Exclusive Interview: Rising Star Aiden Howard Talks Goosebumps, It’s a Wonderful Knife, His Creative Process, and More

Aiden Howard stands out as one of the emerging stars in 2023. Transitioning from a career in banking, this skilled storyteller has secured sought-after roles in notable projects such as Riverdale, Firefly Lane, and N’xaxaitkw, where he skillfully displays his emotional depth, versatile range, and unmatched comedic timing.

This year, catch Aiden Howard in not just one, but two of the most buzzed-about projects of 2023: Goosebumps and It’s a Wonderful Knife.

Inspired by R.L. Stine’s globally beloved book series, Goosebumps unfolds the thrilling narrative of five high schoolers delving into a mysterious and twisted quest. Their mission: to unravel the tragic events surrounding the untimely demise of a teenager named Harold Biddle three decades earlier, all while uncovering unsettling secrets from their parents’ history. Aiden commands the spotlight in this captivating series, embodying Sam, a jock who defies the typical stereotypes.

In It’s a Wonderful Knife, Aiden takes on the role of Jimmy, the beloved brother of the protagonist, Winnie. A year after heroically saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie’s life takes a turn for the worse. When she wishes she had never been born, she finds herself in a nightmarish parallel universe. In this alternate reality, she discovers that without her presence, things are much, much darker. Now, with the killer’s return, Winnie must join forces with the town misfit to unmask the murderer and navigate her way back to her own reality.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Aiden about Goosebumps, It’s a Wonderful Knife, his creative process and journey into the industry, and more.

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting and storytelling? How did this journey begin for you?
Aiden: I was always really into the movies. The reason why I’m an actor is honestly because of Sky Kids. I watched that movie all the time growing up. I wanted to be a spy kid so badly. One day, my mom had to sit me down. She was like, “You can’t be a spy kid, but you can be an actor. That’s what they’re doing in that.” I was like, “That sounds sweet.” But I ended up playing sports my whole life and was way too busy with that, so I never really had a chance to dive into it. Then I started working in banking after university. I studied accounting in university. I was working in that world and living in L.A. and I was super unfulfilled.

I decided to take an acting class. I was like, “Why not?” I thought I wanted to make money and be successful in the finance industry, and it was so clearly not for me. I took a class, and I was like, “Wow, this is really fun. I’m not terrible at it.” That’s where it started snowballing. I ended up getting an agent, booking a movie, and quitting my job and became a full-time actor.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your young career. When you look back, is there a moment that stands out?
Aiden: It’s probably when I was filming Firefly Lane. That was a show that I had watched as a fan and I loved it. There was this one picnic scene where I’m laying on my back in West Vancouver, where I grew up. I was like, “I’m filming a Netflix show that I used to watch. What the heck?” A year ago, that was just a pipe dream. That’s probably one moment that stands out.

PC: You’re having a banner year with It’s a Wonderful Knife and Goosebumps, which are both fantastic projects. What is your process like deciding what you want to audition for? What was it about these characters that resonated with you?
Aiden: To be completely truthful, I’m definitely at a point in my career where I’m not being too picky. I get my auditions, and I’m very thankful for the opportunities that I do have. I’ve been really lucky that the doors that have been open are things that I’m passionate about and that I’m a fan of. That’s really lucky. Everything that I’ve done, I’m really stoked to be a part of, and I’m excited about what we’re doing.

What I really liked about these two characters is in past media, they’re very oxymoronic characters. They’re characters that weren’t around ten years ago, especially Jimmy in It’s a Wonderful Knife. Michael [Kennedy] wrote this awesome character. He’s a jock, he’s the man, and he’s gay, but that’s not the focal point of his story; it’s just who he is. It makes it very easy for people to see themselves represented. I’m very honored to get to play both of these parts. They’re both really fun. Knife was really fun because it was so raised, ostentatious, and fun.

PC: In Knife, Winnie (Jane Widdop) comes to understand the impact that she’s had on others. Who were the people in your own life who have shaped the storyteller that you are today?
Aiden: A big one is definitely my mom. She spent so much time with me growing up and really informed my outlook on the world. We’re very much the same person. Then also my dad, I’m very thankful for him. One of the reasons why I was able to jump into acting so quickly and understand it is because I understood stories. He made sure that I saw great movies and took me to concerts. He really informed a lot of my artistic tastes.

PC: How much does music play a role in your preparation for these different characters?
Aiden: I usually build a playlist for every character. Music is such a huge part of my life, so I like to think like, “What would Jimmy listen to? What would Sam listen to?” It’s funny. In the past for emotional scenes, I’d leave the headphones in until the very last second, but I’m learning to cut that back. But I’m definitely in my trailer playing music, I’m getting pumped. But I’ve found that I do better work when I’m connected to the world around me. So that’s not having my headphones in and just talking with everyone around me and being present in the moment. I’m finding it’s better for me to enter a scene.

PC: What’s so interesting about these projects is that It’s a Wonderful Knife is an indie while Goosebumps is a larger-scale budgeted project. How different are those filming experiences?
Aiden: The biggest difference is we shot Goosebumps on a stage. When you’re driving to set every morning, you know where everything is. On Knife, we shot on location, so you’re driving out to all these random places. With Knife, it was funny. We were filming pretty far away and we did a lot of night shoots. You’d actually drive with traffic at 7 p.m. and then at 7 a.m. you’d be driving home with traffic again. [laughs]

As far as the on-set experience, they’re pretty similar. In TV, you need to keep your schedule. In indie filmmaking, you definitely have to keep your schedule because of the budget. We shot Knife in eighteen days. There wasn’t a lot of leeway. What I really enjoyed about Goosebumps is that it was a very hands-on experience. Rob Letterman and Nicholas Stoller were rewriting as we were going. You were getting so many updates. It felt like we were creating and molding as we went, and that was exciting to see unfold.

PC: Another through line between these two projects is that you’ve taken these beloved stories that people know and love and flipped them on their heads. If you could do that for another story/franchise, which would it be and why?
Aiden: That’s a great question. My favorite movie of all time is A Beautiful Mind. That’s my dream role, so maybe something in that world where the psychosis kicks in a little bit earlier. In that movie, it’s in his forties where it really starts to take hold. But it would be interesting to play something like that in high school or college and what that would look like and how the character would be hiding it and not wanting to admit it.

PC: You’re also working with so many legends and veterans in this industry. What have you learned from watching them, particularly Justin Long who you’ve worked with in both projects in very different roles?
Aiden: With regards to Justin, I remember driving home and I was like, “There’s so much road ahead for me.” I’m where I’m at, and then you see someone like Justin who’s becoming someone completely different but inhabiting it in a way that’s so believable. That sounds depressing, but I was like, “There’s so much road ahead. Look how good I could get. Look what I can do with this craft.” I found that to be super motivating. He’s incredible. Watching someone who’s done it for so long and how they do scenes on set and what that looks like, you can tell he knows this gig so well and what needs to happen. That’s so impressive to me.

PC: You really got to show off your range in Episode 104 with Miles McKenna’s character and relieving that specific moment in this loop. What was it like getting to work with him as you approached the dynamic between your two characters, particularly when it comes to replaying that scene over and over again while keeping it fresh?
Aiden: First off, working with Miles is amazing. We were lucky enough that we got to meet up and hang out before we started filming. Everyone was so kind. That immediately puts you at ease. Miles is such a generous scene partner. He really wanted to do a good job and really wanted to talk it through. I really enjoyed that because I like the work and that aspect of things.

For my character, the approach was to do every scene as its own scene because he doesn’t know anything is happening. It was trying to keep it light and fresh for me. I can’t speak for Miles’ approach, but I think it turned out really well. It was super fun. I love how it came together.

PC: Like you were saying earlier, it was really important to Rob, Nick, and the creative team that you all had the freedom to make these characters your own. What did you bring to Sam that wasn’t initially on the page? How did that trust allow you to take agency over his journey?
Aiden: I think what I brought to Sam that wasn’t necessarily on the page was that I wanted him to be that kid that we all knew in high school who’s dialed in. For me that didn’t happen until college. I was pretty insecure. I didn’t know where I fit in the world in high school. I wanted to bring this energy to Sam where it’s like, “This is him.” He’s a little weirded out by James lying to him at the start, and he’s like, “Why would you lie? I’m going to like you either way. I like people.” I wanted him to be this confident, needs-nothing-from-the-world guy. I wanted him to be that nice guy who is dialed in and in that adult headspace in the world.

PC: Based on how Season 1 ends, there’s a huge possibility to continue to tell this story. If we’re lucky enough to get a second season, is there an aspect of Sam that you’re really interested in delving further into?
Aiden: Definitely. I feel like for a lot of people, we want to see that next conversation between James and Sam where they’re like, “What’s going on?” I’d love for them to meet at the same place and see what that vibe is. Also, selfishly, there are so many cool, scary things in the show. I would love to be in on some of the frights.

PC: You definitely such phenomenal performances in both projects. Is there a scene that you’re excited for audiences to see?
Aiden: I’ll do one for each. For It’s a Wonderful Knife, it’s the real estate commercial with Joel [McHale]. When I read that in the script, I was like, ” I can’t wait to shoot that, especially with Joel.” That one always puts a smile on my face or when I run and jump into his arms when I get my truck. Joel’s like six foot six and I’m not. [laughs]

Then I really liked the breakup scene with one of Jame’s dupes. That was originally not in the script. We actually shot that like three months after we had filmed episode three. They were putting it together, and they wrote that scene. They felt like they needed to come back to it. Now watching it, I’m so glad they did. It’s a really fun scene and I think it shows more than any other scene who Sam is. He’s a nice guy. He’s like, “I’m not going to do this if you’re going to be a jerk.” Then James storms out.

PC: Outside of these two projects, what’s next for you?
Aiden: We just wrapped the strike, so I’m getting back into auditioning. I had my first couple of auditions this week. I wrote and directed a short film in Montreal this summer, so I’m actually in the middle of editing that right now. I’m super excited to see that come together. I’m doing it with my friend Emilie Bierre who I did N’xaxaitkw with. I’m having a lot of fun with that. It’s been really fun to take on more of that creative process.

To keep up with Aiden, follow him on Instagram. Season 1 of Goosebumps is out now on Disney+. Catch It’s a Wonderful Knife on AMC today and soon on Shudder.

Photo Credit: Arjun Malik