Henrie and Bell will headline the United Way Rocks for Education party from 6-8 p.m. Saturday at the UM’s BankUnited Center to benefit the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education. Expect performances by local dance teams, appearances by local celebrities, VIP meet and greets, contests and more.
We caught up with Henrie, 21, before the trip:
What made you decide to get involved?
There are so many great charities out there, but I thought this really hit problems on the nose. It’s important to take preventative measures to provide a solid education to kids at an early age, so it gives them something to build on and helps them avoid problems in the future.
When you do events like this, how crazy does it get?
It’s kind of mind blowing how many people know me from Wizards. I had a vague idea by seeing how well other Disney shows had done but didn’t realize it would get this big. In L.A. everyone’s cool; I have my spots I go to, but anytime I go out of town it’s kind of hard.
The show is ending after four seasons. What can we expect?
The episode that I wrote called “Meet the Werewolves” comes out in June so that’s exciting. Werewolves don’t like wizards so drama ensues. Parents also get turned into kids so they’re Tweeting and Facebooking, which is amusing.
What are you doing next?
I just shot a pilot for CBS called The Assistants about a group of Hollywood assistants working for an insecure, slightly psychotic celebrity played by Heather Locklear. I’m the fresh-faced kid trying to pursue his dreams of being a filmmaker. It’s written by Tucker Cawley, who did Everybody Loves Raymond, so it’s really funny.
Could you relate?
When I first came to L.A. I was very much the wide-eyed fish out of water. Any kind of character that I play has to be a part of myself. Ideally, I’d like to do filmmaking, every aspect of it. If my vision will tell the story properly I’m all for it.
Madeleine Marr
Event tickets are $15 for general admission, $25 for floor seats, and $50 VIP, which includes prime seats and a backstage meet and greet with Henrie and friends. For tickets, ticketmaster.com.
