Matt Cornett by Jalen Thomas Brooks

“I’ve done a lot of stuff with Disney, and they’re so great, goofy, fun, silly, and so awesome. But I’ve never really gotten to do something where I had to tap into an emotional level of myself and Sam. I really am excited for people to see that different side of my abilities.”

JALEN THOMAS BROOKS: I have a question I want to ask — I have a whole journal, look at that.

MATT CORNETT: Wow, he came prepared, folks. I didn’t do that, so you get one up on me.

JTB: I think it’s interesting to start off with the reason why you became an actor.

MC: I did theater in elementary school and middle school growing up. I remember my first play, The Wizard of Oz. I was farmer number two and I had two lines. But I would forget it every single time I went on stage, so I would just stare at farmer number one and expect them to take over. But initially, the biggest reason why I became an actor was Miley Cyrus — I was beyond obsessed with Hannah Montana. There’s something I could share, but it’s a little too much of a deep cut. [Pauses] You know what? Screw it, I don’t even care anymore.

JTB: Let’s go! That’s why we’re here. [Laughs]

MC: When the show came out, I made a scrapbook of Hannah Montana.

JTB: Miley Cyrus or Hannah Montana?

MC: Well, a little bit of both. I loved Hannah Montana — and watching Jason Earles specifically, who plays Jackson in the show, made me so badly want to try this thing that looked like fun. And I now have had the pleasure of working with him for a few years on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and he knows all this. But my first scene with him, I couldn’t focus because I was looking at this man’s eyes, and I was like, “You are the reason I’m here right now.”

JTB: Tell me about Every Year After, because a friend was telling me about it, and I said, “I’m actually talking to Matt in two days. Don’t tell me anything about it.”

MC: [Laughs] Every Year After is this story that follows the relationship of Sam and Percy [Sadie Soverall], and then there is Sam’s brother, Charlie. Sam and Charlie both grew up on this lake in this town of Barry’s Bay, Canada. And Percy moves into the lake house next door when they’re 13 years old. Sam and Percy quickly become best friends, so the story follows them as they grow together and this relationship blossoms between them. They were each other’s first love, but then some hardships get in the way, and there’s a big thing that happens and they don’t speak for 10 years.

And what’s so fun about the book and the show is that we bounce timelines. We see ourselves as adult versions at 28 years old in the present day, but then we also jump back to the past when we’re teenagers. And every episode that we go along, it’s the following summer and our teenage selves are a year older. When Sam’s mother passes away, that brings everyone back to the town of Barry’s Bay, so Sam and Percy are back together for the first time in 10 years and they’re forced to confront these things, and reconcile these hardships that caused them to separate.

Read the full story in the print or digital issue (a 20+ page booklet dedicated to one talent). Order it now or subscribe below to the digital edition.

GET YOUR PRINT COPY

“A year down the line, I’m excited to see how the show was taken, if fans were excited about it, if they felt like we encapsulated what everybody loved so much in the book. But I think the biggest thing is that hopefully we’re going back for season two — and you guys hopefully for [Off Campus] season three — and maybe we’ll all be back soon in Vancouver together.”

Digital Magazine Subscription

Get a one-time purchase or annual plan to read GRUMPY MAGAZINE – Matt Cornett (Solo Edition) online anytime. It does not include a physical copy of the magazine.

SUBSCRIBE
FROM 2.99€

• A one-time purchase grants you access to this edition only.

• A subscription to the annual plan includes access to all the premium content available on our website.