Meet Josh Feldman
Meet "Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups" Actor, Josh Feldman!
Actor Josh Feldman plays an important part in the new home entertainment release "Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups." His character "Carter" accidentally wishes Christmas away and then has to work with the adorable "Santa Pups" to bring it back again. Working on the film created wonderful memories for the young man who will celebrate his 13th birthday on December 15.
We recently chatted with Josh about playing "Carter." He also took time out to talk to us about another one of his passions...he flies real airplanes! Keep reading to learn more about Josh and this sweet holiday film that's fun for the whole family!
See the trailer for the film here:
"I play a boy called 'Carter,' his Mom recently died," Josh begins when asked to tell us about the movie. "Christmas was his favorite holiday. Carter's sad to celebrate at Christmas without his Mom. Mrs. Clause comes down from the North Pole with the Santa Pups who stowaway on her sleigh. The Santa Pups run around the town granting wishes. They accidently grant Carter's wish when he's sad, and he accidentally wishes that Christmas goes away. It's up to Mrs. Clause, Carter and his sister, Eli elf and the pups to bring Christmas back."
Josh was excited about taking on the role for many reasons, one of which was the fact that he was able to learn a new sport. "I had to do a lot of training for hockey because 'Carter' is a hockey player in the script," Josh tells us. "So I had to train in hockey for three weeks. I actually got to train with the trainer from the Mighty Ducks. It was my first time and I actually loved it so much I actually still play it!"
A role in this film was a perfect fit for the L.A.-based actor because he's also an animal lover! "I love dogs!" Josh gushes! "I have a dog at home, his name is Chewy. He's a Chihuahua. When we were on set, they actually offered us one of the dogs. These aren't the golden retrievers... they're the Great Pyrenees, the white ones. They just grow huge... six foot! I was begging my Mom every day for two months to keep the dogs and she replied 'You have a Chihuahua. That thing could eat it for like, an appetizer!'"
His Mom had a point, but at least Josh got to have some fun with the animals on set. "It was really cool. They were really well trained," he says of his four-legged co-stars. "There were some times when one of the pups ran off and peed. It made a smell. But they were really well trained. You would think that they would just run off but they were really good."
Josh enjoyed being on the set all of the time, but one day stands out. "My favorite day would have to be the day that we granted the wish for 'Carter.' That was just a really cool scene because it had just all out effects. There were lights blowing up and there was this huge, gigantic wind machine that just blew me [around]. It was supposed to be this evil, wind. It was just really strong. Then we had snow machines blowing. That would have to be my favorite day because it was really amazing."
See a sneak peak of the movie here:
Playing "Carter" is another experience in what Josh hopes to be a long career in acting. The funny thing is... he almost wrote the possibility off before he really started. "Well, basically, I was doing a lot of presentations in class and my Mom got a catalog in the mail that had an acting class," he recalls about getting started. "She signed me up and I went to the first class and I HATED it. She said, 'It's already paid for… so try one more time.' I went the next week and came out and I said, 'I'm going to be an actor! Get me an agent!' Mom was kind of shocked, but she was like, 'Sure!'"
Josh started landing parts in short films like "A film called 'Rite,' that went to Sundance. I was also in some commercials. Also, I was in 'Isideous.'" His television credits include "General Hospital" and "The Closer." "I actually had a movie at Shriek Fest, called 'The Sleepover,'" he states. "It just won the Best Super Short at Shriek Fest."
When not busy with acting, you might find Josh flying the friendly skies... literally. "I fly airplanes with my Dad, like real airplanes!" he says enthusiastically. "When I was seven years old, my Dad took me up in a small plane. He's a pilot. When he was young, he also did that, so he took me up. He kind of taught me how to fly. I just picked it up. Now, every other week we go out and just fly to the coast and back to the airport. It's amazing. What's funny is, the controls are actually really simple."
Josh also makes time to help out various charities. "That would have to be Children's Hospital L.A., animal's charities and kids' education," he says, listing a few of his favorites. "Just because they're kind of close to my heart. When I was little, like seven years old, I got sick. I had E. coli. They didn't know whether I was going to live or not. It made me feel really good when I was little, just to have one of the nurses come in and bring me a toy. It made me feel better. Luckily, everything was good! Some kids aren't that lucky. Everyone should try to do their part for them."
The future will likely include several more great acting jobs for Josh, but what if he could create his own? What kind of part would he play? Who would he want to star in it with him? "I'd want to play a really dramatic role slash action," he admits. "I think that's like the coolest thing. [You would] like walk up in a cool-like stance and see like giant explosions in the background. I would to have Johnny Depp and John Malkovich."
Josh encourages anyone who knows that acting is their life-long dream to stick with it. "It's a lot of hard work and you have to really put a lot in to it. Never give up! It's a lot of fun. It's just amazing! Just keep trying because no matter what anyone tells you, something will work out!"
Check out Josh in the heart-warming tale "Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups" available on November 20. Audiences will be glad that Josh went to that second acting class and decided to give it a try!
For more info on Josh... you can find him on Facebook: Facebook
Follow Josh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoshEricFeldman