Exclusive Interview: Kira Kosarin and Jack Griffo Talk ‘The Thundermans Return’

Kira Kosarin and Jack Griffo are set to ignite the screen once more as they reprise their beloved roles as Phoebe and Max in The Thundermans Return. The iconic franchise, which aired from 2013-2018, follows a superhero family as they safeguard the world.

In this electrifying film, twins Phoebe (Kosarin) and Max (Griffo) find themselves embroiled in a thrilling adventure after a seemingly routine rescue mission takes an unexpected turn, catapulting the Thundermans back to Hiddenville. While Hank and Barb revel in their return to their hometown, Chloe forges new connections, and Billy and Nora navigate the challenges of high school life. Yet, for Max and Phoebe, reclaiming their superhero status becomes their primary mission.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Kira and Jack about their involvement in bringing back The Thundermans Return, how the project honors the legacy that they all created, and more.

PC: Kira, you all created something so special with The Thundermans, and you were instrumental in ensuring that this film built on that legacy. They brought you on as an executive producer. How did your involvement from that perspective influence and shape this script?
Kira: One of the things that was really important to me early on was bringing back as many people from The Thundermans world as we possibly could. There were some iterations that were just Phoebe and Max. I didn’t think it was going to be The Thundermans unless we had as many of the guest stars as possible and made sure that the entire family came back. Ultimately, that’s the thing that I’m the most grateful we were able to pull off—that everybody from the original series was able to come back.

I also really wanted to make sure that it felt silly and goofy the way the original show did, even though it’s technically a movie. So the decision to make it a multi-cam with a laugh track and that real Nickelodeon feel was something that I came in with pretty heavily from the start. I’m glad we were able to pull that together.

Then the other big thing was making sure that Jed Spingarn, the show’s creator, was at the helm and able to steer us through. He’s the best ever. We are so lucky to have him as our showrunner and creator. He did a fabulous job with this movie.

PC: Jack, you’ve played this character during such a formative time in your life, and it’s been six years since you’ve stepped into his shoes. How has the growth that you’ve experienced as a person, actor, and storyteller allowed you to bring a new perspective to playing Max? Were there new discoveries you made as you reprised this role?
Jack: That’s a great question. This is something that I’ve actually pondered as well. In the past six years, I’ve grown up so much, same with Kira. But thinking back to the original series, I was sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, and twenty years old on that show. At that point, you’re moving to L.A., you’re trying to become an actor, and then you get the show, and it becomes all about that.

While you jump ahead in a lot of ways professionally, you also fall behind in some ways personally, socially, and emotionally. Once the show was done, we all had to take a lot of time to really find out who we were as people. I know I can speak for myself that it was a time where I was like, “Wow, who am I outside of The Thundermans? Who is Jack?”

After spending all these years working on ourselves, coming back, it’s such an amazing thing because we get to play these characters again. But we’ve really developed so much as people, and we have so much more to give. We’re so much more realized as artists and individuals.

It was an amazing thing. I never thought we’d be able to do this again. Coming back has been surreal. I’m so grateful for it. I think everyone is going to love it.

PC: They will. Kira, this project sparked a passion in you to produce, and you stepped away from acting for a bit. How did that work behind the scenes impact the performance you gave on screen? If the film is well-received, which it will be, have there been early conversations about doing a potential sequel or another season?
Kira: It all depends. I hope that this movie is really well-received. If the fans love it and make a lot of noise about it and want more, we’d obviously love to do that.

I did step away from acting for a while. I didn’t really think I was going to have any desire to come back on camera, certainly not anytime soon. But getting to come back and be Phoebe again really did feel like home. If that opportunity continues to present itself over the next couple of years, I would love to be Phoebe for a little while. It was really nice to heal some bits of me and remember a part of my life that I really loved and am so grateful for. It’s been very cool to get to come back to it now.

PC: Welcome home. Jack, this is a franchise that has stood the test of time. There have been new generations who have discovered The Thundermans throughout the years. How does this film cater to all these different audiences while also standing on its own for new fans discovering it for the first time? Which cameo were you most surprised to see?
Jack: This movie isn’t one that you necessarily need to watch the series beforehand. You can pick it up without knowing much about the show and still really enjoy it. But the movie has the same tone as the show, yet it still feels new and contemporary in a cool way.

But for the fans that have been with us since the beginning, it’s going to feel very nostalgic and reminiscent, almost like a homecoming. There are a lot of cameos and guest stars that are back. They’re our friends in our personal lives as well. As I was saying earlier, when you do a show for over 100 episodes, it really bleeds into who you are as a person in your real life.

A lot of things that happen on set are happening off set at the same time. You’re a teenager. You’re having a lot of first-time experiences and experiencing life for the first time.

One of the cameos I’m excited about is Principal Bradford, played by the brilliant Jeff Meacham. He reprises his character in such an elegant way but also moves the needle forward. I just admire that so much in an actor. He’s so funny. He’s such a fun guy to be around, which is half of everything. You can be great at acting, but you also have to be a kind and gracious person. He really is that individual.

PC: That sense of family comes across on screen as well. Having worked together for several years, what’s one fun fact that fans would be surprised to learn about your co-star?
Kira: I have sister, twin loyalty. I can’t reveal Jack’s secrets to the public that he entrusted me with. [laughs] I’ve got to keep those close to the chest.

Jack: We’ve known each other. We’ve been friends even before the show because we were in acting class together. She was always the most prepared. I admire that she’s very studious. She always did well in school. I always lacked in that department. We’re a good team.

PC: You’re a dynamic duo. What’s so exciting about this film is that you’ve been able to rewrite another chapter for these characters. If you could revisit and write a new history for another character you’ve played, who would it be and why?
Jack: My friend Emory Kelly and I joke about this. He was a regular on Alexa & Katie, and I did a few episodes of that series. We always had a little fantasy that we’d do a spinoff show called Lucas and Dylan and that we’d go to college and get into some shenanigans together. Maybe one day…

Kira: I played a character named Nadia in Light as a Feather. Spoiler alert: She dies in that series, but I would love for that not to happen.

Jack: Or maybe Billy in Sharknado 2. Maybe he gets his own sequel.

Make sure to follow Kira (Twitter/Instagram) and Jack (Twitter/Instagram). The Thundermans Return premieres on Paramount+ on March 7th.

Photo Courtesy of Kira Kosarin and Jack Griffo