Ty Simpkins has already worked with Stephen Spielberg and Tom Cruise in War of the World. Four years later he had a featured role in Revolutionary Road and worked with Sam Mendes, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. That’s two Oscar-winning directors, an Oscar winning actress and two of the biggest stars in the world. He also starred in the 2010 hit film Insidious will be featured in the sequel, and as I’m writing this he’s appearing in the worldwide smash, Iron Man 3 with Robert Downey Jr. With a resume like that he could probably call it career, axcept for the fact Ty is 1-years-old and about four decades shy of getting his AARP card.
If you’ve seen Iron Man 3, you probably remember Ty and his work with Downey. In my mind, and in the the minds of several critics, the portion of the film where Ty appears with Downey is one of the highlights of the film. It gave a superhero film with lots of spectacular scenes a truly human sensibility that it might have otherwise lacked.
“Ty Simpkins is great and I think we’ll be seeing a lot of him.” Downey explained. “[Director] Shane Black had this idea of this kind of Capra-esque departure. I think we all knew we were taking risks [with a lot of things in Iron Man 3], and we were kind of out of what would have been the familiar territory. And his idea of a superhero running into a little kid in the heartland of America, I think wound up being a wise choice and kind of a calculated risk.”
This week I was able to sit down with Simpkins and ask him what it felt like to be in a monster hit like Iron Man 3 and how it was working with both Downey and Black. Here is that conversation.
Are you overwhelmed by the success of Iron Man 3?
Ty Simpkins (TS): On a scale of one to ten probably a five on the scale of overwhelming-ness. It’s awesome I get to be in the number one movie in the world. Actually, I’m not sure, is it number one in the world?
It is the number one movie in the world. It will probably be one of the top five movies of all time in terms of box office when all is said and done.
TS: Yeah. So like you just said, makes me even more excited to be in Iron Man 3.
Have people recognized you on the streets?
TS: No, and on my baseball team doesn’t know, but one kid did figure it out. He saw the movie and figured out it was me. Then a lot of people figured out I was in the movie and they went, “Whoa!”
Are they going to throw at your head now that they know you’re big actor?
TS: No, I don’t think so. If they do I’ll duck out of the way.
I really enjoyed the part of the film you were in and Shane said it was one of his favorite parts of the film. How did you enjoy working with Robert Downey, Jr.?
TS: Working with Robert was cool. He stayed in characters the whole time, but he was really nice and he made it easy to work with him.
I heard he put in a call to you when you got the film?
TS: Yeah, I was at school and I got pulled out of my cello class. It was nice.
Did you have a bond with him immediately?
TS: Well, I had already met him at a chemistry read through with all the producers and stuff.
Did you think you were going to get the part after the read through?
TS: Well, actually. I was telling the producers, “I’m going to get this, I’m going to get this.” And they told me that was one of the reasons I got the film. Because I was so sure.
So, you pulled a Leonardo DiCaprio.
TS: Huh?
Leonardo DiCaprio got in Robert De Niro’s face during the auditions for This Boy’s Life. That’s how he ended up getting the part because all the other young actors were too deferential.
TS: Huh?
Don’t worry. It’s a famous Hollywood story. I was just comparing it to your confidence.
TS: Oh, I see. I was thinking you meant in real life and I was thinking, “That doesn’t sound like Leo.”
Well, he was a little more obnoxious back then. And he played less poker. Did you know Shane Black before you did the movie?
TS: Well, I met him at the chemistry read.
I was wondering, because you’re role brings a human quality to a film that is mostly spectacle.
TS: Yes.
I was asking because several reviewers have made mention of the portion of the film you were in as a real highlight. Several even said they wished it had been a bigger portion of the film. Did you have a idea this would be a highlight of the film while you were working?
TS: I thought it could be something special.
Did you enjoy working with Shane Black?
TS: Yes, I had fun working with him.
Did you know his back-story at all?
TS: I saw the one film he did. Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang and I saw the Lethal Weapon films.
I read your portion of the film took place in an actual town setting. Did you have to do any acting with effects that you weren’t able to see on the set?
TS: No, the only thing was once there a flash bang explosion on set and in the film it looks like a giant explosion. Those were special effects. On set it was a tiny explosion but in the movie it is much bigger.
Was that helpful as an actor to be relating to actual objects?
TS: Yeah, it’s definitely helpful. There was one thing I couldn’t see on the set. There’s a scene where the villain puts his head on my lap, and in the film his head melts and he was about to melt me but I flashed him with my little flash light. That was also special effects. I didn’t see that when I was on set.
What’s next for Ty Simpkins?
TS: I just finished Insidious: Chapter 2 and I’m also signed to do a film called Conversations With Andy. It’s about a boy who meets Andy Warhol when he’s having a tough time in his life and Andy helps him out.
Are you a Warhol fan?
TS: Well, I didn’t know much about him, but I went to the Andy Warhol museum when we were filming in Pittsburgh. Then right after that they contacted me about auditioning and then I got the job. So I got the job right after I went to the museum.
