Meet Dan Benson

Life Gets A Little Richer When You Add “Hanna’s Gold” to Your Home Entertainment Collection!

Two wealthy sisters from Beverly Hills get a real wake-up call when they are sent to stay (and work) with their estranged father on a horse ranch. The girls are bored out of their minds until rumors of a buried treasure send them on the journey of a lifetime.

The film stars real-life sisters Morissa and Alana O’Mara as Hanna and Jasmine. Original ‘90210’ star Luke Perry plays their tough but caring father. Dan Benson (Wizards of Waverly Place) co-stars as Luke, a local who joins the girls on their hunt.

Find out if the rumor of buried treasure is true by picking up “Hanna’s Gold” at a retail outlet near you. You can also order on-line here

Don’t forget to enter to win an a copy from us, autographed by Dan Benson! Click here to enter

Dan Benson’s Acting Adventure Continues With a Co-Starring Role in “Hanna’s Gold!”

Disney Channel viewers will recognize Dan Benson from his multi-episode stint on “Wizards of Waverly Place” where he played Justin’s friend “Zeke Beakerman.” The Springfield, Missouri native has been acting since he was fifteen years old. After moving to Florida he landed a talent agent who encouraged Dan and his brothers to try their luck in Los Angeles. He’s been turning up in television and movies ever since.

We recently touched base with the up-and-coming actor to learn more about him and the time he spent working on “Hanna’s Gold.” Read on to find out more about Dan!

When did you realize you wanted to be an actor?
Well I have always had a very active imagination. I was beating up invisible ninja for years after my brother stopped playing imaginary games with me. My parents call it "Dannyland" because I was always in my own little world pretending I was ninja turtle, or power ranger. When I was 15, I went to a local manager talent scouting event like you hear on the radio "Come be and Actor and Model! You can be famous too!" I met a lady named Bernadette Carter who convinced my parents and I to work with her in acting classes. As soon as I was done with my first acting class I knew that I was going to be an actor for the rest of my life.

Were you family and friends supportive?
They actually were more supportive than I ever would have imagined. My Dad was the one who convinced us to go try out for it in the first place, so when they asked us to move out to Los Angeles for months at a time he was skeptical at first but super supportive. When we actually came out and started booking jobs he dropped everything. He sold his brand new huge house he just bought a year earlier, quit his job, and moved out to the West Coast. They support my brothers and me in everything we do.

What were some of you first professional jobs?
My first national commercial was a Tang commercial. You know the orange drink mix? Oh yeah! It was an eye opening experience. I made a ton of money and all I did was "Vrooom Vrooom!" I literally just made noises like a dirt bike because I owned one and knew what it actually sounded like. My first episodic role was on "Phil of the Future" from the Disney Channel. I played a random dork with one line. Funny enough my character "Zeke" on Wizards of Waverly Place started off exactly the same way. I played the role of "Friend #1" in a season 1 episode. They brought me back as "Zach" and then later as "Zeke". I am proud to say that I took a one line un-named role and turn it into a huge recurring character with an impact on the direction of the show.

What do you remember about your time on "Wizards of Waverly Place"?
What I remember most about the show are the incredible people who made the show such a great success. The cast was incredibly welcoming to me and we all became like a family. There were also a superstar group of people behind the camera like director Victor Gonzalez who I became really good friends with. I will always remember the time I got to spend with Selena. She is so talented, so smart, and absolutely hilarious. There are some many great memories of hanging out on set telling jokes, laughing, having fun when the cameras were on and when they were off. I miss them all so much.

What can you tell us about "Hanna's Gold"?
"Hanna's Gold" is an awesome new family adventure film. It's a story about two sisters who live in the city who come to live with their dad on the farm out in the country and get caught up in an epic adventure. There's buried treasure, outlaws, danger, and even some great laughs. It's a great film for the whole family to watch. It is out to rent or own on DVD and I think will really love it.

How would you describe your character?
I play "Luke" who is a shy ranch hand, who somehow gets dragged along for this crazy adventure for buried treasure. It might have something to do with a cute girl. Doesn't it always?? Luke is an artist and he likes to wear all black even though its 1000 degrees outside. He finally opens up when he takes risks and starts having fun. It was fun to play a character who isn't as insane as "Zeke" is.

Are there any similarities between you and Luke?
Absolutely. I was very similar to Luke when I was in middle school. I was a bit introverted, and shy. We both are artists, and I love drawing. I was actually drawing over the set artists drawings and making them my own during the filming. I would say the biggest difference though is the wardrobe. I do not like tight black pants.

Once you got this role how did you research the character?
I come from an improv background, so I tend to do a lot of rehearsals to get down specific ideas I want to get across. But I find that the most effective way to be genuine in a performance is spontaneity. If you are thinking about how you are going to say a line while you’re saying the line its going to sound rehearsed. But if you get comfortable enough with the material you don't have to think about it you can focus on being fully in the moment. I let myself come out though Luke, I don't let Luke come out through me. Yeah I know, I'm weird. :)

What was it like to have a veteran involved like Luke Perry?
It was an absolute honor… working with Luke Perry. I have been a fan of his since I was really young. My cousins and I watched ‘90210’ all the time. I was freaking out trying to play it cool when I met him. He is such a great guy. He came up and shook my hand first time he stepped on the set. It was fun watching him work. He made everything look effortless. That's probably because it is effortless for him he's been doing it for so long.

Do you have a favorite scene in the movie?
It's hard to say one specific scene because there were so many fun stunts and hilarious scenes that we got to do in this movie. Any scene with Boyd Kestner and Keven Horton who play the outlaws in the movie. They were absolutely hilarious. It was hard to keep a straight face when those two were arguing.

What do you do in your spare time?
I do tons of stuff. I love sports. I was a competitive gymnast for almost 10 years before acting. On any given day you can find me rock climbing, surfing, boxing, jui jitsu. I love to do stunt training like high falls and flips off buildings. I have a lot of good friends who are all actors so we are like a living sitcom/reality series whenever we get together.

Can we find you online?
Oh yeah! Check out my crazy hilarious tweets. @dan_benson

Any other projects coming up?
I am out auditioning for all sorts of awesome projects. Now that I have the experience of being on a hit sitcom for 3 years, and being a leading man in feature films I hope to land something really big soon. I just did a small one liner on "Private Practice", who knows we all know what a one line role can turn into...

What advice do you have for aspiring actors?
One simple phrase can change your whole career. NEVER GIVE UP. If you know that this is what you want to do, then don't let anyone get in your way. I decided that this is what I was born to do. I will be an actor until I die. Eventually someone will realize that you aren't ever going away and they give you a shot. You won't be given something that you never ask for.