Meet a new rising star!

Matthew W Allen, Actor, Artist and all around nice guy.


I met Matthew, aka The Immortal Badboy, back in 2002 via the internet through a fan-site to which we both belonged. Later, in 2004 he rendered his nickname true by crossing swords with Adrian Paul, Peter Wingfield and F Braun McAsh of the famed television series “The Highlander” during a workshop we had both attended in LA. Since then we have kept in touch, while I pursued my writing career and he focused his efforts on his acting career. An acting career that has recently begun to take off like a rocket. He has worked in several movies including Dark Knight with Heath Ledger, Secretariat, My Bloody Wedding, as well as television (Ghost Whisper). Most recently he worked with George Clooney in the yet to be released “Ides of March” in addition to a recent photo shoot for Macy’s department store and has won local acting awards.

I asked him to answer a few questions about himself and his rising career. Matt is funny, articulate and very talented. So without further ado I introduce you to the new hotty on the block -Matt Allen.

(And that Immortal Badboy thing? Trust me ladies, he can be very naughty, but sweet. )
  1) You started out in student films as a favor to a friend, did you ever think you would have come this far?

Absolutely not! When I first started acting it was just something I was doing to help a friend. Her boyfriend, who I knew from school, was doing a small college film. He asked me to help him out because of my hobby with swords. I collected them and knew how to use them and not get hurt. It was going to be a mythical magical type movie. I had no plans what so ever to be an actor. It’s just one of those unexpected things that happened and the rest is history.

2) What was your first BIG part and how nervous were you about it?

My first big part that I got all on my own was in the baseball film "The Final Season" with Sean Astin. I played an umpire and was used as an extra a lot of places. I had seen the casting and decided to send in my headshot and resume for it. They asked me to come out to Iowa to film it. It helped that I had the uniform from being an umpire at one point and knew what was needed as an umpire from my past baseball experience. It was the first big part I got all on my own though. Some say that wasn’t my first "big" one. Sure by then I had been to the set of Ghost Whisperer, Met Jennifer Love Hewitt, fell in love with her and while on set was thrown in as an extra on the show. But while working on GW helped kick start my career. Actually working on The Final Season movie was my first big part that I landed all by myself. Was I Nervous? Oh yes. I was extremely nervous about it. I was afraid of screwing up and getting tossed off set. On GW,where I was a set visitor, if I screwed up then it wouldn’t have looked so bad. This[Final Season]was a new situation. I was basically new to that whole side of "casting" too. Some do things different on each set but most the same. And I was taken advantage of, to a point, while on the Final Season set because they knew i was new to things. Where now some of the things that went on would not have happened the way they did. But that’s a different subject.

3)Now that you have been involved in several different projects with well-known actors are you more or less shocked when you are told you’ll be working with someone big?

I’m a lot less shocked now that I've worked with several big name stars. I've come to realize they are just normal people like everyone else and we are working on a project together. I do get excited when I know I am going to be working with someone famous but its more an excitement of what are we going to be doing together. In the beginning, yes, I was a bit star struck by each one, but now not so much. I’m more excited to be working on big projects and different stuff. I love just being on set and working. But meeting well-known actors has changed for me from being the star struck fan to being that of a co-worker. It’s what helps define you as a professional when you can get over that fact. Because every actor knows without your coworkers your projects don’t get done. Everyone plays a part in the overall work. From the stars all the way down to the extras and all the people behind the scenes.


He says he's not a pretty boy.
 I tend to disagree!


4)My site is based on historical people/events- If you could play any historical character who would it be and why?

I’ve never really thought about any specific historical character that I would love to play. Like I said I’m open to pretty much anything that comes my way. If it is a medieval type of movie or character with a sword, you know I'd be up for that. If it is a sports, action movie, Historical war or something fun. I’m always up for that too. I’ve auditioned for a couple civil war spots. I’m really pretty open to ideas and characters. I know some actors and actresses get obsessed with playing one dream role or part. But I’m not like that. I’m up for reading any type of role. If I fit the part or can bring something different to project then that is what I'd look more at. Something to challenge my skills and abilities but work out best for a project is what I’m usually interested in.

5)In a recent interview about Game of Thrones, Sean Bean had said he likes doing different roles but "they just keep putting a sword in my hand.” If you were to end up being stereotyped as a specific kind of character- rough, romantic, action figure- what would it be?

I would love to be typecast as any of those, at least there would be job security ! But I agree doing different roles is what is fun but most of all it helps you build and grow as an actor. It shows that you have a range and can do other stuff so you aren’t typecast for the same stuff over and over. We all get typecast in a way. I get a lot of auditions for that of an office worker, supervisor or geek. I do love doing things that are different from what i have done before. Just like the military stuff I did last fall for the Discovery Channel show "When Aliens Attack". It was something different. I’m open to most anything and do love to do different roles myself. I usually get looked at as just a normal guy. Not the heartthrob pretty preppy boy or surfer type guy. Which I don’t mind in some ways on that. I’m just the normal regular looking guy but I can act many ways, which is something that makes me stand out to a lot of casting directors. I’m not the starving toothpick with perfect skin/hair that is so completely overdone and used by everyone in everything for print, videos, commercials, TV and films then in reality they have no talent whatsoever and only just a look. You can usually pick the typecast people in every project. No matter what is it.. You get too many people with the same look. You might as well have them start singing like Oompa Loompas after a while of seeing it so much. But then that’s what people see all the time and think that’s how things are. Its why some people are so easy to re-cast and then some aren’t.

6) What would be you dream role? A certain person in history? A certain type of character, like Indiana Jones, superhero, etc.? or a specific show you’d like to be a regular on?

Of course my dream role would be that of Connor MacLeod in the new highlander remake. But I just don’t see that one happening and I’m not expecting it too. If it happens I’m not going to pass it up. While I will always love Highlander and credit it as helping with my hobby of collecting swords which did lead to me getting into acting. I have been trying to get away from Highlander to a point, you asked about being stereotyped earlier. I did a few Highlander fan films based off my own character. I wrote stories for my character named Matthew MacLeod. With its own storyline but highlander themed. So in a way I’ve already done that type of role. I’m open to something new whatever it is. So I’m looking for something different. A super hero role would be great. While I don’t see myself playing a world named superhero like Superman or Batman. I'd tend to be interested in one more along the lines of a superhero like Kick-Ass. Something new and different. Maybe even the superhero that I created a long while back. But I’m pretty open as far as roles go to whatever comes my way.

7) Your bio says you’re an artist/painter, any other hidden talents lurking beneath the surface?

Some say I am a man of many talents. Yes I have an artistic side. I use to draw and paint. I grew up doing it. When some were drawing stick figures I was drawing Mickey Mouse and Snoopy. It’s what I went to school for even after high school. But being creative is one thing that has helped in what I do now. I’m creative about all the stuff I do. As far as other talents... I can do a very good Donald Duck voice. Plus a few other voices. I've scared the daylights out of a few people by sneaking up and growling like a cat. But some say my biggest and best talent is that of getting into trouble. I’m usually always into something. Not usually by my choice. I think I had three guys picking fights with me at basketball the other night, but I always seem to get into something.

8)You are basically a simple guy from the mid-west who has been given the chance to do things others only dream of and things have picked up speed for your acting career recently where do you see yourself in, say, 5 years?

In 5 years. I really have no idea. I mean I can sit here and dream about where I want to be. Maybe I will be there, maybe I won’t. I’ve got to the point I know things never turn out how you think they will. I grew up thinking I was going to be a professional baseball player. Which changed after I injured myself. Things can change quickly and without reason but it usually takes you in a new direction. Hopefully, I am still working as an actor. If the next 5 years are anything like that last 5 years. It’s going to be one epic roller coaster ride. But if something changes and I’m sent in a new direction, I guess I better hang on for the ride. I’m 34 now, To some that is old. When I was young. I'd have said I wanted to be married and have kids on the way by now, which I was approaching that point a couple years ago. But things changed and took me in a new direction. So I never really plan too far ahead anymore. Some people ask me if I want to move to Hollywood and live in LA. Maybe, eventually, but right now I am a working actor and I’m enjoying what I do and where I am. What more can someone ask for. So who knows where I will be.

!!!!!!!Watch for Matt- you'll never know where he'll pop up!!!
He can be found at IMDB.com