EXCLUSIVE: Nicolas Bechtel Talks Playing Lewie Diaz on Stuck In The Middle
Stuck In The Middle star Nicolas Bechtel has a hit show on Disney Channel and earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for his role on General Hospital – two things not very many 11-year-olds can say. With the first season finale around the corner, Bechtel shed some light on what it’s like playing Lewie Diaz.
Congratulations on your Daytime Emmy nomination! How does it feel to be an Emmy-nominated actor?
Thank you! It was so awesome to be nominated. The executive producer at General Hospital and my mom went around and around about whether or not to submit me. My mom just wants me to focus on what I love to do and not worry about awards and things like that, but Frank Valentini brought up the fact that I had a good year with a lot of great material and he thought we should [submit]. When I found out I had made it past the pre-nomination round I was actually kind of shocked. I was on set at Stuck In The Middle when Frank called my mom. It was a great feeling to know that you’re doing a good job. Being nominated was as good as a win.
How do you like playing Lewie Diaz?
Lewie Diaz is me but a little more “out there.” Lewie is quick and he’s the man-with-the-plan. The difference is I could never get away with the things he does nor am I brave enough to try it. That’s why I love playing him because he gets to do things that I never would. I like playing Lewie because he’s still got a little cool to him, too.
What was your favorite episode to shoot so far?
My favorite episode so far was the [one with the] pudding bath – I’m not sure what the episode was called – because so much went into that scene and it was something I will probably never get to do again. It was gallons and gallons of pudding (and I don’t even like pudding) and it was everywhere! Just to get Malachi and I out of the suits we were wearing required 3 people. One to help us stay standing, one to keep the plastic tarp down and one to get our suits off.
Does the cast of Stuck in the Middle really get along like family?
The cast is like any family: We’re close, we work together every single day for months at a time, and we see each other more than we see our real siblings. We have ups and downs, we get upset with one another but at the end of the day we all really care about one another.
Who’s the coolest person you’ve met since working in Hollywood?
I’ve met a lot of cool people who have been so kind: Adam Levine, Pharrell, Amy Poehler, but the one person who really left me a little star struck was Steven Spielberg. I had worked on a TV show that he was the executive producer on, so when I met him we had a little to chat about. He knew exactly the character that I had played and was very nice. We took a bunch of selfies. But, I have to say the coolest person I have met is Blake Shelton. I met him a few times at The Voice and he was so generous with his time and always made me laugh. He’s very easy to talk to. I have seen him a few times since then outside of The Voice, and he’s stopped what he’s doing to say hi and take a photo with me. He’s pretty huge and doesn’t really have to do that, but he does and that’s what makes him so cool.
What’s your favorite TV show besides your own, of course?
My favorite TV show besides SITM is Hawaii 5-0. Sometimes I watch it on Netflix but only 2 episodes at a time. I don’t dare binge watch because when it’s over, it’s over. It’s so good! I’ve told my agent a hundred times that I want to be on that show!
Don’t miss the finale of *Stuck In The Middle Friday at 8pm ET on Disney Channel.