Kira Kosarin and Jack Griffo discuss growing with Phoebe and Max, protecting the franchise, and the family conflict at the center of Clash of the Thundermans.
The Thundermans have spent years saving the day together. Their latest adventure challenges that family bond in a much different way. Clash of the Thundermans reunites Kira Kosarin and Jack Griffo as superhero siblings Phoebe and Max Thunderman.
This time, they find themselves on opposite sides of a major family decision.
Youngest sibling Chloe develops a new and unpredictable superpower. The Hero League believes she must attend a superhero boarding school.
Max, Hank and Nora support sending Chloe away for training. Phoebe, Barb and Billy believe she belongs home with her family.
That disagreement creates the emotional foundation for the new movie. It also gives Kosarin and Griffo new territory to explore.
Both actors spoke with Nerdtropolis about growing alongside their characters. They also discussed protecting the franchise as executive producers.
Phoebe and Max Have Grown Alongside Their Stars
Kosarin has played Phoebe since she was young. Returning today feels different from simply revisiting another acting role.
“When I return to Phoebe, it sometimes feels less like returning to a character and more like returning to a past version of myself,” Kosarin told Nerdtropolis.
She explained that her younger personality became closely connected with Phoebe during the original series. “The lines got very blurry when I was young,” Kosarin said.
Time away allowed Kosarin and Phoebe to develop separately. However, their paths continue crossing whenever the Thundermans reunite. “Phoebe has evolved over the years, and I have evolved,” she said. “We diverge and converge in different places.”
Kosarin also knows better than to permanently close the door on Phoebe.
“Maybe I’ll get to play Phoebe in her 40s one day,” she said. “I’m always happy to get to visit with her.”
Griffo has experienced something similar with Max. The familiar comedy and sibling chemistry now come naturally. Adulthood also gives Griffo more experience to bring into Max’s serious moments.
“A lot of things are really instinctual,” Griffo said. “The banter with the siblings and Phoebe is second nature. It feels like home.”
The higher-stakes material feels different today. “I think life experience and age influence that,” Griffo said. “Those moments feel new and different, and I can give even more to them.”
Kira Kosarin and Jack Griffo Help Protect The Thundermans
Kosarin and Griffo are no longer only the faces behind Phoebe and Max. Both serve as executive producers on Clash of the Thundermans. That role gives them another level of involvement in the franchise.
Griffo takes that responsibility seriously. “I hold it super close,” he said. “It’s so important to me for so many reasons.”
The series has followed both stars through a major portion of their lives. They have also watched generations discover these characters. Griffo said becoming an executive producer showed that the creative team valued their knowledge of this world.
“Nobody knows our show better than us,” Griffo said of himself and Kosarin.
The position also allows them to discuss story decisions directly with the writers and producers. “Being collaborative is the best,” he said. “Working in a team and working with others is what we do.”
Kosarin has already used that voice when protecting Phoebe.
In fact, she initially questioned one of the movie’s biggest decisions. “I actually pushed back on which side of the conflict Phoebe is on,” Kosarin revealed.
Phoebe ultimately supports keeping Chloe home. However, Kosarin originally believed Phoebe might support the superhero school. “Phoebe’s a nerd,” Kosarin said. “She loves education. She would want Chloe to go get the best training.”
The writers convinced her that Phoebe’s devotion to family would ultimately outweigh that instinct. “I’m very protective of her,” Kosarin said. “I’ve played her for a long time.”
However, Kosarin also trusts the writers who helped create Phoebe. “We lean on each other to find the final version of her,” she said.
Team Phoebe or Team Max?
That creative discussion represents what makes Clash of the Thundermans especially interesting. Nobody believes they are making the wrong decision for Chloe. Phoebe wants to keep the family together. Max believes sending Chloe away will protect her and everyone around her.
Kosarin sees Phoebe’s position as another extension of her lifelong sense of responsibility. “She feels a sense of duty and responsibility,” Kosarin said. That responsibility extends beyond Phoebe’s superhero career.
“She fights so hard to keep them together and to keep Chloe at home,” Kosarin explained.
Griffo has little hesitation about choosing his side.
“I’m Team Max all the way,” he said. Max sees Chloe’s unstable power as a serious danger.
“She can’t control her power,” Griffo said. “She’s a danger to herself and others. It only makes sense that she goes to this school.”
His argument also connects directly with Max’s childhood. Max never received an opportunity to train alongside other young superheroes at a specialized school. Griffo believes Max wants Chloe to benefit from an opportunity he never had.
“I think Max is just trying to be a good older brother,” Griffo said. “He’s really protective of his family, especially his youngest sister, Chloe.”
That divide gives audiences something unusual for a Thundermans adventure. There is no obvious villain within the family argument. Both siblings genuinely believe they are protecting Chloe.
Jack Griffo Connects Max With His Robin Roles
Griffo has also built another superhero legacy outside the Nickelodeon universe. His work voicing different versions of Robin created an unexpected connection between DC and Max Thunderman.
Griffo specifically connected Max with Damian Wayne. “I resonated with Damian a lot, having been Max in The Thundermans,” Griffo said.
He pointed toward Max’s early years as the family outsider. “Max really felt out of place,” Griffo said. “He felt like he wasn’t part of this family. He was the black sheep.”
Griffo saw similar qualities within Damian’s relationship with Bruce Wayne. “There was definitely a lot of duality between those characters,” he said.
The Thundermans Get Another Super Suit Upgrade
The characters have changed, but their costumes have evolved alongside them. Kosarin remembers the original Phoebe suit being made from a much lighter material.
The current design uses neoprene. That creates a thicker and tighter superhero look. “My whole physicality changes the moment I have the suit on,” Kosarin said.
The upgraded costume can also make getting into character easier. “They really hold you in this superhero, powerful position,” she explained.
There is one trade-off.
“They’re less comfortable,” Kosarin admitted. “But I think it’s a worthwhile trade-off because they look and feel so cool.”
Griffo approached his latest suit from another direction. “I don’t think I’ve ever locked in at the gym as much as I did for this film,” he said.
Those superhero suits leave very little room to hide anything. “The hard work in the gym definitely seems like it’s going to pay off,” Griffo said.
Why The Thundermans Keeps Finding New Audiences
The original The Thundermans premiered more than a decade ago. Younger viewers continue discovering the family alongside longtime fans.
Kosarin believes several ingredients remain essential to its longevity. “We try to make a product that is a great combination of heart, comedy and action,” she said.
“I think it’s not The Thundermans without any one of those three.”
Even Kosarin cannot completely explain the franchise’s lasting appeal. “What makes a show a success? I don’t know,” she said. “I’m just grateful that it is.”
That success has also turned Kosarin into a role model for viewers who grew up watching Phoebe.
“It’s such a gift to have young people looking up to you,” she said. Kosarin takes that responsibility seriously, particularly when communicating with younger fans.
“I try with everything I put out into the world to use the listening ears of young people to put some good into the world wherever I can,” she said.
Griffo similarly sees that impact through fans who approach him years after discovering Max. He called influencing generations of young viewers one reason the franchise remains so important to him.
With both stars helping guide the franchise behind the scenes, Phoebe and Max could still have plenty ahead.
Could The Thundermans Save Nerdtropolis?
I even pitched Kosarin and Griffo on another possible adventure: The Thundermans Save Nerdtropolis.
Kosarin responded, “I’ll see what I can do.” Griffo was equally willing to entertain the idea.
“I’ll keep it in mind,” he said. “I’ll keep it at the front of my mind.” Consider the pitch officially delivered.
Clash of the Thundermans premieres Thursday, September 3, on Paramount+. It also debuts that night at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon.
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Sean Tajipour
Sean Tajipour is the Founder and Editor of Nerdtropolis and the host of the Moviegoers Society and Reel Insights Podcast. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association. You can follow on Twitter and Instagram @Seantaj.
