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Written by Leanne Graham
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Wednesday, 07 October 2009 |
Leo Howard is an upcoming American star who at only twelve years old has already hosted his own Disney Channel show, Leo Little’s Big Show. He has also played a role in the new G.I. Joe film: Rise of the Cobra as the Young Snake Eyes. Leo Howard is also known for his martial arts skills. He has been doing karate since he was five years old and played the Little Karate Kid in the 2005 film ‘Monk’ when he was just 8 years old. Leo now talks to Teen Scene about the inspiration behind his success, his upcoming projects and how he fills his spare time.
As the case is with many young actors, Leo knew that he wanted to pursue a career in TV from a very early age. Having karate as a main factor in his life, Leo has named Bruce Lee as one of his main inspirations. "He was just how I wanted to be as a martial artist," says Leo. His other inspiration is his coach Matt Mullins, "I also consider him a best friend; I really wouldn’t be anywhere without him. Matt is an amazing person, he is my idol." Leo considers himself to be very self-motivated, so being able to include martial arts with his acting brings his two passions together. Leo has won three world championships and holds a black belt in Shorin Ryu. He believes that his achievements show that you do not have to be an adult to excel in an adult sport. "If you work hard at what you want, you will succeed. I think that if you dream big and work super hard you can succeed at anything. As for karate, it’s a huge part of who I am."
Leo’s upcoming movies; Shorts and G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra has allowed him to work with accomplished actors such as William H. Macy, James Spader and Dennis Quaid. He admits that working with these actors is "a dream come true." Leo tells us that it was difficult not to be star struck by them but by shooting G.I. Joe, he gained the utmost respect for these actors. "Even though they are incredible famous actors they are still normal people and I think that people just tend to forget that sometimes." Leo’s two main genres that he likes to act are action and comedy. "I am an absolute goofball so the comedy comes natural and so does the action because of my martial arts experience (I do all of my own stunts)." He pitched the idea of an "actshomedy" so that he could combine the two!
Leo confesses that having such a busy lifestyle has stopped him being just a "normal kid" but he has no complaints about it. "I gave that up a long time ago because I would rather do this than be a normal kid." He still finds time to help his parents breed English and French Bulldogs though! "I love animals and I will try to do whatever I can to help animals in need because there is a lot of abused, beaten, and starved stray animals out there." Speaking of his future career, Leo is determined to act for the rest of his life but his ambition at the moment is to win an Oscar by the time he is 16! If he could speak to every one of his fans he would want them to know the real him. "I’m not a stuck up selfish celebrity type. I am a regular person that does the same thing that every other person on earth does. There’s nothing special about me, I’m just pursuing my dreams, doing my job, and loving it!"
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 07 October 2009 )
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