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| (Photo courtesy of Tyler Hendrickson) |
In the second and final part of my interview with King of Queens child actor Tyler Hendrickson, we wrap up his final episodes on the show and talk about what he's up now nowadays.
Zach Catanzareti: Your second-to-last episode was “Mentalo Case”. You got to yell ‘Hotdog!’ after playing with the Mentalo. How was that one for you?
Tyler Hendrickson: That one was really cool because - I know in that scene they were going for the southern thing. They made the joke with the crick. So, my dad’s side is from Tennessee and it’s easy to throw a little southern accent. I think with the whole crick thing, I tried to give a little bit of that – put a little ‘W’ in Dawg. [Laughs] That’s why I tried to play that up a little bit.
Not make it the most authentic as flashbacks, because in that scene, [Doug] is playing up the nostalgia of Mentalo. Carrie kind of see’s through that.
That was fun to get to do and it was a little bit of a challenge with the doll. There was a button on the back that you turn the lights on and off with. That was another piece that you had to keep in mind. It’s probably tough to explain but I had to hold the button in and then let it go in order for the eyes to turn on. So, there was a little technical side that I had to keep in mind in that scene. I think it ended up looking really good - and I guess that episode is going to be on TV since it’s a Christmas episode.
That was a really fun one. My favorite thing about that episode, it has nothing to do with my part, but the final scene where it goes back and forth from the kitchen and the living room and everyone’s fighting. The blocking that it required to set that up and then actually see it come off, was incredible. It was a long process but I think everything down to the final moment where Holly sneaks out the front door with her earrings was shot perfectly and staged well.
From someone who appreciates the technical side of filming movies and TV, that was the most educational part by far.
Did you get to keep the Mentalo? Did you ever get to keep anything from the show?
I did not get to keep Mentalo, I did not get to keep Mental man, either. I actually did get an IPS hat. There was a stack of them in a wardrobe and I just asked ‘You know, you have six or seven of these, would it be OK if I had one as a souvenir?’ So, I did get an IPS hat, which I’m happy to have because I’m pretty sure they haven’t been sold. I’m guessing they’re pretty limited supply.
I got a few coffee mugs just as part of a gift basket or something. And then one of the years at the holiday party...
"I got a waffle maker with the King of Queens logos, so you could make King of Queens waffles."
That was pretty cool, you could burn in the logo and everything.
I got a few nick-knacks and keepsakes but, as far as props I used, I didn’t take anything with me. The IPS hat was the biggest thing I wanted to have. Of course, I kept my scripts and got autographs from everyone.
Your final episode was “Dog Shelter” where you actually had to dress up as Wonder Woman. Was that a tough thing to do on national TV or were you like ‘Ah, what the hell, I’ll do it’?
I really, honestly, had no hesitation. I guess it’s probably weird because kids that age – I was in eighth grade – those kids are insecure. But for me, it goes back to the whole mentality of being willing to do whatever they wanted me to do. They thought it would be funny for me to dress up as Wonder Woman? Let’s do it.
I viewed it as, I’m a guest on their show and I was very happy to be there. I didn’t have an ego on what I would or wouldn’t do. I was more than happy to do it. I think it flowed well with the episode and it was a necessary part of it. That was custom-made for me – I remember getting fitted for that. So, it wasn’t a costume they bought that was pre-made, it was designed and made just for me. That was pretty special – to have a custom wardrobe.
Like I said, I wasn’t insecure about any of that.
"It would’ve been hard for somebody to make fun of me for anything I did on television."
I was fully prepared to – as the kid who wanted to make fun of me for wearing a Wonder Woman costume, I would kindly ask what he was going to be on television. And that would’ve been the end of it.
There were some issues with some of the other kids throughout the history of the show – maybe they weren’t as responsive to some of the costumes they wanted them to wear. So, they appreciated the fact that I was willing to do whatever they wanted.
People do ask me that – if I was weird about wearing that. And I tell them ‘no, it’s there show. I’m there to do a job and whatever they want me to do.’ I thought it was funny.
So, they didn’t trick you and tell you it was an Uncle Sam costume?
[Laughs] No, I knew the whole time. That’s what I wanted to give a big smile because I wanted to sell it like I was fired up, there’s no doubts in my mind. I didn’t want to have it be like ‘Oh, I was questioning this or wasn’t sure.’ I’m here as Uncle Sam though everyone else’s can see it’s a dress.
I wanted to be completely bought-in and be as excited as I could be. And if I remember correctly, it was the same exact spot as ‘Eat a Pellet, Make a Pellet’. We went to the same part of the lot at Sony Studios and shot at the same place. If you watch those two back-to-back, you’ll see it’s the same. Not to give away too much but its been off the air long enough so nobody will be mad at me.
Looking back on all your episodes, you had such a great opportunity to be on set with many amazing actors. What advice, or moments, did you have with cast members? What sticks out to you?
The first thing I tell people when they ask me about being on set is how dedicated Jerry Stiller was to everything he did. He always had a script in his hand. He was always going over his lines, going over what he needed to do - and it showed me what a professional he was. It didn’t have to be the biggest part of the particular scene, but he was going to nail it.
"He was so focused on what he had to do and I took that to heart."
Here’s a guy who had an amazing career and had so much longevity, and it’s probably because he worked so hard and dedicated himself so much to getting it perfect. I took a lot of guidance from that.
He was incredible to me in the moments we passed. He said some kind words and thought I did a great job. That meant a lot just because of what a legend he is. That’s one of the biggest things I took away – how much time and effort he put into his role.
So, you did get to meet Jerry? You got to talk to him a couple times?
Yes, I talked to Jerry a few times. Just briefly – I knew he was so locked in and focused that I didn’t want to take up too much of his time. I was able to talk with everyone – they were all very supportive. Victor Williams, who played Deacon, his thing that he always told me was ‘Don’t forget me when you get famous.’ He would always say that to me and it’s like ‘Yeah, but, you’re already famous? What do you mean? [laughs]’
Everybody – it seemed like they went out of their way to make me feel at home and part of the cast. Even though I was only there, maybe, once a season, they always made me feel like I was part of it. Everyone was always willing to come up and say ‘hi’. It was really helpful going into all of my scenes, I felt like I was part of something.
Did you have any interest or opportunities to act again after that? Was there reason why that was the big thing for you?
I did have other auditions and things for some movies and TV shows after that. I think eventually, I just focused on school. At that point, I was in eighth grade and then I get into high school. I went to a really competitive academic school, it’s a really rigorous program for college prep over at Long Beach Polytechnic – I’m not overstating them, it really is one of the best high school programs in the country.
At that point, I made the decision to focus on school. My parents also got divorced so it made it a little more difficult for me to go and audition. They both had to work separately, the custody changed since they shared custody. That made it more difficult, and then getting me up to L.A., getting me out of school, doing all that – they had to take time off work to get me up there. It was really challenging on them.
I figured that acting is a fleeting thing, you never know if you’re going to make it or not – its incredibly competitive. I figured I should focus on my academics and getting to college, getting my degree. Then, if I wanted to pursue acting at a later date, it would always be there for me.
It was easier on the family, allowed me to focus on school.
It would’ve been great to have a career as an actor. Maybe I could have done it. I don’t know. But I think I made the more sensible decision at the time and I really enjoyed my high school years. I’m happy with how life turned out professionally for me so I don’t really have any regrets.
But I do think about it sometimes. People ask me ‘Why did you stick with it?’ But I was able to get my creativity out. I took theater in high school, so I was still able to perform – just not on nearly as big a stage [as King of Queens].
Fast-forwarding to today, any time one of your episodes come on, what goes through your head?
It’s funny. I love it, I still get some residuals any time the show comes on. I still get gas money every few months [laughs]. It’s not a ton of money but it’s something. I’m constantly reminded of the fact I was able to do this.
When the show comes on – I do really search for it necessarily. I don’t go through the week and be like ‘OK, when is it going to come on?’ if I’m scrolling through the guide and I see King of Queens come on, I'll check and see if it’s one of my episodes. Maybe I'll text someone I recently talked to about it and tell them to turn to this channel to watch one of my episodes.
It’s always fun to relive that part of my life. I’m excited that it’s still on TV. So many people enjoy the show.
It is a very popular show. I see you got fan mail from Germany a while ago. How cool was that?
Yeah, that was pretty special. I was blown away. I don’t know how they got my address [laughs] but it was pretty sweet. Nobody really writes letters anymore – that was the first thing I was taken back on. A lot of people will find you on Twitter or Facebook, and that’s the way I would do it. That’s the easier way. But to actually take the time to write the letter was special. It meant a lot.
I’ve been able to find one of my old scripts and I’m going to sign it and send it back to him. I thought that would be a little cooler than just a photo. It took some time to dig it up but I got it now. I'll make sure to send that – I don’t know how much its going to cost to ship to Germany but I guess we’ll find out [laughs].
But I appreciate the effort. I never thought I would inspire anyone in any way. That’s not what I set out to do or thought what I was doing at the time. Especially all these years later.
Speaking of inspiration, I saw that your father passed away more than 10 years ago. When it came to him during your childhood, I believe he got to see all your episodes, what do those memories mean to you?
It was one of the best times where I was able to make my dad proud. He was the most proud of me when I was acting and on TV. He made up postcards that have pictures of me on one side and details of the when the show was going to be aired on the other side. He would either hand them out to people or mail them out to family.
It was a quick way of saying ‘Hey, here’s when Tyler’s episode is going to be on. CBS, this date, this time. Be sure to tune in.’ That was cool. They would always have them with him so when we would be at a restaurant talking to our waiter, he would hand them his card. That was kind of embarrassing.
All in all, it was very special for him to see me on TV doing something that he never got to do or never thought I would do. That was a good way for us to bound. Sports was always a good way for us to bond, and then I was able to make him proud that way. This was a different way.
Both of my families are from back east, my dad is from Tennessee, my mom’s family is from Illinois. That was their way to see their nephew, this is what he looks like now, this is crazy. That was a special thing for him and he took a lot of pride in that.
I saw your profile picture on Facebook is of you and Rachel McAdams. She’s big time, so where did you get to see her?
Well, as much as Ill like to lie and say that we’re dating [laughs]. Because I’m in the Screen Actors Guild, I get invitations to movie screenings during award season. That’s really great, I vote in the SAG Awards every year. It was a screening for Spotlight last year, what a great movie that was, and she was going to be there for a Q&A.
I’ve always been a huge fan of hers so she is one of my favorites actors. I was really excited to meet her and I got lucky – she got mobbed by fans after the Q&A and as she was leaving I picked a side to where I wanted to stand. It turned out she left on the other side and I asked if she could take on photo and she was willing to do it. I almost fainted, it was overwhelming. What an opportunity to meet her and congratulate her on her success.
I’ve had the opportunity to meet some cool people through the SAG Awards. That’s another thing I’ve gotten from the show is to be able to be in the Screen Actors Guild.
I bet it makes you appreciate it even more when you get to meet people like that. I bet you look back on that little thing you did as a kid and realize how big it actually was.
And it makes you realize how big the acting world really is. That was one small part on a show that’s been off the air for maybe 10 years now. Yet, I’m still able to have these opportunities because I was young enough and have continued to stay as part of the Guild.
You realize that it’s a big, competitive industry. Sometimes I feel like I don’t belong because it was so long ago and that my career now is so different. I take it very seriously and have a lot of respect for acting and the process.
Final question, you seem to be doing things in sports. Recap what you do today and why you have a passion for what you do.
I’ve always loved sports from when I was a kid. My dad and I would go play baseball. I was playing tee-ball as soon as I could walk, playing soccer. I played almost any sport I could. That was something my brother, dad and I bonded over. I wasn’t the most athletic person, but at the same time, that’s what allowed me to play Kevin James, right? [laughs] If I was in great shape, I probably wouldn’t have been right for the part! [laughs] No disrespect to Kevin.
Sports were always fun but I knew I wouldn’t be good enough to make a career out of playing. I always wanted to be Jerry Maguire and to be involved in sports without being an athlete. I was in college and one of my buddy since preschool, his older brother, started sports website covering high school and college Long Beach sports.
I was planning to get a master’s degree in sports management. I would do highlights video, game stories. It was really a lot of fun – really rewarding work. I ended up doing that for five years – started as an intern and made my way up. Got responsibilities with editing and they started a sports page on one of the community papers.
We ended up working on the Long Beach Press Telegram.
"That was special to me since I grew up reading that paper, so now being able to write sports in there was special."
Back in October of 2015, I started over at Long Beach State in the athletic department. That was my alma mater, I got my maters in 2013 and had did broadcasting for the women’s basketball. They reached out to me and wanted me to apply for a job in media relations. I was a difficult move but I knew I needed to make more money and health insurance.
It was a great opportunity and have been doing it for 14 months. It’s been a ton of fun, I work with women’s volleyball and tennis. It’s been a learning process, a lot of skills involved but its been great. To be able to give back to my alma mater has been great.
I get to travel with the teams and that’s fun. To be the voice for the Dirtbags baseball team has been very special. That’s my career ark and how everything shook out. It’s relationships with people, who you know and then when you get your foot in the door, you work hard and you never know who’s watching.
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