Atlanta’s tween angel in ‘High School Musical 3’
Justin Martin is on the verge of stardom in new movie
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Justin Martin has made films with Sean Combs and Jamie Foxx. He’s been on Broadway. He’s shaken hands with role model Denzel Washington. But nothing has prepared the humble 14-year-old from Acworth for the kind of adulation he’s encountered recently.
OK, OK. So his fan base largely consists of his 9-year-old sister’s giggly friends, who call him up to coo about Disney’s “High School Musical 3: Senior Year.” Opening Friday and featuring Martin as a sophomore classmate of East High’s Troy, Gabriella, Ryan and Sharpay, it’s the latest installment of the Disney tween phenomenon, and its first on the big screen.
Hyosub Shin / AJC
Justin Martin, of Acworth, has a featured role in Disney’s ‘High School Musical 3: Senior Year.’
Out of the way, Zac Efron. Bye-bye, Corbin Bleu.
“My little sister thinks I’m the coolest brother,” says Martin, who left Atlanta’s prestigious Lovett School in the middle of sixth grade to play the Young Simba in Broadway’s “The Lion King.”
“I’m constantly on the phone with her little friends, talking to them, because I’m in ‘High School Musical 3.’”
Like most child actors, Martin’s career trajectory has been quick and serendipitous. One day he was a munchkin in a youth production of “The Wiz.” Now he has a string of high-profile films.
After acting in a church play at 7, Martin caught the eye of Atlanta director Kenny Leon, who put him in “The Wiz” and later cast him as Travis Younger in ABC’s “A Raisin in the Sun.”
Martin’s upcoming releases include a biopic of cello prodigy Nathaniel Ayers (“The Accompanist”) and the story of a young Hurricane Katrina victim (“Black Water Transit”).
While a tutor, a personal publicist, several movie promoters, a makeup artist, and his mother, Trina, loomed in the background, we recently sat down with the young star in a W Hotel suite.
Q: Tell us about “High School Musical 3.”
A: I play a character named Donny Dion. He’s a sophomore at the high school, and he looks up to Corbin Bleu’s character, Chad. He sort of wants to get (Chad) out of the school so he can take over. He’s a little bit of a trouble maker. …
Q: Now that the seniors are leaving, will your group take over?
A: Yeah, that’s the rumor. If that happens, I’ll be down for the ride. But I think our main focus is just “High School Musical 3.” … I think we have to see how it does first to see if we want to continue the franchise.
Q: Did you see the original Disney film and what did you think?
A: I was in New York doing “The Lion King.” I was like, ‘Wow, this is different,’ because I had never seen anything like it except for ‘Grease.’ But my little sister was in love with it, of course. Even then, I never thought it was going to transform into some huge phenomenon that kids go crazy over.
Q: What was it like to work with Efron and Vanessa Hudgens (Gabriella)?
A: It was cool. I didn’t really know what to expect when I came into the whole situation. But they were just a great group of people, really chill and normal. They welcomed us into the group with open arms. … They weren’t like crazy and stuck up. They were just really nice and just cool people.
Q: Have you ever been in a school like the one in the movie? Are you in high school now?
A: Kind of. I have been in elementary school, public middle school. … I’ve always been in public school, and Lovett. So yes, I’m in high school, but this is my first year being home-schooled. It’s not even home school. You go to the school like three days a week with other kids who are either actors or athletes. It’s here in Atlanta, in Alpharetta.
Q: Tell us about your early days in theater, when you were 7.
A: I did an Easter play at the church for no particular reason. Just did it, because all the kids in the church were doing it. I was always singing in the choir and dancing. Believe it or not, I started out tap dancing. … After school every day, my parents would pick me up and they would take me to class. I remember one day I had my tap shoes in my book bag, and they fell out, and you hear [he makes a tapping sound with his hand]. And all the kids started laughing. I stopped it after a while, because I got teased about it. At that point, acting wasn’t even on my mind.
Q: Would you like to do more stage work?
A: Yeah, definitely. I love theater. Theater is something that makes you a better actor. I think film is something that gives you more recognition. Theater, well, at least in my experience, it made me better. You have to constantly go over your lines and constantly do the choreography and constantly go over the singing and stuff so it stays on the back of your palm.
You get the live interaction with the audience, as opposed to reading someone’s review in a magazine. And if you mess up, you can’t say “Cut,” and tape over again. You’ve got to just go with it. … But I still love film because I get to meet a lot of great actors and a lot of great producers and directors and get to be a part of that whole world. So I like ‘em both.
Q: Did you know much about “Raisin in the Sun” before you did it?
A: I had seen the movie with Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee. I had read the play by Lorraine Hansberry. So, yeah, I was definitely familiar with it. When Kenny told me he’d be interested in me tagging along, just the fact of working with Kenny again, it thrilled me. No matter what the project was, I still would have worked with Kenny. But just the fact that it was “Raisin in the Sun” was a plus.
Q: Who are some of your role models?
A: As far as acting goes, Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Will Smith, Forest Whitaker, Shia LaBeouf. The list goes on. But those are just people I want to emulate.
Q: What do you do when you are not working?
A: I love playing basketball. I went to basketball camp this summer. I’m a shoe fanatic. I have tons and tons of shoes.
Q: You sound like Imelda Marcos. How many shoes do you have?
A: Um, too many to count on my hands and toes and knees. It’s a lot.
