J-14 chatted with Noah Ringer, who plays Emmett Taggart in this summer's blockbuster Cowboys & Aliens. Noah got his start thanks to his martial arts background (just like Taylor Lautner!) and got his big break in The Last Airbender. Noah chatted with us about working with mega movie stars, his non-acting dreams, and keeping it real!
J-14: Tell us about your Cowboys & Aliens character Emmett.
Noah: Emmet is pretty much the only kid in the main cast. I'm like the emotional center for the audience. I make people feel. He's a great character and I really enjoyed playing him.
J-14: What was like working with Hollywood legends like Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, and Daniel Craig?
Noah: Oh, it was crazy! You get it in your mind that you're working with those kind of people like Harrison or Daniel and then you actually meet them and it's like wow, this is actually happening. But you learn just how real and down to earth they are. It was amazing to work with them. The first read through I was really nervous, but they made me feel really comfortable and I had a great time working with them.
J-14: How would you compare playing Emmett in Cowboys & Aliens to Aang in The Last Airbender?
Noah: It was really different in the sense that martial arts was such a key aspect in Airbender. So that was really two worlds of work, you had the acting and the martial arts, but in Cowboys I just had the acting to work on. So it was really great for me to be able to focus on that. It was definitely a positive experience.
J-14: Was it always your dream to be an actor?
Noah: Until Airbender it had never even crossed my mind. I was homeschooled, and I hardly knew what movies were! I was leaning towards opening a Taekwondo school, that was really what I wanted to do. I was practicing five to six hours a day, and I was completely into it, but now I think I just want to be an actor.
J-14: Do you still have time for martial arts?
Noah: Yes, I've just begun training for my third degree black belt in Taekwondo. I'm a second degree now. So I'm training for that and the stuff we do there is so fun. I'm always happy to be there!
See Noah in Cowboys & Aliens now playing in theaters.
Photo: Josselyn Peterson
