusting or fun was rolling around in that muddy pool for you and Danielle? Any stories there? [Her car sinks in a kind of quicksand pool].
Sterling: It was a heck of a situation [laughs]. All day we're prepping to do this scene and we're shooting on top of a mountain and it's probably a hundred degrees. But, because we're going to be jumping in this pool and we're going to be freezing, we wear wetsuits. If you're not in the water and wearing a wetsuit, it's like wrapping a garbage bag tightly around your body. So, I'm dying all morning and we ended up never getting into the pool. I feel disgusting, I'm covered with dirt and garbage and sweating. You just feel gross.
We broke for lunch and I'm like 'I'm taking this wetsuit off. I feel disgusting. I'm not putting it back on. It's horrible! It's a hundred degrees and I'm dying'. So, I take this off and, of course, the temperature drops up in the mountains and it goes from a hundred degrees to like seventy or sixty and now I'm freezing and the wetsuit is like twenty-five minutes away at base camp and I can't go get it. So, I went from sweating and feeling disgusting all day to just freezing, having to get in the pool without a wetsuit.
AGW: Yikes, the things actors do for their craft! When you were younger, was there anyone you were starstruck by?
Sterling: I was always more entranced by sports stars. The only posters I had on my wall were Greg Maddux and Chuck Jones. My whole family is (Atlanta) Braves fans so that was it for me. I've never really met anyone where I was really starstruck until a few years ago when I randomly ran into Sir Paul McCartney and I absolutely lost it. I didn't know how to speak or breathe. It was wild but I gained a new respect for celebrities to facilitate things when that happens. I learned a lot from the way he carried himself in that situation and he was nice enough to talk to me and my family for about ten minutes; a lifetime experience.
AGW: Wow! That's awesome. Have you had to make that career decision yet to give up one artistic endeavor in favor of another like Christopher does (music vs. movies?) What did (or would) you do?
 Sterling: I don't know. To do it all is really hard and watching Demi (Lovato) go through it, I don't know how she does it. That girl is a machine! But I've always had a strong passion for music. I don't know that much about the (film) industry so it's a frightening concept. I used to be against the idea of doing an album but now, being in a recording studio, it's really fun and I'm keeping my eyes open to a little bit more. So, I don't know. We'll see. Right now, I'm focusing on acting. It's hard enough having one job.
AGW: If you had an out of town visitor, as a date or just a friend, what sites would you show them in L.A.?
Sterling: There's a lot of fun spots in L.A. I'm a Valley kid. I absolutely despise Hollywood. I get anxiety attacks every time I go to work. The people are a little too rude and I never know what to order at restaurants. It's all these little Bistros and stuff. I like chain restaurants with parking lots. None of this parallel parking and you've got to have a degree in English Lit to read a parking sign there.
I really like taking people to Paradise Cove, a little private beach. It's great seafood. You get to eat your food sitting on the beach which is nice. It's a little expensive but, on a special occasion, it's nice to go there.
AGW: Do you think you could make a public apology to someone you feel you had wronged, like Christopher does, or could you only do it in private?
Sterling: It depends on the situation. Considering the situation that Christopher was in, he really needed to make a public, a big show of it and make it a big deal to really make up for how bad he screwed up. However, hopefully, I'll never screw up to the point where I'll need to go on national television and make an apology. Hopefully. So, I try to keep everything more private. My business with someone else is between me and that person. No one else needs to get involved.
AGW: If you could play a character in any genre of film, what would it be? Sci-Fi, comedy, heavy classical drama or???
Sterling: I want to do everything. I've always been interested in action movies. I'd love to be a superhero. I'd be an assassin. Stick me on a boat with Russell Crowe in a period piece, I'm there or a shoot em up movie with Tom Cruise, I'd be ecstatic. I want to learn as much as I can as fast as I can while I'm here.
photo
courtesy of and copyright New Line Cinema, 2010
DVD box art copyright Walt Disney Entertainment, 2010 |
