Behind The Scenes: “Talladega Nights”

Dad Gets to fish:

I had never auditioned before. I couldn't really even read. the only reason we went was because my dad went fishing and me and mom were bored. six weeks later our lives changed. Mom got a call at her office that I needed to go to Charlotte, NC to audition again. we almost didn't go because my folks didn't even really know if it was a real movie or not. But, they figured they'd take me to six flags on the way back and make a little vacation out of it. So when we rolled in, Instead of the 2,000 kids that were at the first audition, there were only thirty. I was the smallest one of those kids we figured I didn't have a chance. Instead of being in the room with the director and producers for fifteen minutes this time, I was back there for an hour and a half. What we didn't realized was that I had already been cast and they were trying to match me up to one of the other kids to play my older brother. 

two weeks later we got the call. Mom and I were to spend the next sixty days in charlotte to work on a real live movie.

Houston and I with Michael Clarke Ducan at the hotel

Blade, Mr. Kotter, and Frodo at the Halloween PArty

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SPidermonkey:

I think we spent a whole week just on the dinner table scene. We would do about two takes by the script and the rest was all-out improv. The only actual scripted line I had was the “capital of Northa Carolina” bit. The rest was all made up on the spot by Will And Adam And Judd. THey would sit just off camera and tell us things to yell at Poor Grandpa Chip, played by the wonderful Ted Manson. we felt so bad for yelling at him we went and apologized to him after that day. “Ahh don't worry about It” he said with a grin, “It's just acting.” That week changed the course of my life. And not a bit of it was planned. 

Me and Mr. Ted at the table read.

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Hootie:

Houston was six years older than me and since that was back before kids had cell phones, we really fell out of touch after the premiere. It wasn't until two weeks before his passing that we started texting back and fourth over instagram. He's the only person that would have recalled that wild experience from a child's perspective, and I couldn't wait to bounce off my memories off of him and see if he remembered those moments as I did. Those moments that changed our lives. We were pumped to meet up in the next few weeks when I went back home to alabama. I was Standing in my buddy's driveway when we got the call. I was devastated. TMZ broke the story and Mom wanted me to hear it from her first.

fifteen years after I last saw Hootie, I was preparing to record my album and my producer passed away a month from when we were to step into the studio. I was scrambling. Out of the clear blue sky i was reminded that houston's sister, Hayden, was an audio engineer for UNiversal Music Group in NAshville. She recorded the entire album and I've worked with her on the mix almost every weekend after that. 

I miss houston. We all miss him terribly.

In his memory “The Houston Project” was founded and actively works to help veterans in need.

For information regarding “the Houton Project” Visit: