I'm going to buy Matthew Ewald a t-shirt that reads, simply: "dream." If he wears it, he'll never have to open his mouth again. That single word fuels everything he does - which accounts for much of his success.

At 25, Matthew is a working actor and up-and-coming writer. He started his creative life in theatrical films and made-for-cable dramas and thrillers. An early genre fan, he devoured R. L. Stine's Goosebumps series. There the seed was planted. It fruited later, with his work on a Fox TV series called Galidor. The show sparked Matthew's enthusiasm, inspired him to write, and set him on his current path - one well worth recounting for those of us still in the trenches, trying to make our creative careers work.

S&S: Matthew, thanks for taking the time to talk with me. I understand things are little hectic at the moment.

Matthew: I pulled an all-nighter for a studio pitch-project. Between that, finishing my novel, working on short stories - I just sold a story called "The Plague Saints" - I'm going on about 36 hours with no sleep. So I apologize ahead of time for rambling.

S&S: We're writers. We ramble - and lose sleep - professionally.

Matthew: (laughs) True!

S&S: You've talked about the role your parents played in your early acting career, and in supporting your writing goals and ambitions. I don't mean to sound snarky, but your childhood sounds a lot like an episode of "Smallville."

Matthew: My parents set up a telescope in the backyard when I was a kid. They showed me the stars and said, "any one of those can be yours. Don't be afraid to chase them."

S&S: Wow.

Matthew: True story, man. They taught me that anything worth dreaming is worth fighting for. My dreams were to be a professional actor, a published author, and screenwriter.

S&S: Just this past year, you published "Stolen Innocence" in issue #7 of Fantastic Horror. There's another one -

Matthew: "Alleyway Dead," in Fantastic Horror #8. Should be out by the time this interview goes live.

S&S: So, at age 25, you're two for three. Not bad.

Matthew: It is very exciting. Every time I get another acceptance it's just as exciting.

S&S: How does writing compare to acting? Do you get the same satisfaction from both?

Matthew: Both are about creating stories. Whether I'm acting or writing, it's about turning the ordinary into something extraordinary.

Promotional poster for Galidor. Artwork by Drew Struzan.

S&S: Was it that love of the extraordinary that led you to audition for Galidor?

Matthew: Definitely. I was having dinner with my father when I first heard about it. When the call came in, I was already thinking, "this is it." My agent sent me the breakdown, I read about the characters, their arcs ... I was hooked. I auditioned in California several times, and I fought for it tooth and nail. I wanted it so bad.

S&S: What was the audition process like? You had already been through that several times before you read for Galidor.

Matthew: I had, yes. For the most part, the auditions seemed easy. The first one was the easiest I've ever had - I tried a few different things with the casting director, and that was that. For my final California audition, I was in front of about 20 or so producers and executives from FOX, Cinegroupe, The Tom Lynch Company, and YTV, along with the casting director and creator of the series.

S&S: That sounds a little nerve-wracking.

Matthew: It was a nervous day. But it was still fun. They treated me like a prince. That sort of kindness you don't forget. They asked me to stay - I was the only one auditioning for Nicholas Bluetooth that day - and I read with 17 actresses auditioning for the other lead.

S&S: The only guy in a room with 17 beautiful girls? Okay. Now I know why you became an actor.

Matthew: Hey, it's not a bad job to have.

S&S: Did the show do well when it aired?

Matthew: It took off. Ratings were good. The merchandising thing happened - action figures, apparel, two video games, comic books.

S&S: And toys.

Matthew: McDonald's Happy Meal toys.

S&S: So you were an action figure?

Matthew: Yeah. (laughs) It was surreal. But it was like the best Christmas ever. I keep all that stuff - I have all the action figures, the toys. I display them in my den. Not out of a sense of ego, but to remind myself of how fortunate I've been, and what's possible when you follow the dream. I have the framed movie posters. I even have a prop from Galidor - a map that was used in the series. It's fun. It's just stuff I've done that I'm proud of.

Matthew, meet Nicholas. Publicity shot for New York Toy Fair.

S&S: Despite its popularity, Galidor only lasted two years.

Matthew: The cancellation had nothing to do with ratings. The show had fans, a following. I can't really say much about what happened, but when you have a major studio, all those merchandisers, lots of money ... sometimes things go south. It was not about the quality of the show.

S&S: You still seem pretty passionate about it.

Matthew: Galidor was the kind of thing that made me want to be an actor in the first place. It was never just a paycheck to me. Some actors look at shows like that as a stepping stone, a way to get to the next level. I hear it a lot. "It's just some show for kids."

S&S: A lot of those shows, like the old "Land of the Lost" series, have a reputation for cheesiness, even though many episodes were scripted by respected science fiction writers.

Matthew: It's a perception. And Galidor certainly has its detractors. But it always meant something to me. I've gone to great lengths to try to get it going again, up to and including offering to fund it myself.

S&S: What was it like to work on?

Matthew: It was like family. I know actors always say that - "oh, we all got along so well," and then later you read that they were ready to kill each other by the time production wrapped. I lived with those people for two years - the actors, crew, writers and directors, effects and lighting guys, catering and drivers. They were all my honorary aunts and uncles. Everybody believed in the show.

S&S: It was shot in Montreal?

Matthew: Yes. I lived there during shooting.

S&S: Was that a little scary?

Matthew: At first, and only in the sense that I really wanted Tommy (Galidor executive producer Tommy Lynch) to feel good about hiring me. I got off to such a wonderful start.

S&S: I detect a note of sarcasm.

Matthew: The weekend before we started shooting, I got food poisoning. It was miserable. Up for two nights, curled around the toilet, cold sweats ... I hear this knock at my door and it's the driver to take me to the set. I said, 'I thought my call was 4:30 a.m.' The guy says, 'Mr. Ewald, it is 4:30 a.m.' That was my first day. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd slept. I was a total mess, thinking, they're going to regret having ever hired me, they're going to think I'm some amateur ... but they were terrific, really supportive. That set the stage for the next two years.

Between takes.

S&S: Since Galidor's cancellation, you've continued to act, but you've also put considerable time and energy into your writing. Your published work is horror, and some of your works-in-progress are what I would call "dark science fiction."

Matthew: I love horror. When it works, it claims you - it just opens its jaws and howls. I personally don't enjoy violence, especially purposeless violence. What I love is the psychological aspect -- what it does to the mind. A lot of fantasy stories transport characters to this amazing, beautiful world - it's like paradise. I like to see what happens when you transport characters to an alien world and the first thing they see is a stack of charred bodies two dozen feet high. These are kids, eleven or twelve years old - what happens to them when they're thrown into a war zone? How do they react?

S&S: Einstein said eventually we'll go back to chucking rocks at each other. Whatever it takes to win - to survive.

Matthew: The survival instinct is strong. A whole new set of behaviors springs from it - stuff that surprises you. And then there's the idea that it all springs from us, anyway. That's where the real horror is.

S&S: There's the old Walt Kelly saying: we have met the enemy, and he is us.

Matthew: It's perverse. But that's the fascination. We are dual-natured. Horror allows us to explore that.

S&S: Do you consider yourself a full-time writer now?

Matthew: I've taken a break from acting, but it's only a break. I'll never stop. I still have passion for it. The dream of acting has evolved. Now I want to write one one of my passion projects and bring it to life in film. But my greatest happiness is writing. I find peace there. I've never known anything like it.

S&S: Having started your acting career so early means you have an enviable amount of freedom to take breaks, choose projects, and focus on what you love.

Matthew: I've been smart with what I've earned. I was offered good advice and I took it. As an artist, it is very possible to live without worry or fear. There are risks, but not doing what you love is a bigger risk. Without passion, without the dream, you have nothing.

S&S: James Magnuson, a poet laureate who also wrote several novels, said, "there is nothing safe about what any of us are doing."

Matthew: You have to take risks in order to truly live. I don't want to have any regrets in my life. If I did, it would be because I didn't chase the stars. I'm not about to let that happen. I still have that telescope.

~Fin~