“You go in, you clock in, you clock out, you have a cubicle,” he said

NEED TO KNOW

• Dylan Sprouse reflected on his early acting career, comparing it to “child labor” during a conversation on his Wildmen podcast
• He shared how growing up in the industry shaped his self-esteem and created a “workaholic attitude”
• Sprouse credited his twin brother Cole and peers like Mark Indelicato for helping him navigate childhood fame

Dylan Sprouse is reflecting on his start in Hollywood. 

On the Tuesday, Sept. 1 episode of the Wildmen podcast he co-hosts with writer and director Brendan Columbus, the former Disney star, 34, referred to his early acting career as “child labor.”

The conversation began before the pair introduced their guest, Mark Indelicato, whom Sprouse said he’d known since he was about 12 or 13 years old. 

“We worked together on an episode of The Suite Life,” he explained, saying the episode was about an audition to promote High School Musical as Sprouse’s costar, Ashley Tisdale, was a cast member on both.

“Did you sing and dance?” Columbus asked.

“I did. I sung and danced. I’m a Disney kid. I have to sing and dance,” Sprouse said, adding that it’s not something he likes to do unless it’s for comedic purposes.

The Big Daddy star called the 32-year-old Ugly Betty alum “one of the most talented actors I know,” noting that they both grew up in the industry.

“It’s child labor. When you work a career at that age, some kids used to work in coal mines and guard the minecart door when they were 15; we just sang and danced. It’s still child labor,” Sprouse said with a laugh.

He added that he was looking forward to speaking with Indelicato about that topic as he still has “some mental hurdles as an adult acting now in the same industry.”

Sprouse, who is currently expecting his first child with wife Barbara Palvin, wondered if he is always “chasing” acting like a child in his roles.

“We’re survivors, literally,” Indelicato told Sprouse once he joined the conversation.

The former Disney star brought up the “workaholic attitude” he felt he developed as a child, due to acting from the age of 8 to 17.

“It’s a full office job,” he continued. “I’ve described this to people a lot before. When you’re working on television, it’s a day job. You go in, you clock in, you clock out, you have a cubicle, you work obviously, it’s, you know, you’re on a stage and it’s different, but it’s the same hours.”

Despite the seemingly mundane pattern, Sprouse said once it’s “gone,” there’s a “void.”

“Because we’ve been doing it for so long, it feels like my self-esteem, for a long time, was tied integrally to my ability to work and be on set,” Sprouse said.

Indelicato agreed, admitting to having experienced his own “anxiety” when he wasn’t working.

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“I was lucky enough to have an identical twin who experienced the same exact thing, right?” Sprouse added of his brother Cole. 

Indelicato pointed out that not only did the twins share the same experiences, they also went through it at “the same exact time” as costars on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, where the brothers were the lead actors.

For Dylan, although having a hit television show with his twin brother at a young age came with “its own full set of bullsh-t,” he said he was “thankful to have” people like Cole and Indelicato to relate to.

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