Exciting news, you guys! Where’s Waldo?, the classic children’s book series, is coming to television for the first time this summer on Universal Kids! Best part? Andi Mack actor Joshua Rush is voicing Waldo in the show! Leading up to the DreamWorks series’ premiere on July 20, we caught up with the 17-year-old Disney Channel star to chat all about the new project. From what he hopes fans take away from the show to Andi Mack coming to an end, Joshua spilled everything you want to know. Check it out!

J-14:  What do you hope fans take away from your new animated series, Where’s Waldo?

Joshua Rush: Waldo is a curious kid who wants to learn as much as he can about the world! I hope fans take away how important it is to be curious, learn about the world around them and how much fun it can be to explore.

J-14: What do you think is most important about exploring different cultures like your character?

Joshua: Right now more than ever before in history, we are all super connected. From the internet, to flights, to instantaneous phone calls around the world, there’s no excuse to not want to learn about the world around you. But lately that interconnectedness has been causing a division between countries, politics and people. I think Waldo and Wenda set a great example of being able to travel around the world and learn from other cultures!

J-14: Fans know you best from Andi Mack, but you actually have lent your voice to a bunch of series. What do you like most about being a voice actor?

Joshua: I know a lot of full-time voice actors would cringe at me saying this, but I love getting to move around and use my body in the studio! Maybe it comes from being an on-camera actor first, but the first thing I do when I come in to the recording booth is take my shoes off, so that I can run and tap and move around without that being heard.

J-14: Andi Mack is in its final season! What was your reaction when you found out the series would sadly be ending after Season 3?

Joshua: Andi Mack was one of the absolute best experiences of my life. I had the opportunity to work with some incredible people, who I now am honored to call not only cast mates, but friends. Everyone at Andi Mack — the cast, crew and production team — top-to-bottom was an amazing soul. I was devastated to hear we would be finishing up, but I also knew then — and know now — that Andi, Buffy, Cyrus, Jonah, TJ and everyone else will keep living on in the hearts of our viewers, even if it wasn’t on screen anymore.

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Disney Channel

J-14: Last year you launched your Instagram account News in a Rush, and it’s already gained such a big following! How did this come about?

Joshua: News in a Rush came about from me chatting to my parents about two things: my opinion on Net Neutrality, and the unique international status of Taiwan. After talking to my parents further, they suggested I sit down in front of my phone and talk to some of my fans about it too! The first “News in a Rush”-style thing I did was explaining net neutrality, but eventually I loved doing it so much that I decided to cover something new in the news every week! Currently, I work in Washington D.C. as an intern on Capitol Hill, and have never been closer to the action, so I get to actually go to the room where it happens!

I love it when people comment about how I helped them understand something on the news that didn’t make sense to them! One of the things I realized right at the beginning of this journey was that the news can look so complicated to everyone, but with just a little bit of explanation — even just 60 seconds — everyone can understand it!

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