Disney’s Secret Society of Second-Born Royals has been delighting Disney+ subscribers since it premiered on September 25th. One of the performances that has stayed with viewers comes from Noah Lomax who plays Sam’s best friend Nick. I recently got the chance to speak to Noah about his experiences on the film and some of his personal interests. Check out our full interview below.
Alex Reif: When did you first hear about this project and what was the audition process like for you?
Noah Lomax: I got the audition early 2019, and I got the audition and immediately I read it and I loved this part. One, I'm like the second borns having the powers this time, because you've always seen maybe the princes or the princesses, the stories about them, and you never really see the side of the second born, so I thought that was already cool. And then my character Mike plays the drums in the movie. So that is really what hooked me and caught my eye because that's something I've always wanted to do. And I'd known that if I booked the role that I had to learn how to play the drums, so I was really excited about that. And then I taped the audition from Atlanta, where I live, and I sent it in and I didn't want to get too attached to it because I never like to get too attached to projects and then get let down because I got my hopes up. But then I ended up getting a call back for a chemistry read down in LA with Peyton [Elizabeth Reed] and the director and a few producers. And I went to that and I met some of the other kids there who also had some chemistry reads. And it was actually Faly was there, who plays Matteo, Isabella who plays January, was also there. So I met them there, and then I also met Peyton there when we did the chemistry read immediately, we just clicked and we had so much fun just going through the scenes and trying it different ways, and I guess they liked me. So they picked me, and I was very excited when I found out that I was going to be a part of something Disney, because that's something that I've always grown up with, watching Disney Channel. So it was really cool that I get to do that now.
Alex Reif: You got to spend most of your onscreen time with Peyton, did you guys actually get to bond much outside of your time on set when you were doing the shoot?
Noah Lomax: So much. We filmed in Toronto, which is now my favorite city of all time. And we filmed during the Raptors winning the NBA Finals, which is so cool. But yeah, me and Peyton, we all stayed and all of the kids in the same apartment complex. So we were always hanging out, me and Peyton especially, and in between, when we weren't working, on days that we didn't have work or even when we would get off and have time to hang out in the city, we would always go and explore different things and find new restaurants and just find different spots and walk around and have fun, which was really cool. We had a lot of freedom, which is nice. It felt like I've never really lived in a big city like that, but I got to for this movie for about two months, which is a surreal experience. But yeah, me and Peyton had so much bonding time and things to do while we were up there to really get close and get to that what you see on screen, because all that is completely natural chemistry.
Alex Reif: Really cool. And you've mentioned that you taught yourself to play the drums as part of the process, that doesn't sound easy to do. Can you tell me a little bit more about what that was like? And did you have any professional drummers that you looked to for inspiration when you were trying to teach yourself?
Noah Lomax: Well, yeah, so I tried to prepare as much as I could before I went up to Toronto, but two weeks before we started filming, we were up there and they actually had me get lessons from this drum teacher named Mike, but he was awesome. And he taught me everything very quickly. I had a few intense lessons, but I picked up everything pretty quickly. I really wanted to show my inner Dave Grohl from Nirvana, just that sheer power on the kit is what I really wanted to impersonate in the movie. I did my best, but I had a lot of fun from what I learned and after we were done shooting, I didn't want to just stop playing the drums. So I got a kit when I got back home and I got a little garage band with a few of my buddies now. So it brought me into a whole new perspective on the music scene, which is really cool.
Alex Reif: Oh, awesome. And your character journey goes through a pretty relatable feeling of jealousy. What do you hope viewers take away from the way Max deals with those feelings in the film?
Noah Lomax: I hope they take away that Mike is a loyal friend to her and he's a rock to her and he trusted her, and when he saw what happened in the movie, he got jealous and upset a little bit, but you just have to trust your process and know who you are, know that you're going to power through whatever comes your way. And I guess be there for your friends when they really need you. Because that's what Mike does throughout the movie for Sam, even in times that he might get a little jealous. So I guess just try to be the bestest friend you can be to someone close to you.
Alex Reif: Great. And Mike and Sam are both activists working to change their world. Are you the same way or has this experience made you become more outspoken about things that you strongly believe in?
Noah Lomax: Yeah, for sure. I've definitely… everything that's been going on in the world recently, I feel like everyone should be speaking up and trying to change something. And obviously that doesn't just go for what's happening right now, even the past few years just with all the trash that's in the ocean is something that I feel strongly about. And just keeping the earth clean is something that I feel very strongly about. I want to at least help in any way that I can to change that. But yeah, it’s definitely given me more confidence to have a voice, which is nice because I'm getting older. I'm becoming an adult and I need that, so that's pretty cool.
Alex Reif: You might've already mentioned it when you were talking about Toronto, but what was the most fun memory from the whole experience or your favorite day of the shoot?
Noah Lomax: Well, my favorite scene to shoot was probably the one when me and Peyton were in the club… we were watching our favorite band and then the fire alarm goes off and the sprinklers go off and we get soaked. So that was a really cool experience just because the atmosphere was incredible. It felt like we were actually watching the live show and then all the extras we got to interact with is really cool. But I mean, I don't know if I'd be able to pick like a favorite. Probably just seeing the city go crazy when the Raptors won the NBA finals, that was something that I'll never forget because when they won, everyone was out on the street and right in front of where we were staying, right in the middle of everything. And there were smoke bombs, fireworks and everyone was screaming, just running all over the place. It was this real experience. So that's something that I'll hold close to my heart forever and I'll always remember, but I had so many great and fond memories up there, just so many amazing people that I'll never forget.
Alex Reif: Outside of this film, something that you do in your free time is work with a nonprofit local to you in Georgia called HappyFeet that does summer camps and special events for kids with special needs. How did you become part of that group, and how can your fans get involved in something similar if they're inspired by it?
Noah Lomax: I actually got involved because I go to a thing called Young Life. It's like a youth Christian group I guess, it's nationwide. I think it's a worldwide thing. It's all over the place, they have camps all over the place. And the one that I go to locally, they hold a lot of HappyFeet events just during the summer. And they do HappyFeet, Young Lives. So I got involved by volunteering for that. And then at my local church, we have this thing called HappyFeet Prom, where it's like a prom for special needs kids where you go in and you're their date and you have the dance and all the activities that you'd have at a normal prom. And I do that just about every year, but I feel people that want to get involved, just look up HappyFeet and see if you can get involved from wherever you can. I'm sure there's different ways to get involved all over the country, but yeah, HappyFeet it's a great organization. And I hope that I can continue to support them as much as I can.
Alex Reif: Last question, you mentioned that you'd wanted to work for Disney. I'm curious to know what's your favorite Disney thing. It can be a movie or a theme park or a ride or a character and why?
Noah Lomax: So many.. and why? Probably Pirates of the Caribbean, it’s something that's like my childhood. I just remember growing up and getting the LEGO sets, all the action figures. And I had Jack Sparrow when I was a little kid and even just the ride at Disneyland. I mean, I went there when I was really young, too, and I'll never forget that. So I said Pirates of the Caribbean is probably my favorite thing that I've ever got to experience from Disney.
Alex Reif: Thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. And congratulations on Secret Society of Second-Born Royals and everything that you have going on.
Noah Lomax: Thank you. I appreciate it.
You can see Secret Society of Second-Born Royals streaming exclusively on Disney+.