Devon Werkheiser is an American actor, voice actor, singer-songwriter and musician, best known for his starring role as Ned Bigby on the Nickelodeon sitcom Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and for his role in the 2007 TV Movie Shredderman Rules, as the lead character Nolan Byrd. Werkheiser also played Peter Parkes in the fourth and final season of the ABC Family show Greek.
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» All Alternative Artist InterviewsMy short bio: 24 years old. Actor/Musician My second EP HERE AND NOW was released today. I was Ned in Ned's Declassified on Nickelodeon and have been an actor for 15 years.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0utecPdFw0bdQxk0iPvyfQ
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/here-and-now-ep/id996545269
http://iamdevonwerkharder.tumblr.com
http://www.devonwerkheiser.com
My Proof: https://twitter.com/devonwerkharder/status/608375734726479875
https://twitter.com/devonwerkharder/status/608376149031440385
The inevitable question: Did you bang Suzie Crabgrass?
Naw. No banging of the susie. I was a virgin until way after filming Ned's.
Loved the declassified show. I started 6th grade as the first seasoned aired so you could say the guide helped me in some ways. Where's the best place to get a burger in Atl?
I haven't lived in Atlanta in a long time. And I'm a vegetarian now. But I hear the Varsity is pretty greasy and good, if you're into that sort of thing. haha.
Are you gonna make a college edition?
People ask that all the time. I don't see that happening. Would be cool though.
Hey there! Do you and any of the other actors/actresses from Neds Declassified still hang out in anyway? If so what do you like to do? Does the show ever come up in conversation?
Yeah! So a lot of us are still in contact and/or hangout. Kyle who played Bully Loomer is a good friend of mine, but he stopped acting and is in grad school in New Zealand for marine biology and underwater film making. Carlie who played Missy. Rob who played Coconut Head. Daniel who played Cookie. Lindsey who played Moze. We all still see each other around Los Angeles and a good walk down memory lane is always a possibility. We grew up on that set.
Devon, would you say the series finale to Ned's is the most underrated finale of all time? (Note: This may or may not be my sneaky way of telling you it's the most underrated series finale of all time).
haha. definitely. of all time. Should have won an Emmy. I'm pissed.
Will we ever see a return of our favorite vigilante in black, The Revenger?
He lives in my heart, always....
Do you still call Coconut Head by his name on the show? I hope you do
He still has the wig. It's amazing. He prefers "Da Coco", "Mr Coco", or "Coco Loco".
Do you still have the hots for Suzy Crabgrass?
Naw. But I do love The Walking Dead.
Hey ~~Ned~~ Devon, I was/still am a HUGE fan of NDSSG. So my question is about the show. Pretty simple: what was your favorite episode? Also, I'd like to know what made you want to pursue a career in music?
Thanks for the AMA Bigby!
The final episode. The FIELD TRIP still stands out as one of my favorites. It was such a beautiful time finishing the series that we had been making for 3 years. Ned and Moze getting together. Being the wild boy. It was a great end to something that we all loved. As for music, I love writing songs. It helps me make sense of my feelings and express things I can't always say with words, and after awhile I realized it was something that I wanted to share with the world.
What piece of advice from your survival guide helped you survive school the most?
I was weird about pooping in public toilets, so saying you have a stomach ache to use the private nurses restroom was a clutch tip.
Did the weasel ever get caught?
The weasel will never be caught. Ever. And it was a ferret actually, but shhhh.
Hey, So first I wanted to say that you are by far the most influential person in my life. Just like Ben Howard is yours, you are mine. You've inspired me since 2006 when I first heard your song "Like the First Time" . SInce then I've been a fan and I wanted to have the chance to thank you. You've inspired me to pick up the guitar, to try acting, to try out being vegetarian. You took me out of a dark place when my dad passed away. So thank you for all of these years for being a friend (in a strange way). I wanted to ask you about your song "Collide" . Any chance you could perform that on a video or audio file. As well do you ever revisit your old music like 141, Standing Tall, etc? also what was the inspiration behind "These days" (I think that's my favourite song right now) . Here and Now is amazing too! Can't wait for your full Album!
I could do Collide on soundcloud and youtube sometime soon. Thank you for your years of support, my goal in life is to inspire. Thank you for being open to try things out. The only thing constant in life is change, dark times will pass, and we can always come back to the light. We can choose to be a force of good in this world.
Who's your favorite dbz character?
I used to obsess over that show! And then get pissed when the episodes would end and make me wait a week to find out if Goku ever used the Spirit Bomb. I was a fan of Super Saiyan Gohan. And Piccolo was my dude.
Thanks for doing this AMA! What is the actual most valuable tip you could give for surviving your school-age years?
Be weird and make friends with the people who like you for it.
I have always wanted to see the original pilot with the different actor playing cookie. Do you or does anyone have a copy of it?
No I don't know where that is.
Will you do a sex scene in your upcoming movie Sundown?
;)
Have you ever met Drake & Josh ?
Of course. Love those dudes. Drake has still been making great music.
Are you still friends with Moze and Cookie, sorry Lindsey and Daniel?
Yeah we all have love for each other. We don't hangout a lot. But we have a bond that can't be denied.
Was it fun working on the show?
It was ridiculous fun. I mean you've seen the show. We had a blast. Every day at lunch we'd play halo or football or tag around the set. We had dodgeball tournaments. Had fresh chocolate chip cookies everyday after lunch. It was magical.
What song do you think someone new to your music should start with?
That's a good question! I would say Pray from my first EP, I AM, and also Here and Now from my new EP of the same name. Both are available on Spotify and iTunes.
I know this is random, but how did you end up making this video with Shane Dawson. Did you guys end up making the video you talked about?
We never did. We really wanted to and both of us ended up being too busy. I'd be open to making it work.
Hi Devon! I follow you on Instagram and notice you have posted about attending Burning Man. Can you share your experiences on the playa?
SO much to say. I wrote a long post about it on my blog here... http://iamdevonwerkharder.tumblr.com/post/117327337475/what-is-burningman
How did you originally land the role for Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide?
Came to Los Angeles from Atlanta Georgia when I was twelve to audition for the producers.
I just thought I'd let you know that if you were raised in Australia your nickname would be lunchmeat due to it being a type of ham here....
Proof:
http://www.primosmallgoods.com.au/images/product_gallery_enlarge/Primo2011Devon6919.png
Also I really loved Ned's Declassified growing up, so thanks for being apart of my childhood.
wow. this is hilarious. thanks for letting me know.
What does Coconut Head smell like?
Chicken strangely enough.
Hi Devon! Big, big fan. Ned's still makes me laugh, even to this day. And I must say, I really admire you for doing your own thing with your music.
My question is: What is the best piece of advice you can share with all the other young adults out there? Navigating some aspects of early adulthood (like "finding happiness" or the definition of "success") can be quite difficult.
Thanks!
Learn to love yourself. Learn to be okay with being on your own. Read books not just to entertain yourself, but to learn about yourself. Spend time in nature. And learn what YOU like, what makes YOUR heart move, what YOU truly desire, don't worry about the crowd, don't do things because other people do them, you have a unique life to express and once you accept that figure out how you want to express it and do it!
Hi Dev! I don't know if you remember of me: I'm Pietro Montesarchio alias devforever1 from Naples, Italy. I've just listened to "Here and now" and it's simply fantastic! In particular, what was the inspiration you had to write "Dive"? I also love your old songs and your last EP "I Am": it came out in a difficult period for me...my grandfather passed away and with the help of songs as "Where has my mind gone?", I managed to pass through that moment in my life. I would like to thank you for your music and for the love you put in doing all the things that you like. As I said many times, my dream would be to meet and play music with you, maybe when I'll come to LA (one day....) or, if you want to visit Naples and all the beautiful things that we have in this splendid region of Italy, you'll always be very welcomed!
Of course I remember you Pietro! I hope to make it to Naples one day, I'll try and take you up on that offer. Dive was something that just happened on the guitar, I was in Mexico, hanging out with one of my best friends, we had camped in the jungle the night before, slept under the stars with a fire and the sound of the waves nearby, and the next night I was just strumming on the guitar and Dive happened. It contains an emotional story of what was happening in my life at the time, and what I hoped was to come. I had to dive into my experience. I had to dive into my heart. I had to dive in and have faith that everything was going to work out.
What is in the NSFW portion of the survival guide?
Wear condoms. Don't have sex with crazy. Don't feel rushed to lose your virginity.
What was the first song you ever wrote?
I actually can't remember.
Devon, I graduated from Penn State a few years ago, but I read an article that said you were involved in THON this past year. It is such a truly incredible experience. My question is: How did you get to be involved in THON? Also, Can you share some thoughts on your THON experience?
My parents met at Penn State and I have been visiting there for football games since I was a baby. A few years ago, my Dad and some alumni out in Los Angeles started a mini THON, a six hour Dance Marathon that I have hosted the past four years! http://www.lightscameracure.com
I have gone to THON the last two years and last year I even got to sing for the BJC! It is like no other event I've been to. It might be more high energy than a Beyonce concert. So full of heart and community and team playing. It is a beautiful thing to experience.
Hey Devon love your new EP... Great music as always. If you had to choose between making music and acting, which one would you choose?
I couldn't choose! They are both necessary to my life.
Thanks for doing this AMA! What are your future plans for your acting career? I
It's interesting. As an actor, I can only plan for so much. However I do plan to act for the rest of my life. I plan on always being open to learning more and getting better at it. I plan to be a part of powerful movies. And begin writing and directing films as well.
Hi Devon! What's it like working with Nickelodeon? Some Disney stars have said it's very difficult to get out of their contracts/it's really strict, so just curious how it was for Nick. Loved your show!!! Hope life is good!
It was a joy while I was on the show. Our show ended in three seasons so there was none of that wanting to get out of the contract stuff. I thought they could have promoted our show more compared to the other shows that got more attention. I also would have liked to have been used more by them, for the award shows and stuff like that. But all in all it was a great experience.
Devon,
huge fan,
Did the show actually film in a school? And what was inside the teachers lounge? Gordy also seems like the coolest janitor ever, was he a cool actor?
Thanks
We filmed on a set that looked like a school. There were no ceilings above those hallways, except the warehouse ceilings wayyy up where we filmed. I don't even think there was a real teachers lounge. haha. And Darran Norris who played Gordy was the greatest and funniest dude on set. He might have been a bigger kid than any of us on the show.
What are you doing career vise, filming movie or more music, for the rest of the year?
I am filming a movie called Fallen Angel right now. Later this year I hope one of my films that is being edited, called Sundown, will announce its release. I plan on writing a lot of new music, and start formulating plans for my next EP or full length album. Youtube videos. Blogs. And book my next acting gig. Something badass.