“Wimpy Kid” star trades laughs for scares in “The Haunting Hour”

What’s a nice young man like Robert Capron doing trying to scare the socks off people?

The 12-year-old actor, who plays goofy sidekick Rowley in the highly successful Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies — the second installment of which, Rodrick Rules, recently opened No. 1 at the box office — eschews his fun-loving persona for his role as Marty in “Catching Cold,” the latest episode of R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour. It premieres April 9 on The Hub.

While Rowley never met a mother-son dance he didn’t like, and is probably a much more loyal friend than titular wimp Greg Heffley deserves, Marty is a sedentary loner, whose sole motivation for getting out of bed is a mysterious ice cream truck that comes down his street. He becomes consumed by tracking it down and getting a taste of that sweet treat, no matter what the cost.

I recently spoke with Capron — after his dad, also named Robert, handed him the phone — about playing a darker character, what it’s like having high-school kids treat you like a celebrity, and how playing a character obsessed with ice cream can have its drawbacks:

You’re known as a funny guy, but in The Haunting Hour you get to try to scare people a little bit. How was that for you?

I really enjoyed doing that, because I really like horror movies and stuff. I’ve watched probably like 50 horror movies with my dad. And when I was offered the role, I was really, really happy because I thought it would be really cool. I like this show called The Twilight Zone, and I think that The Haunting Hour is very similar to The Twilight Zone. They have different people each week and they tell different stories and stuff. I felt it was really cool.

Was there something about this particular story, in addition to just liking horror movies, that really stood out to you and made you want to do it?

Well, I really liked how Marty’s character evolved. When I read the script I thought it was cool how at the beginning he was like really lazy, but at the end he’s a complete psychopath.

You said you liked Twilight Zone. Are there any other scary TV shows or movies that you enjoy watching?

I remember I saw The Ring. I thought that was really good. Really freaky. I like supernatural stuff, I really like the show Ghost Hunters. I watch it a lot.

How about R.L. Stine? Do you like his stuff?

Yes. I’ve read probably like 50 Goosebumps books. That’s another thing I thought was cool, because I remember when we were doing [The Haunting Hour] I thought, “This is also like Goosebumps,” because it’s by R.L. Stine and it’s scary.

You certainly have a big part in the Wimpy Kid movies, but you’re still the sidekick. In this, you get to be the main character. Was that a first for you?

Yes, it was. I was there every day of the shooting, while with Diary of a Wimpy Kid, we filmed for 45 days and I was there for like 37 of the 45 days. So it was cool getting to be the main character. I really liked that. … I can’t really think of being nervous. I just kept thinking about how much fun it would be.

The Haunting Hour has got a lot of popular young actors on it. Does this show have kind of a reputation as the place to be for young actors?

Yeah. A lot of kid actors have been on this, and the show really is a place where a lot of kids would like to be on. One of the other boys who was in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Grayson Russell — he was Fregley — he did an episode for Haunting Hour. So I thought that was really cool. When I found out, I sent him an email saying “I’m going to be on an episode of The Haunting Hour,” and he’s like, “Cool!”

This also is your first TV job. How was that different than working on a movie set?

Well, you film a lot quicker. That’s something I learned, you film it a lot quicker. You only do like three takes, while with movies sometimes it takes a lot more takes.

Your character, Marty, really likes ice cream and has to eat a lot of it. Was that as fun as it sounds?

There’s actually a really funny story to that. Up to the last day, I don’t think I had any ice cream. What they did was, when they would use a faraway shot, the top scoop was mashed potatoes, and the bottom two were wax that looked like it. It was only on the closeups that I actually had to lick it. But the thing is I hate mashed potatoes, so I just kind of had to suck it up for that part. … It looks like I’m really enjoying it when I’m licking it, but it’s like “Ack!” I did get to have ice cream at the end, though. But when I did get it, it was like total brain freeze because I had to be licking it like 50 times a second. It was insane.

I imagine you’re getting recognized quite a bit these days. Is it fun when the other kids at school recognize you?

That’s been really weird, because there have been like seniors who come up to you and say, “Hey, you’re the one that was in the movie! Awesome!” And they give you a high-five and it’s just like, “I’m just in seventh grade.”

I know you’re still pretty young, but do you think acting is what you’re going to always want to do?

Yes. Definitely. It’s hard to describe for me. I just really like it. … I like stuff that puts you into other worlds, if you know what I mean. Like when you read [books], it’s almost like going into another world and you’ve known these people forever. It’s kind of like that with movies. When you watch a movie it’s like seeing other people and going into another world. Same thing with video games. I love video games.

It’s definitely a busy time for you. In addition to The Haunting Hour, you’ve got the second Wimpy Kid movie out. What’s Rowley up to in this one?

In the second film, Rowley’s not as gullible. He’s still pretty gullible, but the thing is he’s slightly matured a little bit because after what happened to him and Greg in the first movie, they’ve gotten to know each other more and their bond is a bit tighter, I guess you could say. Rowley’s kind of like stuck in the middle between Greg and Rodrick, with them fighting. Rowley just gets stuck.

Do you ever get confused for your character?

That can happen sometimes. Probably the worst it ever was is I get called Rowley, and people start saying a line from the movie or something like that. Like, the “Tik Tok” dance I had to do for the second one, everyone at my school is coming up to me and doing that in front of me. It’s really crazy.