Who is Lucas Till? 6 facts about the MacGyver star

Lucas Till is close to blowing up — and we mean that literally, as the 26-year-old will star as the new car-crashing, problem-solving, tech-savvy secret agent MacGyver in CBS’ upcoming TV series. Richard Dean portrayed the character in the original series from the ’80s and ’90s, but Till takes over for a new reimagining.

This MacGyver tells of 20-something Angus “Mac” MacGyver, who created an organization within the U.S. government to save lives using his unique brand of skills and knowledge. Till heads a cast that also includes George Eads, Sandrine Holt, Justin Hires, and Tristin Mays.

Before the show premieres on CBS Sep. 23 at 8 p.m. ET, read on for some interesting facts about the new TV frontman.

1. He Scored an X-ellent Movie Role

Prior to MacGyver, Till’s most well-known role was playing Alex Summers (a.k.a. Havok) in the X-Men films, beginning with First Class. He reprised his role for this summer’s X-Men: Apocalypse, appearing alongside his on-screen brother, Tye Sheridan’s Scott Summers (a.k.a. Cyclops).

He also appeared alongside celebrated actors Joaquin Phoenix (in Walk the Line), Nicole Kidman (in Stoker), and Jackie Chan (in The Spy Next Door) in various roles.

2. Hannah Montana Is in His Past

Till was the love of Miley Cyrus’ life, in the sense that he played a hunky Southern gentleman vying for her affection in Hannah Montana: The Movie. Looking back on his “Boom Boom Clap” dance scene with MTV News, he said, “I can do the whole thing, but it’s always in about three pieces, four pieces. I like get in, I get really into it, then I’ll be like, ‘Nope, no, that’s not it.’ Just like anyone. But yeah, I’ve embraced it.”

3. He Was in a Taylor Swift Music Video

In 2009, Taylor Swift released her music video for “You Belong to Me” and made Till her new eye candy. The actor admitted to MTV at the time that he had a bit of a crush on her, while revealing his most embarrassing moment from filming the video to Tiger Beat.

“There’s one point where I’m supposed to catch the ball, right?” he said, adding that he missed the ball during the first take and fell flat on his face. “About five times later I actually catch the ball…again, fall on my face in front of all these people.”

4. He Has Some Ad Work

Before his first film role, which came at the age of 12 with 2003’s The Adventures of Ociee Nash, Till was featured in a string of commercials. In an ad for Nike’s anti-gravity shoes, Till flies through a city in a race with a jogger.

5. He’ll Be the New Face of Monster Trucks

This January, a movie based on Hasbro’s Monster Trucks toy line will debut in theaters with Till front and center. The story centers on Tripp, a boy who discovers a friendly monster that merges with his truck to create, yep, a monster truck.

According to Collider, Till told press on the set of the film, “Not that I’ve told anybody about this movie, but if you were to tell someone about it – when you say Monster Trucks they don’t think monsters inside of trucks, so it’s funny to get the reaction of people like, ‘Oh, literally monster trucks.'”

6. He Has Plans to Move Behind the Camera

Like many actors before him, including Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling, Till has aspirations to direct and/or write. Speaking with the blog Icon vs. Icon last year, he said, “I have some things going on. I am afraid to put that out there in the ether. I didn’t want people knowing that yet and have been keeping that close to my chest but, yes, to answer your question.”