Leo Howard Headshot - P 2014
AP ImagesThis story first appeared in the May 23 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
Networks regularly indulge their stars’ desire to step behind the camera. But how about obliging a 16-year-old? Leo Howard, the lead in Disney XD’s Kickin’ It, was recently certified by Guinness World Records as the youngest TV director for his episode that airs June 30.
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“I knew people would be thinking, ‘That kid,’ so I focused on the camera-blocking and what the actors needed,” says Howard. EP Jim O’Doherty was impressed: “We finished a half-hour early!” Departing Disney/ABC TV chief Anne Sweeney, who’s on a similar path, take note.
