Caffeinated Clint
A direct-to-video release that serves as a prequel to the Freddie Prinze Jr- Sarah Michelle Gellar starring “Scooby†films, “Scooby Doo : The Mystery Begins” fixes on how the Mystery Inc. gang – Fred, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy, and of course, Scooby – came to be a unit. CLINT MORRIS caught up with the new ‘Fred’, Robbie Amell.
So how did you get the role?
Through a long and strenuous audition process.
Did you base your performance on Fred more so on the TV version of Fred or the Freddie Prinze Jr version?
I watched a lot of the original series and watched the two movies, but I think I based my performance mainly on Fred from the cartoons. This is also an updated version, so I had to take that into consideration too – and bring something new to the character where possible.
Are you anything like Fred?
I am very similar to Fred. I am similar in almost every way.
And how was it working with Scooby?
Oh it was a disaster! Â Terrible. You feel like a complete crazy person when you’re talking to thin air, or a man in a suit, or a ball on the end of a stick.
And I hear they had a big stuffed dog standing in for CGI Scooby too?
We carried this big stuffed dog around all the time.
Any hijinks happen on the set? Get up to any mischief?
Considering the demographics, that should speak for itself [Laughs]
Has this part opened more doors for you?
Oh my word it has! It means a lot to have ‘starring as Fred’ on your resume rather than just ‘guest-star’ written next to it. I guess that says it all. It’s also a very nice credit to have.
Have you friends seen the film yet?
No… well, my girlfriend has seen the film. She’s very supportive. She loves it. A couple of my friends have seen it – and they’ve been telling me that something great is going to come from it. But none of my family have seen it. I’m excited for them to see it though.
Any talk of a sequel?
There’s a second script. In the first film, we save our first mystery – but by the end of the mystery we’ve destroyed a lot of stuff. The next one would be set at a Lake Resort – a Summer Camp kind-of setting – where we’re forced to work to pay off the damage we made in the first film. Kind of a classic Scooby Doo [villain] is ‘The Lake Monster’, so I don’t know, maybe we’ll be seeing him in the next one. But yes, there’s definitely talk of a sequel.
SCOOBY DOO : THE MYSTERY BEGINS is now on DVD & Blu-Ray
