FRESH FACE: 'Hannah Montana' Star Lucas Till
By Emily Christianson, Hollywood.com Staff
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Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Fresh Face: Lucas Till 
His Current Gig: Miley Stewart’s boy toy in Hannah Montana: The Movie. “Travis is a simple Southern cowboy,” he tells us. “He works at Miley’s grandma’s farm. He’s an old childhood friend of Miley’s, and when she comes back he’s one of the characters who helps her get an idea of who she was before Hannah Montana was even an idea in her head.”
You Know This Face … because Till made a lasting impression as Johnny Cash’s big brother Jack in Walk the Line (his most memorable scenes being the horrible table-saw accident and Jack’s death). In addition, Till has spent the past several years balancing public school in Atlanta with projects like Dance with the Dead, Lightning Bug and Not Like Everyone Else. “I’ve been the bully; I’ve bullied. I’ve been in some respects the jock and the geek. I’ve experienced all kinds of things,” he says of opting to stay in school rather than home school like many child actors. “Also, school gives you that break from acting … I was able to work, go back to school and be a normal guy, and it affected my work in a positive way.”
Why So Fresh? He’s the new teen heartthrob thanks to Miley Cyrus, just don’t call him that to his face. “It kind of irks me when people say that because it is the last thing I would call myself,” says the 18-year-old who just happens to be single. Till might even reprise the role of Travis for the television show. “If the fans respond well to Travis in the movie I don’t see why they wouldn’t on the TV show … Travis, is like Antaeus from Greek mythology. If he’s not planted on mother Earth, he’s not going to be able to be strong so I don’t think he would be able to survive in the big city at all. He would have to go home.”
What’s Next? The Texas native just finished shooting his next feature film, The Spy Next Door opposite Jackie Chan. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with the rest of my life now,” joked the Chan mega-fan. Till kept the plot hush-hush, but did let it slip that he’s playing a Russian spy. He also makes a cameo in his friend’s horror movie Laid to Rest, where he plays a "Young Store Clerk" who ends up losing his head!
The Last Word ... “There are a lot of similarities between me and Travis, which really attracted me to this role. Like a lot of southern guys, he’s reserved -- and I’m from the South, and I’m a reserved guy. I don’t really like to show my emotions too much, and Travis kind of holds his feelings back. He loves riding horses, and I found out I really love riding horses. So Travis and I, we have a lot in common.”
LAST WEEK'S FRESH FACE: Harper's Island's Elaine Cassidy