This 'Life With Derek' Star Is Sharing The Reality Of Being A Child Actor & It Was 'Wild'

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Calling all peeps that grew up in the 2000s: this actor, known for playing Edwin in Life With Derek, is getting real about joining the industry at a young age, and shooting to Family Channel and Disney Channel stardom.

Danny Mags, who now lives in Vancouver, joined the iconic show when he was 12 years old until it ended in 2009. Thanks to the announcement of a new spinoff movie, the whole crew is back in the spotlight.

Life With Derek was a popular Canadian show that aired on Family Channel for four seasons and was also on Disney Channel in the U.S. It followed the hectic life of a blended family, of which Edwin was the younger brother.

In an interview with Narcity, Mags said that filming the first season in Newfoundland and Labrador was "a wild time" overall and that he loved it.

Life With Derek wasn't his first gig though.

"I got a lot of work when I was a kid. I've worked with some really big names, Julie Andrews, Jennifer Lopez, some pretty cool people," he said.

Then when he was 12 years old, he got his big break on Life With Derek.

The show was a hit, and after the first season wrapped, Disney decided to "invest a little in making it." That then allowed them to have some "creative input" on the Family Channel show, according to Mags.

He added that "when you're a kid, you're not trying to be an actor. They want kids that can just go out and be a really loud personality and I mean, that's just who I am."

"I loved coming to set, I was always walking around talking to the crew," he added.

His advice

Although it's tough with how things have changed over the past decade, Mags had a few things to say for anyone that is looking to get into the acting industry.

He suggested being "prepared to work" and that there are "no guarantees in this."

Plus, "you gotta love it in order to do the work."

Mags was a big part of the Life With Derek series and now that it's moving on to a new spin-off movie called Life With Luca. Unfortunately, though, he was not invited to join the new production.

He wasn't the only cast member to not get a call for the new movie, though. Jordan Todosey, who played Lizzie on the show, also didn't get the invite. But it's okay because the pair made their own hilarious scene for it.

"That is just the reality of what this industry is. It's not going to be nice to you all the time," he added.

He did jokingly say that if the new spin-off took off he wouldn't mind coming back as a "crazy uncle Eddy."

Now, Mags is living in Vancouver and is hosting trivia nights every Wednesday at The GPO Bar + Kitchen in Gastown. So, if you're a fan of the show, you can go say hi to this former child actor for yourself, in downtown Vancouver.

You can also follow him on Instagram and TikTok.