It’s here: Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! is released this week on Syfy. This next instalment in the Sharknado franchise focuses on a new, psycho-shark threat that is about to wipe out the entire eastern coast of the US. Yep.

Back in 2013 Sharknado hit the screens and quickly amassed an unprecedented following. Completely absurd, totally satirical, the weird-ass hit has now become a worldwide phenomena and franchise boasting millions of fans.

Jack Griffo – known for his role as Max in Nickelodeon’s The Thundermans – is a new addition to the gang, playing Claudia Shepherd’s (Ryan Newman – also girlfriend in real life) love-interest. So we took some time out to chat to Jack about the film and get some insider knowledge on what it takes to become a badass flying-shark killer.

Lewis Firth: So how did you originally get involved with Sharknado 3?
Jack Griffo: My girlfriend in real life, actually, Ryan Newman, got the part before me. We sat around and watched the first two films – sort of homework for her, ready for her to start filming. I never thought that I would get involved with this film at all. She started filming in Orlando and she was talking to the director about the film. The director was talking about something real and authentic in regards to casting her on-screen boyfriend. So she just mentioned that her boyfriend, me, was also an actor and available. This has never happened to me before. He just straight-up called me and asked if I wanted to be in it. I’ve never gotten a role like that so it was strange. And getting to act with Ryan [Newman] was great, too.

LF: That’s cool. It all worked out pretty well!
JG: Yeah, I didn’t audition or anything. I think the director recognised me from The Thundermans as his daughter watches the show. So he already sort of knew how I acted and my personality.

LF: And when you and Ryan first watched Sharknado 1 and 2, what did you both think of it?
JG: We laughed tonnes. It’s satirical and really funny. You just can’t take it seriously because if you do then things start to become overly critical and it doesn’t work. The parts and scenes don’t make sense at all but it’s funny because they don’t make sense, you know? We really enjoyed them and everyone else has, too.

LF: Yeah, like in the first one where the main character jumps into a live-shark’s mouth to save someone and he cuts himself out with a chainsaw…
JG: Yeah! It’s hilarious.

LF: The thing with it, which has shocked most people, is how crazy and weird it is, but yet, it’s managed to gather a massive fan base. People love it.
JG: It’s definitely a successful version of satire. I think it’s extremely popular with my generation. It started with one and it’s grown into a successful franchise so who knows what will happen in the future with it. Maybe they’ll make more.

LF: I think it has become central to our generation with social media playing a pivotal role. The shit that gets circulated around the internet – like memes – is hilarious. Our generation doesn’t take things too seriously, so I think that’s the secret to its success. Right time, right place and all of that.
JG: Totally, totally.

LF: What about filming: I bet it was pretty hilarious to act these scenes out, right?
JG: There were a lot of special effects involved so you need to use your imagination a lot, at times, as a lot of things are added post-shooting. I had some experience with that working on The Thundermans as we have powers and things. So that was somewhat familiar. What I found interesting was that a lot of scenes were very spur of the moment. I don’t want to say improvised, because it wasn’t at all, but it was very relaxed. So the director would say, “We need you to say a couple of these lines, and somehow get from A, to B and to C, then exit the scene.” It was a loose script, so it was really cool and I got some great experience but it was also scary, as I’ve never really done it before. I’ve done improv before, like in classes and stuff, but it was so cool. Would love to do it again.

LF: I was literally about to ask you about improv. As the script and nature of the story would, I presume, rely heavily on in-the-moment reactions, etc.
JG: Yeah, I mean, I think that’s what happened a lot in the first two movies. I heard that sometimes Ian [Ziering] and Tara [Reid] would sometimes have a few ideas, talk to Anthony [Ferrante] the director and they’d just go with it, which is really cool about it.

LF: And what was it like working with the cast?
JG: They’re all class acts, and great people to look up to. They’re all very nice people and fun to be around. I hung out with Tara quite a lot; Cassie, Bo and my girlfriend Ryan, were all so cool to work with. The weirdest and funniest part about the whole thing was that it was filmed in Orlando, which is where I grew up. I’m an Orlando boy, so it was nice to take Ryan to my real home and explore where I grew and things.

LF: And how has it differed from working on The Thundermans? One is TV and one’s a film, so they’ll be different, but the comical aspects are pretty similar, I presume?
JG: I mean, there’s a level, also, with not taking yourself too seriously with The Thundermans, too. In that way it’s very similar. But filming for TV and film are two different things. Working with Nickelodeon has been great as I’ve been their TV show and in two of their films. So they’ve really given me some great experiences of both. At the end of the day, it’s still a performance, but they are very different in their own great ways. It was really quick, too; we filmed it for two weeks in February. So that quickness was a really cool experience, also.

Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! is shown on Syfy now.