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Jackson Brundage: Little Guy, Big Star
By Angela Lee (Age 21, Australia)
He plays one of the cutest kids on television at the moment, and in real life One Tree Hill star Jackson Brundage is just as adorable off screen as he is onscreen. Portrait gets up close and personal with this Tree Hill favourite to reveal what it is about him that has his fans and co-stars in awe of this little guy.
Read the full transcript of Portrait Magazine's interview with Jackson here!
Jackson Brundage. Who can resist that face? |
Jackson Brundage was born on 21 January 2001. That makes Jackson actually several years older than his One Tree Hill character. “The hardest thing about playing Jamie, right now, is the fact that I have to wear an appliance (fake teeth) until my front top teeth finish coming in. You know Jamie is only five and I’ll be eight January 21st,” Jackson told Portrait in a exclusive interview.
Jackson has an older sister and a younger brother. His nicknames include Chubs (his mom calls him that “because when I was a baby I was pretty fat and round like a roly poly,” Jackson revealed to Portrait), Jack, Jacks, or Jack-son (that’s Antwon Tanner, who plays Skillz, nickname for Jackson.) Jackson has done voiceover work, appeared in television shows such as Las Vegas and starred in small films such as Lime Salted Love, then along came his big break on One Tree Hill, when Jackson landed the role of Nathan and Haley’s son – James ‘Jamie’ Lucas Scott.
Jackson and the cast of "One Tree Hill" |
Looking sharp on the red carpet at celebrations for OTH's 100th episode. |
Known for its drama, Jackson and Jamie’s presence on the show has provided One Tree Hill with some much needed light heartedness and comic relief at times. Although he has many cute and fun scenes, Jackson proves that he has what it takes during the serious moments and admits that they are actually his favourite scenes to act and that we may just see a bit more of them in Season Six. “All the episodes are fun to film because Jamie always has something different and challenging to do. But I will say that my favourite episodes are the ones where I get to do all Jamie’s stunts myself. Like almost drowning in the pool during Season Five, but many secret stunts coming during Season Six.” Jackson revealed to Portrait.
Jamie with his beloved pet bunny Chester. |
As well as giving the show a fresh breath of air, Jackson’s presence is also very much welcomed on the set with his One Tree Hill co-stars who adore him. His presence also for the better, as when Jackson is around the cast are not allowed to swear, if they do they have to give Jackson some money, which goes into his swear jar. Rumour has it that the biggest contributor to Jackson’s swear jar and future college funds is Paul Johansson, who plays Dan Scott.
“First of all, Jackson is extremely talented just as an actor in general, whether he’s the little kid or not. I think he’s just tremendously talented and he’s a bundle of joy, a fun little kid. He loves coming to work on a daily basis like everybody else. He has a great time out there and we have a great time with him. He’s everybody’s best friend on the set,” said former One Tree Hill co-star Robbie Jones, who played Quentin ‘Q’ Fields.
One of the boys - Jackson with OTH co-stars James Lafferty and Antwon Tanner |
“That search to find the right kid to play Nathan and Haley's son was very exhaustive, and I took it very seriously, because I felt like the bar was set very high and fans were expecting us to rise to that challenge. Jackson is just above and beyond anything I had hoped for. I knew that he was going to be really special, but he's not that sort of fake-y kid actor. He's a real kid, he's a rough and tumble kid, and he comes from a really solid family, and yet he's got a gift where he's very, very talented at what he's doing,” said One Tree Hill executive producer and creator Mark Schwahn in an interview with BuddyTV, and also revealed that the actors on the show are always requesting to do scenes with Jackson and that the writers love writing for Jamie because Jackson is such a joy to work with. "Every actor who met Jackson came to my office, knocked on the door and said, 'Can I have some scenes with Jackson?' Everybody can smell that kids a genius."
Jamie with mother Haley played by Bethany Joy Gaelotti. |
"For me, the experience of working with Jackson, who plays Jamie is just incredible. He brings just a whole different energy to the set and everybody from the crew to the cast to the directors, producers, loves when Jackson is on set," said James Lafferty, who plays Nathan.
“Working with Jackson is just wonderful. He's a really smart kid and because he's so smart, he won't just do it because you tell him to. So, you get to sit and you say, here's why... because this is the story you're telling and this is how you want to make people at home feel," said Bethany Joy Galeotti, who plays Haley.
Jackson said of costar Sophia Bush: "We enjoy having pizza and playing Wii together. She gives great hugs too!" |
"It’s wild because the camera starts rolling and sometimes the things that come out of his mouth just melt your heart. I mean he can make you smile or he can break you in a sentence," said Sophia Bush, who plays Jamie’s godmother Brooke Davis.
"He knows his lines, he knows my line, sometimes I have to hit him up for help with my lines ‘cause he knows them. He's got it down," revealed Lee Norris, who plays Mouth.
While his One Tree Hill co-stars think the world of him, Jackson also loves them and has a hard time deciding who he gets along with the best. “That’s a tough one. I enjoy working and playing with all my cast mates. But I think Sophia Bush and I are the closest. We enjoy having pizza and playing Wii together. She gives great hugs too!” Jackson revealed to Portrait.
Jackson signing a OTH Charity Basketball game - Pic exclusive to Jackson Online |
Although he may appear wise beyond his years at times, Jackson really is a kid and has the embarrassing moments on set to prove it. “I was filming a scene while lying in my parents’ bed with the camera directly above my face. I got caught on close-up by an Executive Producer picking my nose between takes,” Jackson admitted to Portrait.
And like most kids, Jackson has a love for junk food. “Pizza is my favorite food, but I never eat the crust. That part I leave to my mom and dad, besides it doesn’t have any cheese on it,” Jackson told Portrait. He also loves Snicker bars – “My favorite candy is a Snicker’s bar because my dad tricked me into trying one saying it didn’t have peanuts, before I actually liked peanuts. Now I LOVE peanuts, especially when watching a Dodger’s baseball game.” And just like every kid, Jackson loves ice cream. His favourite flavour is Ben and Jerry’s Cookies and Cream. “I’ve had to eat a lot of ice cream when filming OTH scenes, but what kid wouldn’t enjoy that! It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it!” He said to Portrait.
Jackson as James 'Jamie' Lucas Scott. |
When he’s not working on One Tree Hill, you will probably find Jackson immersed in one of his hobbies – reading, playing tennis, and watching TV (Jackson enjoys comedies – his favourite TV show is Two and a Half Men and his favourite movie is Rush Hour) or You-Tube (Jackson’s You-Tube picks are videos about beat-boxing and Fred the boy who sounds like a chipmunk). Jackson also likes collecting guitar picks. “Most recently I’ve started collecting guitar picks since I went to my first concert. I have a Sugarland, Angels & Airwaves and two Enation [the band that on-screen mom Bethany Joy Galeotti’s husband Michael, plays in] guitar picks. I hope to get many more!!!” said Jackson. You may also find him doing a bit of housework. Jackson let Portrait in on a secret and confessed that he likes to do some house cleaning. “OK I like house cleaning. Mostly feather dusting, but I don’t do laundry.”
Jamie with father Nathan. |
He may be only eight, but Jackson has been thinking ahead to the future and pondering what he’d like to do. “My current schedule on One Tree Hill is keeping me pretty busy, but I look forward to other film and television opportunities, as well as continuing on One Tree Hill,” said Jackson.
With his talent and charm, there’s no doubt that we’ll see more of Jackson in the future and that his fanbase will continue to grow. Jackson is amazed by the number of fans he already has and loves receiving fan mail. “Oh boy, I love to receive letters from the fans, I read them all,” Jackson told Portrait. You can write to this awesome young star either at The Wilmington Production Office (where One Tree Hill is filmed):
WB/One Tree Hill
1223 N. 23rd Street Annex
Wimington, NC 28405,
or through his representing agency:
Kazarian Spencer & Associates, Inc.
11969 Ventura Boulevard
3rd Floor
Studio City, CA 91604.
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