He Eats Fried Worms

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I'd love to play in like a "Lord of the Rings," or something like that, or a James Bond or, you know, just something like with action, shooting.

And how is your life different when you're there and when you're out in Hollywood?

Well, it's really different because in Nashville, there aren't as many hobos. They just make me feel sad. They make me feel sorry. And also, Nashville has four seasons. It's not always hot like it is in California. And it rains a lot more in Nashville. And I feel like Nashville is much less crowded than California.

We go to Vineyard. Vineyard in Malibu.

Yeah, it is. You know, you just, you get so used to being out here, and you just get so used to people being mean.

I'm going to shoot a commercial Friday.

I have done a Hamburger Helper commercial, a Hardees commercial, a McDonalds commercial. American Express commercial.

Thank you! appreciate your taking the time to speak with us.

Okay. Do you want to talk to my mom?

Interview With Kendra Benward

How do you find balance between Luke as a professional actor and Luke as a regular child?

We keep it really balanced. I know so many parents who over-schedule their children. They put them in dance and soccer and football and baseball and for every season, there's a new activity.

And we kind of balance it out for Luke by allowing him to do only, you know, a few things throughout the year. Acting is pretty much his continuous hobby. He does that, you know, probably once a week or maybe twice a month. It helps that we live in Tennessee because he has to tape everything and he doesn't have to actually go to the casting director every single day.

His agent will send us things in email and we will tape them and then, overnight them here to LA. And then, he may not get a callback, you know, maybe one every ten tapes we send. So, that really helps balance it out. It's definitely more selective on that level. And then also, as far as sports and things, you know, he does football in the fall. And that's pretty much the only sport he does all year. So, that really helps us balance it out.

And plus, we have two other children that we have to make sure they have their own things, as well. But, keeping it balanced is just finding what your child is good at and helping them find the balance, not only outside of that with other activities, but also within that. You know, we don't allow him to do every single audition that comes his way. There's many that we turn down that just, I don't feel are maybe age appropriate or content appropriate. So, that's how we kind of get around it. You know, this is--it can be, you know, a very difficult business to be a part of if you don't have parental involvement. So, we stay very involved.

And what role does faith play in your family's life and in helping to keep him grounded?

Probably the highest role. We are a Christian family and God is the center of our home. And every time--well, I would say most every time, you know, before an audition or after an audition, we, you know, just lay it before the Lord and pray favor on the project and, you know, pray whatever God's will is for that, that that would come about and if not, then we just move on.

It's really good for Luke because it takes the pressure off him. You know, he can go in, do his best work and then, once he has done that and it's gone, you know, he really has a sense of it being out of his hands at that point. He doesn't have to carry the weight of rejection or anything like that.

You know, we just kind of go, okay, well, we've done our best, we've laid it out there and what's going to happen is going to happen. And we trust that the Lord has a great plan for our lives and that ultimately, God is in control of our lives and that we just kind of, like I said, do our best and wait for everything else to fall in place. So, faith is a huge part of who we are as people and our careers and our lives in general.

If they live in Tennessee, my mom does a workshop every year. My agent comes. And they can come to that. And they have to learn a monologue and they do it in front of the agent. And then, if the agent likes them, he'll represent them. And so, I'd say, first, you can do that if you live and Tennessee. But, if you don't live in Tennessee, I'd try, go get an agent. And if you get one, just wait until he sends you auditions, learn the lines, and do your best.