Ocean Pleasant: What advice would you give to your younger self?
Atticus Shaffer: My mom has always been there for me and she is like my hero. She has always told me, “Always be yourself.” I would continue to tell my younger self the same thing. You need to stay true to yourself and stand firm in what you believe in.
OP: What makes you feel most alive?
AS: Life itself. I love and appreciate the little things in life. I love nature and animals. I love books, reading, storytelling, my garden—kind of like Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit. However, what is most important to me and makes me feel most alive is being able to spend time with my family and friends.
OP: What truth do you live by?
AS: That’s hard to pick only one, because I have many truths I live by. My mom taught me to love words of inspiration, whether they be poems, scripture, etc. I wake up to see this quote in front of me every day of my life and has it become my truth: “To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a redeemed social condition or a job well done; To know even one other life has breathed easier because you lived: This is to have succeeded.” Also, Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.
OP: Name an obstacle you’ve faced and overcome. What wisdom can you share from that experience?
AS: Everyone goes through many different challenges in their lives. Big, small, physical, or emotional, we all have struggles. I do have a physical challenge with osteogenesis imperfecta, but one that I do not [allow] to define me. It is part of who I am, not who I am as a whole. When we face a challenge or an obstacle, we should look at it, as difficult as it might be, as a way for us to grow. A positive, not a negative. It helps us to persevere and to become better people. I think one of the most important things we all need to know is that we are all meant to be different, for it makes us unique. The world would be so boring if we were all exactly the same. We have all been created to be who we are in our physical bodies, our personalities and interests, and we need to thrive in them.
OP: What is the craziest thing you’ve done for love or an obsession?
AS: I’m currently desperately trying to find blossoming Japanese cherry blossoms for Valentine’s Day and apparently they are incredibly hard to find. I’m currently at two nurseries, five websites, and I’m going to start florist shops now.
OP: If you could say one thing to everyone on the planet, what would it be?
AS: “Please get off your cell phones!”
OP: What causes are you passionate about and how can our readers become involved?
AS: While I am not with a specific cause at the moment, I am passionate about several issues and am narrowing my field to find a home with one or more of them. I am very passionate about rescue animals. Most of my furry family are rescues and they are some of my best friends I could ever have. Most of them came from a Mojave rescue called Halfway to Home [Animal Shelter]. My other passions lean toward my patriotism for our nation’s military, and, most recently, my activity with the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation has given me greater insight and compassion for those who are faced with this complicated and rare condition.
OP: What do you have coming up and how can we support you?
AS: I am continuing work for my character Brick on ABC’s The Middle.
However, I am also doing character voices in some upcoming cartoon projects for Disney and Dreamworks, and I am still doing work for my character Peedee on the Cartoon Network show Steven Universe. I stress that my goal is that I try to “leave the world a bit better” and I try, in all that I do and all who I meet, [to] not forget to be a person who can “know even one other life has breathed easier” in whatever I do. Maybe we can all support each other in this same goal.