ShareThisSqueaky-clean Andrew Lawrence has been walking on the dark side lately.
The youngest of the acting Lawrence brothers -- including Joey Lawrence and Matthew Lawrence -- is taking on more serious roles these days. On Showtime's "United States of Tara," he plays a born-again Christian teen who questions his sexuality. And now in the Hallmark Channel movie "Chasing A Dream," airing 9 p.m. EDT Saturday, he's a teen athlete dealing with the unexpected death of his best friend.
"Just before I got this script, both my grandmothers had died and my dog," Lawrence says in a phone interview. "I was just drawn to the story about death."
Such dark roles aren't exactly associated with the Lawrences. They are known for their family-friendly sitcoms and other lighter fare. "This movie is a little bit darker than what people are used to seeing me do," he says. "Combine that with 'Tara,' and I'm really coming out of left field. Last year is when I filmed all that stuff.
"It was definitely an interesting year, but I like all that stuff. For me as an actor, a variety of emotions is important in what I chose to do."
In "Dream," Lawrence plays a teen runner who wants to live out his late friend's wish of making a four-minute mile. His friends and family say it's too much of a challenge, but the teen is ready to do it anyway. For Lawrence, running was also an obstacle.
"When I got the role, I didn't realize it would have so much running," he says. "I'm an athlete, but I'm not a runner. I'm 5-foot-8 and stocky, not exactly a runner's type.
"By the end of the shoot, I couldn't move my legs. We tried to get a (stunt) double, but, by the end of the day, his legs gave out. I even got a slight tear in my Achilles' heel. Luckily, it healed."
He says "Dream" has inspired him to stay in shape. He now runs a couple of miles daily.
Having recently turned 21, Lawrence says he's taken stock of his life and his career. He's been acting since he was 2 years old.
"I've accomplished so much already," says Lawrence, who has close to 40 TV and film credits so far. "I'm a little scared and intimidated because another 20 years will pass so quickly. It's scary how much life passes you by. If you don't latch onto it, it can pass you by."
Working on "Tara" has changed the way some fans see him. A same-sex kissing scene didn't bother him.
"I didn't have a problem with it," he says. "I was OK with whatever they wanted me to do as long as it wasn't too nuts."
And when he opened the "Tara" script to see he was kissing another guy?
"It was weird, man," he says with an uneasy laugh. "I couldn't avoid it. I didn't really think about it that much. It was a job. All in a day's work."
Lawrence is fine that he and his brothers have lighter reputations. "That's OK," he says. "I don't want us to be known as the creepy dudes. We're all normal guys."
(E-mail Terry Morrow of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at morrow2(at)knews.com.)
