Skyler Gisondo stars in the film Primetime opposite Robert Pattinson

Early Career and the Pizza Hut Origin

Skyler Gisondo secured his Screen Actors Guild card at six years old after booking a commercial for Pizza Hut’s Cinna Meal Deal in 2002. Beating out roughly 100 children for the 30-second spot, the young actor landed the gig largely due to a speech impediment that casting directors found appealing. “I remember I was bummed because I had it in my head that you’d get lifetime free Pizza Hut,” Gisondo said, recalling his mother’s explanation that the commercial paid actual money instead of free pies. Childhood television guest roles on Monk and Everybody Loves Raymond soon followed, leading to film appearances in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Four Christmases, and The Amazing Spider-Man. While filming the third “Night at the Museum,” co-stars Ben Stiller and Robin Williams assisted the 17-year-old actor in recording a video to ask his girlfriend to high-school prom. “Robin started doing voices and bouncing off the walls in the way that only he could,” Gisondo said. “I remember being 17 and thinking, ‘That’s the greatest moment of my life.’”

Transition to Dramatic Work in Primetime

In Primetime, directed by Lance Oppenheim, Gisondo plays Dan Plum, an aspiring actor who poses as a teenager on NBC’s To Catch a Predator to help journalist Chris Hansen, played by Robert Pattinson, catch potential predators. The fictional character serves as an amalgam of Dan Schrack, a former decoy actor who became a morning news anchor, and other adult decoys from the reality series. “I was like, ‘Dude, what have you seen of mine that makes you think this would be a good idea?'” Gisondo recalled of his initial conversation with Oppenheim. Having built a career on affable comedic performances in Booksmart and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza, Gisondo admitted to experiencing major impostor syndrome upon entering production. Pattinson, who also serves as a producer on the film, knew immediately that Gisondo fit the part. Within seconds of the screen test, Pattinson recalled thinking that Gisondo possessed the grace, enthusiasm, and expressive eyes required for the role. To prepare for the part, Gisondo studied old episodes of the reality series to mimic the mannerisms and physical choreography of decoys who maintained small talk in rental home kitchens before Hansen’s entrance. “They’re responsible for the choreography, in a way,” Gisondo explained. “They know what marks they need to get to; they have these lines they can fall back on. But it’s an evolving situation with a potentially dangerous person.”

Upcoming Film and Television Projects

Following Primetime, Gisondo has multiple high-profile projects scheduled. He will voice Farkle, the son of Shrek and Fiona, in the upcoming animated feature Shrek 5, slated for release next year. He will also lead the HBO Max series The People vs. Gorilla Grodd, reprising his character Jimmy Olsen. Gisondo also reunites with Booksmart co-stars Beanie Feldstein and Eduardo Franco for the raunchy family comedy Focker-in-Law, starring Ariana Grande and arriving in theaters on November 25.