‘Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai’ Star AJ LoCascio Talks Landing Role of Gizmo (Exclusive)

HBO Max is now officially Max, and that means new content is on the streaming platform. On Tuesday, the new animated series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai premiered on Max and it’s a prequel to the Gremlins movies that premiere in the 1980s and 1990s. PopCulture.com spoke exclusively to AJ LoCascio who voices the role of Gizmo, and he talked about how he got the role. 

“Gave me the role, so that worked,” LoCascio exclusively told PopCulture. “So I was like, yes. But as soon as I saw the audition, I kind of freaked out and I ran to my girlfriend and I was just going, ‘I’m doing Gizmo.’ Gizmo’s someone, something I grew up with, so I was very, very well aware. But as soon as I saw that that was a thing, I was ecstatic. And then when I got it, I was like, holy crap. So I wanted to voice Gizmo because he’s Gizmo.”

Gizmo is the main character in the Gremlins movies and is the one mogwai/gremlin that is not evil. In Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, which is set in 1920, Gizmo is taken away from his home and discovered by a family in Shanghai. With the help of the family, Gizmo goes on a long journey to make his way back home. 

With this being a prequel, will fans see a different version of Gizmo since he’s younger? “He’s more worldly, obviously, towards the end or towards the films, but he’s, from what I understand, he’s been living in his world, his domain from childhood or whatever,” LoCascio explained. “But I mean, Gizmo’s there. He seems pretty well-formed by the time we meet him in the show where he’s already got his own opinions and attitudes. So he’s not that dissimilar from how we’ll see him in the films. At least that’s my interpretation of it. But I just tried to play him as close to Howie Mandel as humanly possible.”

LoCascio also talked about how fans have been waiting for this series to be released based on his experience at ComicCon. “I grew up with Gremlins. I knew Gremlins is a big deal. It wasn’t until we all went to ComicCon together and then we saw the audience, and I remember looking over at you guys and you were just as nervous as I was. I was like, ‘Oh, okay. We’re all realizing at the exact same time, how big this is and how expansive,’” he said. “And then we’re signing autographs and stuff and people are like, ‘Oh my God, I grew up with Gremlins.’ And it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s right. This is a thing.’ You know, don’t realize it until you’re meeting face-to-face, people, how large and intimidating this campaign is.”

The first two episodes of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai are currently streaming on Max, and a new episode will debut every Tuesday.