Movies have been designed to tap into the kid within since the first reel was created. For a select period of time, audiences are able to get lost in their memories of youth, where rebellion, innocence and curiosity dominated much of the senses.
Which is where Relativity Media’s new action/adventure Earth to Echo comes in. The kid-meets-alien theme was cut from the same cloth as classics such E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Mac and Me with a modern twist. Kids these days are born with technological awareness in their DNA and the film pits three boys (and one girl) in a problem-solving arena where tools like GPS and YouTube prove extremely useful.
One of those kids just so happened to be Brian “Astro” Bradley, known to most as Astronomical Kid from The X-Factor. Hip-Hop Wired was proud to catch up with the 17-year-old prodigy as he relishes in his first movie role.
Cold feet, jitters, etc. are more than expected when venturing into the unknown but Astro tells us that he was able to channel any sense of nervousness he had into enthusiasm that helped propel his performance. “It was more like excitement,” Astro says when recalling his initial gut feeling on set. “Seeing how the movie thing works and being able to shoot in Valencia, Calif. for two months was pretty fun.”
Astro stars as Tuck Simms, a middle-class junior high student who leads his friends Alex and Munch through a journey to get a stranded alien they nickname “Echo” back to his home planet. Throughout the film, his character appears to take charge with audacity in many occasions but Astro defended his character’s demeanor as well as shoots down the notion that he’s the token Black guy.
Photo: Patrick Wymore
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“[Tuck] isn’t cocky; he’s more like ambitious,” Astro explains. “I didn’t necessarily get a description on what they were looking for. I just auditioned for the part and knew they needed a character to been young and tech savvy. I’d say I was pretty close to that. It was everybody’s first time movie–even the director Dave Green. It was his first time directing a major film. And what made it really fun was we were all learners. Everybody got to experience the movie set for the first time and all my cast members were easy to work with.”
Being a kid from a well-off family in Southern Calif. doesn’t mean that life at home is similar to The Cleavers (word to The Dunphy’s). Tuck’s ability to leave the house during any hour of his choosing exhibits neglect even when money is necessarily an issue. Astro analyzed this by chalking it up as the current American way saying, “I don’t think he was misunderstood by his family–they just ignored him.” Everybody goes through those moments when your mom doesn’t feel like talking all the time.”
Earth to Echo sports a PG-rating and while this is clutch for grade school students looking for some entertainment this summer, it might steer older audiences away in favor of something a little more edgy. Hip-Hop Wired screened the film and can confirm that it is a family movie for people who live in reality. Kids are mischievous and get themselves in trouble even with the best of attentions. Astro co-signs the claims stating, “It’s a 2014 spin on if you actually found an alien today. I think that’s basically what the producer wanted to portray in the film and that’s what happened. But it’s not geared towards any particular age group. It’s for everybody.”
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Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages
When asked what he felt fans would take away from the film, his response was as just as intelligent as the metaphors in his raps. “I think they will get a strong sense of friendship and I hope they see that sticking together and working with your loved ones and best friends will allow you to achieve more. Being united will help you to conquer,” he confidently stated.
The acting bug has afflicted some of the game’s most talented rappers such as André 3000 and Ice Cube and steered them in a direction away from the area that garnered their initial fame. The music. Astro says he enjoys acting like the next man but didn’t even consider to record so much of a song for the Echo’s soundtrack.
“The rapping and the acting are separate,” he maintains. “I’m not trying to combine the two. The acting is the job, the rapping is just something I do. The film’s I have done have been fun and I’m not going to stop. But I am going to take a break after this TV show I’m working on and then focus more on the music.”
Earth to Echo hits theaters tomorrow, July 2. Get the jump on the box-office crowd and purchase your tickets on Fandago.
Continue on through the gallery to see stills from the film’s many premieres and Echo leaving a half a million square feet imprint in the desert.
Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages
Photo: Thaddaeus McAdams/ExclusiveAccess.Net
Photo: Thaddaeus McAdams/ExclusiveAccess.Net
