Actor Sean Whalen has kept pretty busy over the last 25 years, starting with his debut appearance in an episode of the TV series Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Most notably, he identified with the character of Roach in Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, but thankfully Mr. Whalen wasn’t necessarily typecast as a young friendly cannibal. When he appeared at the Knoxville Fanboy Expo on June 6, 2015, I didn’t originally have him on my list to get, but Carolyn recognized him from his “Roach” roll right away, so I went ahead and picked him up… and I’m glad I did.
Most of his other rolls weren’t exactly huge, but it is remarkable how many interesting ones he has on his resume. There are quite a bit of good movies in which he appeared: Batman Returns, Waterworld, Twister, The Cable Guy, That Thing You Do!, Men in Black, and Rob Zombie’s Halloween II.
Of even more interest to me were the sitcoms in which he played small roles: Friends, Scrubs, and Cosby. He even has a Superman connection by starring in an episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Plus four episodes of Lost and – get this – he actually took over the role of Wormser from Andrew Cassese in Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation. Now I can say that I’ve met both Wormsers! And if that excites you, well then… Revenge of the Nerds III might be just the movie for you!
But above all, he was a very genuinely friendly guy. That somewhat strange smile of his that seemed quite creep in the movies, took on a warm and inviting feeling when Carolyn and I met him. No one argues with a $20 autograph any more, and when it comes with a free photo op for both Carolyn and me, all the better.
The next time you see the Friends episode The One with George Stephanopoulos, keep an eye out for the pizza delivery guy. He once lived under the stairs, and he later was super nice to Brad & Carolyn.
Celebrity encounters from the Summer 2015 Knoxville Fanboy Expo will continue…
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