Actor Patrick Renna shares a pleasant dose of nostalgia, admitting that she still has a great weakness for her favorite childhood treat—marshmallows roasted over a campfire! And, of course, how can you talk about your favorite childhood things without mentioning the phrase "You're killing me, Smalls" here and there?
Patrick Renna recently gave an interview to The Blast, where he shared memories of the good old days when he watched The Sandlot and enjoyed freshly made marshmallow and chocolate sandwiches.
Patrick Renna brings a touch of nostalgia to the conversation with his talk of The Sandlot and marshmallows on a campfire. Photo courtesy of the author.
The actor fondly remembered as Ham Porter brings a touch of The Sandlot to his collaboration with HERSHEY'S. Renna is participating in the HERSHEY'S Heated Debate, a playful debate over how to properly cook marshmallows over a campfire, challenging fans to choose a side—the "Camp Toasty" or the "Camp Sticky.".
When asked about his preference for making s'mores (chocolate-filled cookies) sandwiches, Renna replied, "There's no wrong way to make a s'more as long as it has a little HERSHEY'S chocolate in it.".
He added that it's "almost impossible to mess it up," so you can cook it any way you like and it will still turn out delicious.
«"The kids really love them. I think they like how chewy they are. I'm a Toasty fan myself, so I don't even like to say the word 'gooey,' but in this case I will," he added. "It's just a really great combination of different sweet treats.".
A new national survey, titled "The Heated S'mores Debate Report," found that 691,000 Americans, along with Renna, support the idea of "sweet" chocolate. The survey also found that a third of Americans favor "sweet" chocolate, 151,000 have tried adding bacon or smoked meat to their S'mores, 181,000 have added spicy ingredients, and 951,000 Americans agree: HERSHEY'S chocolate is the classic chocolate they want in their S'mores.
Patrick Renna takes us back to fond childhood memories.
Hershey
During a conversation about the old days, Renna shared that one of his favorite childhood memories of cooking marshmallows over a campfire was on the set of the film "The Sandlot.".
«"You know, I can't think of anything better than that," he said. "But I think my favorite memories now are cooking these dishes with my kids. My 9-year-old daughter was part of this campaign with me, so we made marshmallows over the fire together, and it was fun.".
The HERSHEY'S Flavor Combos S'mores Kit, which includes 3 HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate Bars, 3 HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate Caramel Bars, 3 REESE'S Peanut Butter Candies, 2 packages of graham crackers, and one bag of marshmallows, is available at Walmart, Sam's Club, BJ's Wholesale Club, and Costco.
The film "Sand Playground" became the actor's first experience working in the film industry.
Although Renna performed in school plays as a child, his first real audition and film work is what everyone immediately thinks of when talking about him.
«"'The Sandlot' was my first job. I always knew I wanted to do this, and I moved to Los Angeles with my mom. 'The Sandlot' was my first job, my first audition," he told The Blast. "It all just happened naturally, really quickly.".
He explained that it was only later, as an adult, that he experienced "Hollywood failure," but said it was a "nice, cool start" and he actually enjoyed not being a "child actor" because he was already 13 years old when he started his career.
«"You're killing me, Smalls."»
Being associated with one of the most recognizable and iconic lines in film is no easy task, but Renna is up for the challenge.
«"It's incredible, of course, you know. But it's cool. It's a great honor for an actor, because my whole goal, at least my whole goal in acting, is to make people laugh, to give them an escape, or just to be entertained. So what better way to show that you've succeeded in entertaining people than when someone repeats the same line for 33 years in a row, you know?" he told The Blast. "So it's really special.".
He explained that sometimes he gets to perform with his co-stars, and afterward they look at each other and laugh, "Can you believe this?" because it's been 33 years.
«"If you look at it in a positive light, it's really something special," he shared. "Nobody ever comes up to you and says, 'Oh my God, I didn't like the movie.' But three generations come up to you and say, 'You meant so much to us. You were in our living room.'".
Renna said he recently met a man and his son while playing golf, and they shared a special moment. The man's dog, Patrick, had recently died, and he thought it was a sign that he was lucky enough to meet Renna that day.
He began acting in films after the success of the film "Sand Playground".
Photo provided by the author.
After "The Sandlot," Renna had his next breakthrough acting experience in "The Son-in-Law" with Pauly Shore. He then moved on to work on "The Big Green Zone.".
«"Between those films, I did a few small independent films. But for the first three years, I was a little spoiled, and I thought, 'Wow, this is crazy!'" he said. After graduating from high school, Renna said he starred in many independent films and then started auditioning, but never got roles, ultimately "failing.".
The article "From 'The Sandlot' to Marshmallows on a Campfire: Patrick Renna Indulges in Sweet Memories" first appeared on The Blast.