The snowsuit guys! Jason Dolley, Nicholas Braun and Luke Benward starred together in Disney Channel’s Minutemen — and the actors have a deep appreciation for their roles in the film.
“I’m walking through first class [on an airplane]. I see [Quentin Tarantino]. I’m like, ‘Oh my god, there he is.’ And I had just done this Disney Channel Original Movie,” Braun, who starred as Zeke Thompson in the family-friendly comedy, explained during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in March 2023. “And so this DCOM was called Minutemen and so it had just come out and there was an ad for it on the back of a Tiger Beat magazine. And so I get up to first class and I look at him and he’s sitting on the window side so I sort of have to reach over a person and say, ‘Quentin, Quentin, I’m in this DCOM called Minutemen and it just came out and here’s the ad! That’s me!’”
The Succession actor noted that the advertisement, which featured the longline “zero to hero,” was three guys — Braun, Dolley, and Benward — “flying through time because they created a time travel machine” to go from “dorks to heroes.” It was a premise that the Prom star couldn’t help but share with the Kill Bill director.
“So I’m like, ‘Quentin, that’s me in this movie and I really hope to work with you someday. I think you’re the best. That’s all I got,’” Braun continued, laughing. “And he looked at it like it was a torn piece of paper, and he was like, ‘I hope so too.’”
The 2008 cult classic — which was directed by Lev L. Spiro — followed Virgil (Dolley), Charlie (Benward) and Zeke (Braun), as they invent a time machine intended to save their fellow students from embarrassing situations. However, when turning back the clock has serious consequences — including being hunted down by the FBI and opening a black hole — they realize the world as they know it may be over.
While the made-for-TV film wasn’t a blockbuster hit, it has become a fan favorite over the years — for both viewers and the actors alike. While speaking with Teen Vogue in January 2019, Benward reflected on his time with Disney Channel and shared that his role as Charlie in the film remains one of his best memories.
“I played the super-genius who created a time machine. I remember I asked if I could go in [for the part], and my agent reached out and came back and was basically like, ‘They just don’t see you for it. They don’t think you can play nerdy.’ I was like, bump that. I’m going in. I’m going full in,” the Ravenswood alum shared. “I came in with a butt part where I slicked it back, I went all out, I may have even changed my voice a little bit. Then I found out that last minute, they had someone in mind and I came in and Charlie Tuttled out. But I love that character.”
He added, “Disney fit the mold much better for growing with my craft. It gave me room to explore, and I loved it.”
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