TV Choice caught up with twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse, the stars of The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody, while they were in London recently, giving up their time for a charity event for the Starlight Children’s Foundation…

I think I’ve worked out which one is which…
Cole Sprouse: We get really, really offended when people get it wrong (Laughs).
Dylan Sprouse: We’ve endured a lifetime of mistakes…

You came to London to take part in a workshop for students of the Celebrity Talent Academy and children who receive help from the Starlight Children’s Foundation. It must be great to see the children’s faces light up…
Cole Sprouse: It’s really exciting. Whenever I see Dylan, I light up…

Have you had any time for yourselves?
Cole Sprouse: We’ve travelled around a bit and done some touristy things, which was nice. We’ve been to Hampton Court and the Tower of London. We wanted to do the Jack the Ripper tour, but we missed it.

Do you think you’ll come back?
Dylan Sprouse: Yes – we really want to do the Jack the Ripper tour – and visit Portobello Road market. There were also some museums we didn’t get a chance to see. We went to the British Museum, and the National Gallery. But we’d like to see the Victoria and Albert Museum and visit the Churchill War Rooms.

You’re no longer filming The Suite Life. Where do you go from here?
Cole Sprouse: The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody Have Children! (Laughs) No, thankfully not. We’re going to college – NYU – in September. So we’ll have a little bit of down time before that.

What will you be studying?
Dylan Sprouse: My brother and I will both be taking Gallatin, which means we can pick and choose our curriculum. We thought that might be appropriate because of what we’ve been missing. We’ll do anything that looks interesting. We’re not going for the drama or acting. So we’re taking anything that might be interesting to us. We’ve been in acting our whole lives. We’re looking for something almost like an alternative.

Your Suite Life co-star Brenda Song appeared in The Social Network. Could you take on acting roles while you’re at college?
Dylan Sprouse: Absolutely. When it comes down to it, Cole and I are still doing this because it’s a business for us as well. So if it’s an opportunity and we like the script, of course we’ll take it. It would be foolish to give it all up. If something interests us artistically, we’ll take it.

Do you think it will be a hindrance being well-known when you’re at college?
Cole Sprouse: I think it will be, but the thing with Disney Channel is that it’s kind of outrageous and outgoing a little bit. It’s not exactly the style of acting that Dylan and I are necessarily going for. So if anything, this brief time off might allow people to almost forget about us for a little bit – so we can come back stronger.

Who do you admire in the industry, and is there anybody you would like to work with?
Cole Sprouse: Aside from Dylan Sprouse?
Dylan Sprouse: Cole Sprouse (laughs). We’d like to work with the Coen brothers, and we admire a lot of producer and directors like Guillermo del Toro, too.

By Elaine Penn