Milo Manheim Thought a ‘Romy and Michele’ Nod Was an Insult to Mom Camryn (Exclusive) – ryan

Milo Manheim was caught off-guard by one of his mom Camryn’s fan interactions as a kid.

The 24-year-old actor, who stars in Little Shop of Horrors at the Westside Theatre in New York City through June 1, is looking back on how he learned about mom Camryn’s role as Toby Walters in the 1997 cult classic Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.

“First of all, huge fan of that movie,” Milo tells PEOPLE. “And the reason that I know what that movie is, we were actually walking down the streets of New York when I was 6 or 7 years old, and someone came up to my mom and said, ‘F— off, Toby,’ and ran away. And I started crying.”

The fan was making a reference to the film, in which Camryn’s overly excited character is repeatedly told to “f— off” by high school classmate Heather Mooney, played by Janeane Garafolo.

But Milo had no idea. “I was like, ‘Why would that person say that to you?’ And she was like, ‘Milo, I’m about to turn you on to the coolest movie ever.’ We sat down and watched it that night,” he says. “So luckily that was a movie that was a part of my childhood.”

Since its initial release, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion — starring Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow in its respective titular roles — has garnered a devoted fanbase. Earlier this year, Sorvino confirmed a sequel is in the works with original screenwriter Robin Schiff crafting the script and both lead actresses returning to their roles.

In addition to watching the movie and growing up with one of its stars, Milo has seen an actual piece of Romy and Michele history with his own eyes. “At one point I found her fake braces that she had in that movie,” he quips. “She kept it in a little box of trinkets. They were clean and not gross.”

“We’re both very sentimental in that way,” adds the Zombies star. “I keep a lot of things from my movies.”

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Midway through his run as Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors alongside Elizabeth “Liz” Gillies as Audrey, Milo also opened up about the experience of performing in front of Camryn on opening night in March.

“My mom’s been coming to all my shows since I was a kid, even the ones where I was terrible at 8 years old, and she still gave me love,” he said. “But this one felt really different.”

Milo continued, “Not only was it the first time that I really feel like she saw me beyond being her kid, but a really good performer on that stage doing his thing. Obviously she’s so proud of everything I do, and I’m so grateful for that. But we had a really healing talk after the show, and it was really validating.”