26:NEXT! CASE WALKER TALKS TWINNING, HIS PRE TIKTOK TALENT + UNSERIOUSLY STARRING IN THE OTHER TWO!
EDITOR IN CHIEF: COREY GUEVARRA
PHOTOGRAPHER: DENNIS LARAY
WARDROBE: MICKEY FREEMAN AT THE ONLY AGENCY
WARDROBE ASSISTANT: KYNDAL DAY
GROOMING: EVY DREW FOR EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS
USING KOH GEN DO AND AMIKA HAIRCARE
Case Walker is an actual example of the best case scenario! Discovered via social media, he suddenly became the protagonist on a comedy fueled by industry greats jumping head first into his Hollywood experience at just 12 years old! Now at 20, he’s able to reflect on his unique journey while also navigating his own adulthood in real time. Have you seen his show “The Other Two”? It’s almost literally the FUNNIEST show streaming right now, with it’s quasi loud slapstick satire, it’s a formidable escape only accented by its wildly strong cast portraying its story to perfection! As the youngest of the crew, Case’s child-star center coming of age character ‘Chase Dreams’ is the nuclei, the base of everything else that takes place on this wild weekly half hour journey of a show!
CASE WHERE ARE YOU FROM + WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
I am originally from New Mexico but grew up part-time in both New Mexico & Colorado! New Mexico was such an incredible experience because it's like this really magical, desert land, heavily influenced by Mexican & Native American culture, so growing up there was amazing! Then when I moved to Colorado, it was this totally different, sort of greener vibe. So I got that soul of New Mexico in me because my family has been there for generations and then Colorado was a fresh start for middle and high school. Such a great city to get to grow up in!
WE CHATTED A BIT ABOUT THIS ON SET, BASICALLY UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU WERE A BIT OF AN INFLUENCER FIRST? HOW DID ACTING & THE ‘CHASE DREAMS’ CHARACTER ULTIMATELY SHOW UP ON YOUR RADAR?
So, in the first two years of my career I used social media as a vehicle to, first of all get my parents on board with the crazy idea of going to Hollywood [LOL]. Second of course, was the goal of building a bit of an audience. “The Other Two” actually came via 1 of the platforms; Musical.ly. -That's what TikTok was previously before it was bought! Sarah Schneider found me on there and sent me an email before I had an agent. At the time I was actually just starting acting and acting classes, so of course I was like ‘heck yeah’, let's definitely go to this audition! I just happened to be in town with my dad, so we drove over and made it happen!
WOW! SO, ON THE SHOW YOUR CHARACTER HAS A BIT OF A PARODY-LIKENESS TO A JUSTIN BIEBER TYPE OF CHILD STAR. WOULD YOU SAY THAT MAYBE THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY YOU PRESENTED ON MUSICAL.LY THAT ECHOED THAT A LITTLE BIT? -AND COULD THAT HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY WERE INITIALLY DRAWN TO CAST YOU?
Totally. I would say that was probably the primary reason why they initially reached out. I would also say my blissful ignorance as a 12-year-old making videos was VERY ‘ambitious’. I was very unaware what I was even doing short of the fact that I just loved it! I think that that innocence was really captured in Chase's original character as well. He just wasn’t concerned with much else besides having fun & making his music. He's was so confident, just happily putting out his single “I want to marry her at recess”, made a music video and it goes viral. We’ve seen it in real life, that's how it happens!
WOW! SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WERE ORIGINALLY A MUSIC ARTIST?
Yes exactly. I was basically about as good at singing as Chase Dreams was when I first started Musical.ly. -And honestly I just loved the crap out of it and would sing whether I was on pitch or not lol. -And somehow it worked. -And I continued to learn and grow and still continue to have fun with it all.
IT REALLY WORKED!! YOU LITERALLY SANG YOURSELF INTO A HUGE SHOW ON A HUGE NETWORK WITH HUGE CO-STARS! SO, THE ACTING TOOK SOME PARENTAL CONVINCING, BUT HOW DID THE ART FORM ITSELF SHOW UP AS AN INTEREST FOR YOU?
I think when I was younger I wanted to be an actor but didn't realize that that’s what it was [lol]. For example during Halloween I would always make up my own costumes and all day I would literally STAY in character. If anyone called me Case on Halloween, though I was just 8 years old, I'd be like, I'm not Case, I'm Jim [ha]. -And so even then keeping in character was very important to me even if couldn’t definite it in that way at the time! Like I would draw on a beard and a hat and be like “this is my costume. Don't talk to me unless you address me as Jim”!! -So I think the method actor was always in there somewhere. Though I started out sort of only interested in a [Justin Bieber-esque] musical path writing songs & such, in hindsight I was likely meant to be an actor all along. It’s Hilarios how it’s happened with both of those worlds sort of colliding and now acting [as a singer] has become the main driver of my career and the main thing I’ve focused on for the last 8 years!
COVER LOOK: JEWELRY: DAVID YURMAN, FULL LOOK: THE KOOPLES, BOOTS: ALEXANDER HURLEY
WERE YOU AWARE AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE THAT YOU WERE WORKING WITH SUCH LEGENDARY TALENT? (IE:WANDA SYKES, MOLLY SHANNON ETC.,)
WAS IT AN ‘AHA’ MOMENT FOR YOU?
I'd say it was pretty gradual. I think what stuck out to me, what I recognized was how good all these people were at their work and how good the writing was. And I remembered thinking that this COULDN’T be a coincidence lol. Of course now I know that it came from years and years of work from each of their careers. Now I can say that Molly was always one that I was pretty aware of, but again it REALLY didn’t hit me until a little later. I remember one time we were filming in Times Square and people just kept noticing her, kept you know, sort of being star struck by her! They’d yell out “Superstar” & other SNL catch phrases which of course were before my time. But now here I am, getting to work with her in a totally different era, getting to be a part of her incredible legacy somehow & it's literally so amazing!
WHAT’S IT BEEN LIKE FOR YOU QUITE ACTUALLY GROWING UP ON CAMERA ON THIS SHOW?
Honestly, it could have been bad, just like so many stories you hear about kids growing up in the industry. But because I've had such amazing parents and such amazing co-workers, Drew, Heléne, Molly, Ken, they've all been brothers, sisters and TV parents. They've all just really helped me out and kept me grounded in the coolest way. -And It could’ve gone the total opposite right? In fact that alt child star experience is so usual that we’ve always played on it with Chase over the years. In my real life, add in a bit of social media notoriety & I think it could have gone really south if I didn't have such amazing people in my life!
IT'S VERY COOL THAT YOU'VE GOTTEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO DOCUMENT YOUR ADOLESCENCE INTO ADULTHOOD THIS WAY. WHEN YOU'RE IN YOUR 50S AND 60S, YOU’LL BE ABLE TO REVISIT THESE MOMENTS OF YOURSELF ON THE SHOW AND HOPEFULLY REMEMBER WHO YOU WERE THEN.
I'm really excited to hopefully work with young actors once I'm a little older as well! I want to remember how Ken & Molly treated me & how Drew & Heléne treated me & hopefully be able to mentor some younger actors the same way one day. -I’m really looking forward to that!
WE’RE ABOUT A MONTH AWAY UNTIL THIS SEASON WRAPS ON JUNE 22ND. CHASE IS NOW 18 & ALL THE KNIVES ARE OUT. WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT FROM HIM FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON?
Literally everything!! [LOL]. Expect any and everything from Chase's storyline! The first episode was great. It was an introduction back to Chase, but starting around episodes 5-10 is when you’ll see a lot more of him which was really exciting for me as an actor and I guess in many ways, for Chase in his storyline as the character as well. So just get ready! It's quite the ride! There are some truly crazy looks that go down & some even crazier acting! We go hard. Chris & Sarah don't stop I’ll tell you that. Our writers are the best, they don't stop! Brace yourselves LOL!
FULL LOOK: GOLDEN GOOSE, JEWELRY: DAVID YURMAN
DO YOU WANT TO CONTINUE IN ACTING & IF SO WHAT’S AN EXAMPLE OF YOUR DREAM ROLE OR GENRE?
Totally. I'd love to continue acting! I'd say a good example of a dream project would be to play a role like Austin Butler did as Elvis. I feel like that's SUCH a great character role. He still is kind of playing himself, but he's also playing within a completely different person, as Elvis! It's very, very character based. It's dramatic at times, it's loud, it's musical. So, that's a very good example of the type of project that I would love to work on! Even as a dream genre for me, something from an era with an iconic character would be amazing. I don't think people would expect that from what they've seen me do so far. But really exploring completely different experiences as an actor and standing in another person's shoes in totality, whether it’s a drama or a biopic like Elvis, that's the goal some day!
WE CAN TOTALLY SEE THAT FOR YOU, ESPECIALLY FROM SOME OF OUR COVER SHOOT LOOKS! :)
WHEN YOU’RE NOT IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA CASE, WHAT SURPRISING THINGS WOULD FANS FIND YOU DOING?
If they haven't looked at my Instagram, I do climb rocks all day lol. I boulder quite a bit! I love cooking. I'm very adamant about what I'm fueling my body with so I'm always cooking in my little house. I also have a cat named Gus & I guess he’s made me a cat person by default lol. Hmmm what else…. Oh I also have a twin brother!!
WAIT WHAT?! ARE YOU GUYS IDENTICAL?
Ha no, we’re fraternal!
IS HE IN ENTERTAINMENT AS WELL, OR DID HE GO IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION?
LOL -He is not. He's in college for business & works at a church part-time! No interest in Hollywood at all. Truth be told, he could probably do it better than me, but it's just not his cup of tea! -& actually, a fun fact is that I & my 2 brothers currently live together which is pretty awesome to me. My big brother is getting married soon, so we all get to be in the same house for this last year of our lives before we all separate, so, that's really exciting. Oh last one, I'm also a pretty solid Kendama player. It’s a Japanese skill toy, similar to yo-yoing (or the cup & ball game) & I’ve been doing for like 8 years! I probably have a collection of about 60 to 100 of them!
SUIT: VICTORIA HAYES, SNEAKERS: GOLDEN GOOSE, JEWELRY: DAVID YURMAN
WOW! CASE CAN YOU TELL US WHAT AN IDEA OF YOUR IDEAL LIFE BY AGE 26 COULD BE FOR YOU?
Hmm…..I hope I continue to learn and change and grow. I'd love to have worked on a few big films by then. I'd love to have worked with directors and have told more incredible stories within my career. I’d love to continue bouldering and hopefully be climbing a lot harder by then. -And who knows? Maybe have a house somewhere other than Colorado, maybe somewhere in LA or New York and just be settled out there somewhere. I hope that I’m humble and am just focused on the right things you know? That's the goal, that the career doesn't take your soul. -That's the ideal I’d want, to stay grounded, have great friends and still be having the best life experience!
SO MANY PEOPLE ARE STILL MEETING YOU & PROBABLY STILL INTERTWINE CASE WITH CHASE… SO IN YOUR OWN WORDS… FOR THE RECORD, WHO IS CASE WALKER?
Who's Case Walker? ….Case is a 20-year-old who gets to work the coolest job in the world by the grace of God. He gets to work with amazing people and man, he's still learning!He's young and he's probably going to make some mistakes. But hopefully, he sticks to the right stuff. He really loves acting work, loves telling people's stories, loves working with other people & experiencing new things life has to offer! I like to have fun. My friends in Colorado would probably tell you that I'm the craziest person they know because I'm all over the place. But it comes from a good place, I honestly never stop entertaining!
FINALLY CASE, OUR STAPLE QUESTION, WE’VE HEARD THE MOST AMAZING ANSWERS TO THIS ONE OVER THE YEARS, PLEASE TELL US WHAT’S YOUR DEFINITION OF LUXURY?
Luxury to me is confidence, that specific kind of confidence you feel when things all line up in that perfect moment. It’s like walking into a room and unexpectedly seeing a great friend! Or when you’ve worked hard at something and you get to later celebrate your work. Those are the moments that feel luxurious me. To go even further, in those moments luxury is when you're just “on”! When you’re walking into the room and you’re feeling good, you’ve got your favorite shirt on, your favorite necklace is showing, you’re wearing your favorite fragrance and you walk into that room without any doubts and you own it! Luxury is how GOOD it feels to be in those moments!
