Jonathan Bennett Talks Pranks, Cake Wars, and His First Action Role [Exclusive Interview]

Jonathan Bennett is basically everywhere these days.

You probably still remember Bennett from his role as Aaron Samuels on Mean Girls, or maybe you caught his dance moves on Dancing with the Stars.

Now, Bennett hosts Food Network’s sweetest competition show, Cake Wars.

Bennett’s favorite memory from competing on Dancing with the Stars was performing his final routine. “I think my favorite part was going out there and nailing my final dance,” Bennett said. “I just felt that I finally did something really good, and to stand up there on that stage and do that was just fantastic.”

It was actually Bennett’s time on Dancing with the Stars that led him to realize he’d enjoying hosting a television show. “You know, I think that the fun part of Dancing with the Stars was that I got to be myself, and not have to play a character. Which is absolutely awesome,” Bennett said. “I got to show America all the quirky, fun sides of Jonathan Bennett that they might not have known.”

We definitely did see those sides of Bennett on Dancing with the Stars, and it’s even better now to see them regularly on Food Network. “I get to come on and be myself — and show everyone how ridiculous and silly I am. And try to make people laugh, which is what I love doing. I love making people laugh.”

Cake Wars returns on Monday, November 9th for Cake Wars: Christmas, and it’s going to be the perfect way to start preparing for the holidays. “Cake Wars: Christmas is so much fun. And who doesn’t wanna, you know, snuggle up on the couch and watch people make amazing designs with cakes and sugar around the holidays? It’s just so festive,” Bennett explained. “And I get to just walk around like a big kid under a Christmas tree on Christmas morning.”

Bennett also spoke to the reason he thinks people enjoy watching cooking competition shows in general. “People watch cooking shows, the competition shows, because it’s fun to see people try to do the most impossible tasks in a certain amount of time. Like I always tell our contestants, ‘You’re all fantastic bakers. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t. The name of the show isn’t can you bake a cake really well. It’s can you bake a cake really well in a limited amount of time with the ingredients we’ve given you and the pressure of on television? Ready, set, go!’”

There’s also the fact that the audience can watch these competitions and imagine how they might do things differently. “I love the ‘I could do that’ aspect. And that’s what gets people to come on the show.”

Cake Wars: Christmas isn’t the only way you’ll see Jonathan Bennett in the Christmas spirit this year, though. He’s also starring in A Dog Walker’s Christmas Tale, airing on UPtv. Bennett described the film as a “cute, romantic comedy” about a dog walker (hence the title) who helps a girl realize the true meaning of Christmas.

Behind the scenes of that film, Bennett had a great time pranking one of his co-stars. “Any moment I’m on set, I’m always a prankster. I used to put dog treats in the pocket of one of my co-stars on A Dog Walker’s Christmas Tale. I would put dog treats in her pocket when she wasn’t looking. And the dogs that were on set were always chasing her around, and she could never figure out why.”

Bennett is excited about his first action role as well. He stars in the IFC film Submerged, which comes out on November 27th. “I think the movie’s really suspenseful and really frightening. And extremely, extremely claustrophobic. Watching the movie, you actually end up holding your breath half the time.” He further described the film by saying, “It’s a movie about these five people that get trapped in a limo that crashes into the ocean. And when they come to, they’re stuck under water with bad guys after them.”

In Submerged, we’ll get to see yet another side of Jonathan Bennett. “It was really fun getting to like, wear a suit, and carry a gun, and shoot things,” Bennett explained. “That was something completely different that no one’s ever seen me do.”

If that weren’t enough, Bennett is also starring in the upcoming film, Modern Love, with Anthony Rapp. “Modern Love is so amazing. It’s the story of me and Anthony Rapp, and it’s the story of the two days before our wedding. It’s about these two guys who are about to get married, and their families all come in for the wedding,” Bennett stated. “It’s about stuff that just happens when regular families come in for a wedding.”

What’s especially great about the film, according to Bennett, is the way it normalizes gay marriage. “It’s not a story about gay marriage; it’s just a story about marriage. And that’s what I love about it. It’s just a love story.”

Plus, Bennett had the opportunity to co-star with Anthony Rapp, who you probably know best from his role as Mark Cohen on Rent. “Getting to work with Anthony was such a joy,” Bennett said. “I was actually a little nervous to work with him, because I’ve been such a huge fan of his for years.”

Be sure to catch Jonathan Bennett on Cake Wars: Christmas, starting this Monday, November 9th at 9/8c on Food Network.

Then, don’t miss him in A Dogwalker’s Christmas Tale and Submerged (November 27th). Modern Love comes out in 2016.

*Edited for space and content.