When 14-year-old Ethan Wacker isn’t surfing, playing tennis or practicing taekwondo after classes at Punahou School, he’s jet-setting off to Los Angeles to star in not just one, but a pair of television shows on Disney-owned cable networks. The Aina Haina resident currently stars as the voice of Pipp Whipley on the animated series, “Miles From Tomorrowland,” on Disney Junior as well as Bernie Schotz on the new Disney Channel live-action series, “Bizaardvark.”
‘Bizaardvark’
New episodes air at 5:30 p.m. Sundays on Disney HD and 8:30 p.m. Sundays on Disney Channel
‘Miles From Tomorrowland’
Airs on Disney Junior (check listings for channel and time)
Wacker, who was born in Connecticut and moved to Hawaii nearly 10 years ago after living in South Korea, is the son of American Savings Bank president and CEO Richard Wacker and children’s book author Eileen Wacker. These days, he spends about five months of the year working in LA with his mom by his side before returning to Hawaii. He spoke with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser earlier this month while home to start his freshman year at Punahou.
Question: You moved to Hawaii when you were 5 years old. What do you remember about that?
Answer: It was a huge change. Actually I had a snapped tibia while I was moving, so I was in a wheelchair the whole time. And to add onto it, my dad was still working in Korea while my whole family moved here, so he had to commute a lot. So the first couple months, yeah they were rocky, but I love where I live. Hawaii is the best place anybody could ask for.
Q: How much time do you spend in Hawaii these days? What’s your favorite thing to do when you come back from working in Hollywood?
A: I love going to the beach. I love swimming. I love going to the movies. Exploring the island is really fun. I go on hikes and play tennis. I just really like being outside and hanging out with friends.
Q: What made you decide to get into taekwondo?
A: I lived in Korea for four years. And while I was in Korea I wanted to get involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities. My parents thought taekwondo would be really good for me because I would get to exercise and socialize, and it was a new skill.
Q: What’s the best part about being Pipp Whipley on “Miles From Tomorrowland”?
A: The best part about being Pipp is that he’s such a creative character. It’s really a good character for the kind of show it’s on. Usually those shows don’t have any depth. Also he’s in the water (and) I love the water.
Q: Is it more fun to do voice-over work or live acting?
A: I have a lot of fun live acting. When you’re doing voice-overs, you’re really in the booth and you’re not with anybody. But working on “Bizaardvark,” I work with one of the best casts and crews that I could ask for. I also love meeting fans, so when people see my face and come up to me in real life, it’s awesome to say hi and stuff.
Q: How close is your personality to that of Bernie’s on “Bizaardvark”?
A: It’s pretty close. He’s a really optimistic, lighthearted person. I pride myself on looking for the best in every situation, being lighthearted and funny. And trying to crack jokes at maybe not the right times is something I do, too. I’m also pretty clumsy like Bernie. Yeah, I share lots of similarities with my character.
Q: What’s the best part about being on set in Los Angeles?
A: I just love the environment over there. I’m within walking distance of a movie theater, which is fantastic. It’s so fun. And there’s a lot of new people. I’m living the best of both worlds.
Q: Do you want to keep acting when you get older?
A: I want to keep acting, but I’m definitely going to go to college. I think it’s always important to have something to fall back on, just in case the whole movie and TV thing doesn’t work out. I love Disney, but going to college is something really important to my family. So I’m probably going to take a four-year break, but I definitely want to keep acting.
