Fans can get the scoop on young Kal-El Tuck, star of Time Bandits.
Time Bandits on Apple TV+ is a remake series of Terry Gilliam’s 1981 cult classic film of the same name. The story follows a preteen boy named Kevin, played by Kal-El Tuck (yes, he’s named after Superman), who is pulled into a grand adventure throughout time alongside a motley group of thieves.
4 Fun Facts About Time Bandits’ Kal-El Tuck
Kal-El Tuck Is Inspired by Will Smith
During a sit-down with Fear Crypt, 12-year-old Kal-El Tuck explained how he first got his start in the acting world, noting that it was something he pleaded with his mother to try:
“I was begging my mum for a very long time that I wanted to be an actor, then she said yes and we applied to a few different agencies and luckily a top sole agency (Rebel Nineteen) accepted me.”
Not only that, but Tuck has drawn influence from one of the biggest stars of the ‘90s and 2000s, the multi-talented Will Smith:
“Will Smith because he's good at singing, good at acting and good at every part.”
According to Lincolnshire Live, Kal-El Tuck also has lofty ambitions to become a “huge movie star.” His personal favorite actors include big names in the action/adventure genre, such as Tom Holland, Dwayne Johnson, and the aforementioned Will Smith.
Kal-El’s First Role Was in Horror Short Unseeing Evil
At the 2020 Venice Shorts Film Festival, Tuck took home the award for Best Youth Actor for his work in Unseeing Evil from director Jaye-adams.
In the short film, which is less than three minutes, Tuck stars as Tommy, a blind boy who encounters something sinister in the middle of the night.
Louise Tuck, Kal-El’s mom, commented on what a “huge achievement” it was for her son to take home the Best Youth Actor award:
“We’re big movie buffs. We filmed this in October time but have had to keep it quiet until now. The movie has won awards at the Best International Horror Short Film in the Venice Shorts Film Festival 2020. Not only is this a huge achievement with him being the lead, he also won the Best Young Actor award.”
Kal-El’s Never Seen the Movie Time Bandits Is Based On
Released in 1981, Time Bandits followed many of the same beats as the new Apple TV+ series based upon it. The film was directed by Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame and the series was also executive produced by Gilliam and frequent Marvel collaborator Taika Waititi.
But according to Kal-El Tuck, he completely refrained from checking out the original Time Bandits after being cast in the show.
He feared that watching the film would influence his performance, citing a strong desire to FandomWire to “be [his] own Kevin” and differentiate his take from that of the original Kevin, portrayed by Craig Warnock in '81:
“So I didn’t watch the original movie, but my dad did. And it’s amazing to watch a thing that originally my dad watched, but I didn’t watch it because I wanted to be my own Kevin. I didn’t want to be someone else’s version of Kevin, I didn’t want to be influenced.”
The young star was also asked how he felt working opposite notable names like Lisa Kudrow and Taika Waititi:
“Well, of course, I’ve watched Friends. It’s amazing to look up to someone and then be able to meet them and not only just meet them but work with them. It’s just so amazing to work with these actors because they’re great actors.”
Waititi also appears in Time Bandits as the Supreme Being, and it seems the quirky filmmaker kept Kal-El Tuck on his toes while filming:
“And Taika Waititi, I had a one-on-one scene with him, and it was so fun because halfway through the scene, he’d improvise and change it altogether — get a new costume, put new stuff on the set — and it’s just a fun challenge to go for.”
Kal-El Has Big Ideas for Time Bandits Season 2
The finale episode of Time Bandits leaves things open for the tale to continue into a second season, should Apple TV+ renew the series.
A Season 2 of Time Bandits hasn’t been ordered, but that hasn’t stopped Tuck from dreaming up what could happen if the adventure can continue, like a journey into the future:
“I think one really good time that they should go to is probably the future. If they can go through any time at all, I feel like the future would be a great one because you could do so much with that.”
Tuck and co-star Lisa Kudrow also said they would jump at the chance to do another season of Time Bandits (via Screen Rant).
How To Follow Kal-El Tuck Online
For those wondering where to see more of Kal-El Tuck, he has an Instagram account (@kal_el.tuck).
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