"Animorphs" cast members Shawn Ashmore, (Jake) and Brooke Nevin (Rachel) were in New York City last week and Inside Nick dropped by to hang out with them at their hotel. The actors were in town to demonstrate the new "Animorphs" Transformers action figures to a crowd full of fourth grade fans at FAO Schwarz. Brooke and Shawn told us they can't wait to get back on the set in May to start shooting next season's episodes and to be reunited with the rest of the "Animorphs" cast. "We all work together really well," Shawn said. "We get together on weekends, go to movies and go out to dinner all the time." Those party animals!

Bye-bye Barbie...

What could be cooler than having your own action figure? According to Brooke and Shawn, the action figures represent each character's main "power morph" which is just fine with them. "Rachel's really fierce and very brave, so the lion is the ideal morph for her," explained Brooke. Shawn couldn't agree more: "The tiger's definitely my favorite animal to change into, so I'm glad they chose it as my morph." Brooke told us she plans to "take a whole bunch home and play with them with my sister. We'll probably become experts at transforming them!" They're not the only ones: Marquis Wallace, the official "Animorphs Expert" stopped by to demonstrate his tremendous transforming talents to the toy store crowd.

Lions and Tigers and Cockroaches? Oh my!...

Being an "Animorphs" cast member can be wild -- especially when it comes to doing a scene with one of the animals. Since the Animorphs have to acquire an animal's DNA in order to morph, the actors have to actually touch each of the animals their characters become, which can lead to some sticky situations... Shawn told us that in one scene, Jake was morphing into a tiger, so naturally he had to put his hand on the tiger's head. Suddenly, the tiger's head jerked up, and Shawn's fingers went straight up his nose! "It's definitely one of my favorite scenes in the show," Shawn said, "because I was genuinely scared." Brooke's creepiest creature co-star was a cockroach. When the insect suddenly took a stage dive, it was the fearless females in the cast who sprung into action. "Everyone else was just standing there," Brooke revealed. Shawn had no comment.

The Two Jakes...

If you thought you were seeing double during the episode called "The Capture," (when Ax morphs into Jake and then shares a scene with the real Jake) don't worry. Jake #2 was played by Shawn's real-life twin, brother Aaron, who's also an actor. Shawn told us he and Aaron audition for the same roles all the time. "We used to get mad at each other," he said, "but then we learned there's nothing you can do." Some casting directors have even decided between the twins by flipping a coin. After spending so much time around animals, we bet they chose tails for Shawn!

Is There Life After "Animorphs?"...

Production begins for the new season of "Animorphs" in May, but the cast had a few months off (TV types call it a hiatus) since shooting for this season's episodes ended. So what have Brooke and Shawn been up to in their downtime? Shawn took off for a three-month trip to Australia and Fiji, while Brooke headed home to hit the books -- even "Animorphs" have to go to school! She did take a few days off to appear in an episode of "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" so look for her on the show this season!

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© Viacom / Transcript by Pam