Atticus Shaffer: I literally fell into this business. I never came dow...

You don’t read, you don’t understand. You don’t know what it’s like to live in different worlds, to travel on great adventures through the galaxy with people you know better than you know your own family. To live and die with them. These are my friends, my best friends in the world.

Atticus Shaffer

my-best-friend adventure people

My mom thought I might be good for voiceover. She thought I had a cute voice, so maybe I could do a cartoon or something. And while we were looking into that, we also thought I should get into theater acting, so I tried it and the first audition I went on, I booked it. And it kind of just snowballed from there.

Atticus Shaffer

voice mom cute

I have the belief that we are all created to be unique. We are supposed to be different and do those things that made us who we are.

Atticus Shaffer

who-we-are different unique

I've always been homeschooled, so doing it on set is kind of the same thing. My mom makes it very interactive - we'll get a book on chocolate and learn how to make it, or she will buy antique items. I love military history, the mechanics and strategy of it.

Atticus Shaffer

mom military book

Just recently I was in Target with my mom shopping, and out of the blue, I see this father and his two daughters and he says, 'Can they get a picture with you?' And I'm thinking to myself, 'Am I the one millionth customer or something?'

Atticus Shaffer

daughter mom mother

All I know, is that I feel extremely blessed to be on TV. Its a hard job, but real life is harder. Truth be told, playgrounds can be war zones.

Atticus Shaffer

real jobs war

My mom has raised me saying, "Always be yourself." So to be able to play a character that verifies just that, is such a thrill and adventure for me.

Atticus Shaffer

being-yourself mom adventure

Theatrically, you are aware of every part of you in acting; every component of your surroundings, including the clothes you wear. Eh...in voiceover, shorts and a t-shirt and badaboom...done.

Atticus Shaffer

clothes-you-wear acting done

I get a lot of people who will either write to me or come up in public and say, "My daughter, son, family, or I, etc. look up to you."

Atticus Shaffer

daughter writing son

It is a surreal life living on a television series set, and especially when I go out in public. I have people who recognize me and will come up to me, saying how much they enjoy seeing me, asking for a picture, and I still think to myself, "Uh, why?"

Atticus Shaffer

real-life people thinking

We live in the country. I'm a redneck. No, ha-ha. I live in L.A. County, but more in the hills. Not in the fancy kind! Trust me; whatever you do you do not want to come to my neighborhood!

Atticus Shaffer

redneck want country

I love any comedic zombie movies.

Atticus Shaffer

zombie-movie comedic zombie

It's really cool going into a casting room and having them know who you are and the work that you've done.

Atticus Shaffer

casting done rooms

When I was 6 I became the poster child for my hospital and would go to banquets and make speeches. I did not get stage fright and I actually enjoyed talking to people of all ages.

Atticus Shaffer

talking children people

I feel blessed because not only my character is, but I, myself, can be a role model for people to show that is okay to be your own unique self.

Atticus Shaffer

unique blessed character

I love voice over work. To me, voice over and animation is such an art, because you focus solely on your voice. You do not focus on how to speak, combined with facial expressions, movement, etc. You as the actor need to convey all those things with only your voice.

Atticus Shaffer

voice expression art

Normalcy to me is enjoying the simple things in life.

Atticus Shaffer

normalcy things-in-life simple

It doesnt matter about money and fame and whatever. I really dont care about that. My thing is, Im happy that Im able to have kids have a hero and have someone that they can look up to.

Atticus Shaffer

dont-care hero kids

In voiceover, all you have to worry about is your voice and practicing with your voice and then being able to understand what the situation and whatnot is happening. And you have endless amounts of film to perfect the character.

Atticus Shaffer

voice perfect character

But my message to people with or without a condition is the fact that you can still do anything you set your mind to. You just have to do it in a slightly different way than other people.

Atticus Shaffer

different mind people

I literally fell into this business. I never came down one day and said, "Atticus' thought of the day...I want to be an actor!" My mom and I would always read story books out loud together and I loved doing character voices and playing with my voice.