The Fifth Wave
Release Date: January 22

Columbia Pictures

Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Ron Livingston, Maggie Siff, Alex Roe, Maria Bello, Maika Monroe, and Liev Schreiber

Directed by: J Blakeson

Rated: PG-13

Official Web site: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/the5thwave/


Facebook:www.Facebook.com/SonyPictures

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/5thWaveMovie

#5thWaveMovie

In the new film The 5th Wave, four waves of increasingly deadly attacks have left most of Earth decimated. Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, Cassie (Chloe Grace Moretz) is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother. As she prepares for the inevitable and lethal 5th wave, Cassie teams up with a young man who may become her final hope - if she can only trust him.

See the trailer here:

By: Samira Shahbandy

At the age of just nine years old, young Zackary Arthur is about to make his movie debut in the adaptation of "The 5th Wave."

Arthur plays five year old Sam Sullivan, little brother of Cassie Sullivan (Chloe Grace Mortez, "If I Stay"), who gets put on a school bus that is supposedly government affiliated, but it's actually run by "The Others." The plot of the film revolves around Cassie trying to find Sam.

"The Others" are a type of alien that are trying to eradicate the human race, which they do in a series of attacks, or waves. The first wave is lights out, where they send out an electromagnetic pulse that kills all electricity on earth. The second wave is surf's up, where they drive a huge rod into the Pacific Ocean causing a huge tsunami that kills residents living on the coasts of all the continents. The third wave is pestilence, which is a contamination of a disease spread through birds from "The Others." The fourth wave is silencers, where the aliens hide themselves in human bodies to kill other humans. The fifth wave is turning children into soldiers by taking them to Wright Patterson Airforce Base and brainwashing them.

Arthur's character is taken to the base as part of the fifth wave. Unable to fight until the age of seven, he was being trained by Ben Parish (Nick Robinson, "Melissa & Joey"), Cassie's crush from high school. Ben takes Sam under his wing and protects him during training, even renaming him "Nugget," because of his small size.

"I have two favorite scenes; Cassie sings to me and in another I sang the same song [the Now I Lay Me prayer] to Ben," Arthur said.

Arthur first got into the arts through songs his mother taught him. After seeing how well he learned, he was set up with an audition for an agency. His first acting experience was in a Burlington Coat Factory commercial.

"It was a lot of fun. I learned it a day before filming," he said.

To prepare for his first audition for "The 5th Wave," Arthur's mom read the book in an evening and informed him of important parts for him to learn about the story. After he learned his lines, he went to Sony and auditioned for the film's casting director, Francine Maisler.

When he got the call back for "The 5th Wave," he was ecstatic.

"It was my first time getting a call. My dad, brother, and I were sipping hot chocolate at a coffee store. Mom called. I was so happy. I jumped up and screamed, because I was so happy," Arthur said.

The film is action-packed, but Arthur enjoys doing many of his own stunts. Despite all the practicing, he finds it to be fun, through the accidents and all.

"I'm a big monkey! One time, I got stuck in a prop and cut my finger, and I flipped in a paintball scene but I was okay. I got a little bruised in the bus, but I had lots of fun. It's just part of the job," he said.

Part of the job is also working with older actors than himself like Chloe Grace Mortez and Nick Robinson. To most kids, that would be intimidating, but not for Arthur. They played hand games like rock, paper, and scissors. Author of "The 5th Wave," Rick Yancey, even played with him on set.

"Chloe was a blast. She also loves music-that's why she whistles at me. She tickled me a lot, because she's bigger. I'm not as strong," he said.

Mortez also left the young actor with some advice.

"She said, 'You have to believe in a scene, really in it, like it's really happening,'" he shared.

For those who haven't read the book and don't really know what it's like, Arthur described it as "kind of like the action of the 'Hunger Games' with sci-fi and alien stuff. A brother and sister get separated and try to find each other. It's about hope, believing, and surviving"

Apart from "The 5th Wave," Arthur is working on "Transparent," an Amazon original series. It's a show about a disconnected family and its secrets getting revealed.

"My character, Zack, is a bit of a brat. He's curious and he loves to play... he's a wild thing, Honestly, I'm not much like him. I'm like Sammy [from 'The 5th Wave'], not like the boy in 'Transparent.' Sammy is really nice and he's got a really warm, big heart. He's brave and he misses his sister, but he doesn't give up," Arthur said.

His favorite episode of the TV show is one where he's running and they took pictures.

"It was intense and funny. It's an older one. I didn't understand, but it was a lot of fun. It was very dramatic," he said.

While on the set of "The 5th Wave," Arthur learned that a fellow cast mate, Alex MacNicoll, who plays Flintstone in the film, is also in "Transparent" with him.

"I didn't know he was in 'Transparent' because he was only in a couple scenes, but I look forward to next season. He plays Josh's son [in the show]. It's very fun to work together on both 'Transparent' and 'The 5th Wave.' " Arthur said.

When he's not acting, the young actor enjoys playing with his dogs, making movies with his brother, and reading.

"You don't get that a lot from kids, but I really love reading," he said.

Being such a young age, Arthur still has to focus on school, but instead of having a tutor like many childhood actors, Arthur does something different.

"I have independent studies. It's not home, but it has set teachers. I get to do everything... even going on fieldtrips," he said.

As cool as his role in "The 5th Wave" is, if they ever make a remake of "E.T.," Arthur will be first in line to audition.

"I would love to play Elliot in E.T. I would love to audition. I hope they make a new one-I'd really want to be in it," he shared.

Since Arthur has had so much acting experience at such a young age, he's got some advice for those looking to pursue acting.

"You just got to work really hard and pass your classes. Sometimes you miss parties and games, but it's just part of the job," he said.

Be sure to check out Zackary Arthur's movie debut in theaters starting Friday, January 22.

Coming Soon!