"Awkward" Guys: Beau and Brett

On MTV's hit high school series "Awkward", Beau Mirchoff plays Matty McKibben, jock, high school “king” and the apple of sweet and confused Jenna’s eye. They hook up then, at school, he pretends he barely knows her. So not sweet.  Brett Davern is Jake Rosati, class president, sensitive guy, kind to Jenna, the boy you wanna bring home to meet mama…but does he have a darker side?

We are in Beverly Hills at the TV Critics’ Assn. meetings out by the pool chowing on sushi and finding a quiet corner to chat with these two, cute young actors. We’re getting personal info and show tidbits from feisty Beau and Brett, both from the Pacific Northwest but very different dudes. First, we encounter Beau.

TeenTV: Okay, let’s get personal right off the bat. What must a girl never do on a date or you’ll never take her out again?

Beau: Someone who is over-demanding. Say we’re at dinner and she’s rude to the server or is a diva. It’s not the server’s fault if your steak’s not cooked right. It’s ignorant in a way. Or if she’s texting during a date. That’s not great.

TeenTV: And here comes Brett. Are you two going to be real friends on the show or be rivals?

Brett: Their relationship comes out. We lead a few pep rallies. It gets complicated and “Awkward”.

Beau: Our friendship grows and you’ll see more into our lives together.

Brett: It’s definitely tested. I think, in our backstory and how we approached it as actors, they’ve been friends since kindergarten.

Beau: They see each other. I think they hang out more after school than in school.

Brett: You know those people you’ve known forever. You don’t need to hang out every day to still have that close relationship.

Beau: As soon as things heat up at the end of the season, they’re friendship is definitely tested.

Brett: He’s the Robin to my Batman.

Beau: No, no no!  He’s Mary Jane to my Spider-Man.

Brett: Now we’re going one step farther. He’s the Will Scarlett to my Robin Hood.

TeenTV: You guys are so funny. Beau, you and the Jenna character have already gotten passionate but things can’t run smooth with them. Is Matty going to be more of a jerk?

Beau:  We may have that passionate kiss on the second episode, but Matty always does find a way to screw things up.  So I'm sure it won't be perfect the whole season.

TeenTV: When you read that Matty comes to Jenna’s house and kisses her near the end of the second episode were you surprised?

Beau: Yeah.  I was actually a little surprised.  I was excited about it, and I knew (the relationship) would be the rise and fall.   

Brett: Leaving Jake there to pick up the pieces as usual.

TeenTV: Jake seems to be a really good guy so far, being sympathetic to Jenna but will be see more of his dark side?

Brett:  Yeah.  Jake, so far, is definitely the golden boy, but in upcoming episodes with the arc of his character, there's definitely some bumps in the road for him.  And that was great to get to play. I think Lauren did a great job of writing, like she said, these characters with just so many levels. Yes, it gets dark.

Beau:  I think Matty is like a lot of boys in high school.  That's what he kind of is, still.  He's still developing.  He's still very young.  He doesn't know how to handle relationships.  And then I meet Jenna, and she's new, and she's interesting, and she's different.  And I just don't know how to convey that to her. 

TeenTV: Did you guys go to regular high schools or were you home-schooled or what?

Brett: I’m public high school up in the Seattle area. Coming into high school I thought I was going to play sports but, being five foot tall and 100 pounds, football wasn’t gonna work out so I found theater, started doing musical theater and have a strong theater background. I had a lot of jock friends who would then come to see me in the plays and were like “you know this is pretty cool”. They were supportive. I think shows like “Glee” show different cliques getting along. I think that’s good to see. I was also able to go to theater camp in the summers and get more bitten by the acting bug.

Beau: I was always into sports. I always played sports year-round; football, basketball, Lacrosse. I was a jock in high school in Victoria, British Columbia.

Brett: Always second string though!

TeenTV: You guys luv to tease each other. We can see that. Beau, your high school experience?

Beau: First time I went to acting class and did theater, I was like 8 years old and I loved it. I stopped doing it and sports took over. Then I fell back into it when I was 12 or 13.  I took acting class outside of school.

TeenTV: I’ll bet your jock friends would laugh about you taking acting classes.

Beau: Uhhhh, okay, yeah. A little bit.

Brett: But where are they now?

Beau: Looking back now, of course you can do both but then, in school, you don’t see past today.

TeenTV: What do you each hope the showrunners will let your character do before the series finally ends?

Brett: Maybe Jake could get into some dirt bike racing. I’m totally into that.

Beau: I’ve got it. Matty and Jake become detectives and we go around in school solving crimes. I want to be a detective.

Brett: “Law and Order: Palos Verdes”.  That’s where the show takes place. Or I would love to sing on the show, having a background in theater. Have a cross over musical episode.

Beau: They better not write that I sing but I can’t sing very well. I’m musical and play guitar but can’t really sing.

Brett: I live by the try anything once rule. Whatever they come up with I’m down for it.

TeenTV: What music artists are you guys into?

Brett: I’m kind of a vintage guy so pretty much anything classic rock: The Stones, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who.

Beau: Blood, Sweat and Tears. I’m really into My Morning Jacket. They rock it.