Clanton native Drew Roy is quickly making a name for himself in Hollywood.

The 2004 graduate of Chilton County High School has starred in the Nickelodeon show “iCarly,” had a spot as Miley Cyrus’ love interest on “Hannah Montana” and even shared screen time with John Malkovich and Diane Lane in “Secretariat.”

Roy’s latest role in Steven Spielberg’s new series “Falling Skies” finds him as a 17-year-old high school student who is among a limited population left in the wake of an alien invasion. The role is a bit different for Roy, but one he was eager to take.

“I’d love to tell you that I was getting scripts left and right, and I chose the one I was thought was the best,” said Roy. “But it really came down to the fact that they would hire me.”

He said the role came down to him and another actor, and that he was honored by how he was chosen.

“I went through the audition process, and then it came down to the screen test,” he said. “My agent called and said it came down to [us] and that Mr. Spielberg had to decide. Just the fact that I got to that point was cool enough.”

The series revolves around a history professor (Noah Wyle, of “ER” fame) trying to lead a group of survivors to defend the planet from the aliens. Roy plays his son, and says he really enjoys the character.

“Six months before he was an average high school kid,” he said. “He’s now a leader, a fighter. He has to fill some large shoes. You see how he grows from a 17-year-kid to the beginnings of a grown man.”

The show is technically science fiction, but Roy feels it puts a different spin on the alien invasion story.

“It takes place six months after the fact, and only 20 percent of the population is left,” he said. “You see them trying to figure out why the aliens want kids under 18 and put these harnesses on them. What makes it stick out is the sense of humanity. Humanity bands together to save their earth. It has a nice storyline to it.”

While the show was shot with a thematic quality in mind, he said that there are definite differences between shooting for cinema and shooting for TV.

“One difference is the speed at which we shoot,” he said. “[Also] in film, you pick up a new character for three to four months and then you’re completely done with them.”

While it appears the sky is the limit for the 25-year-old, he’s quite happy going with the flow of things. He said he would like to do film one day, but is content with letting things fall into place.

“I’ve been in some pretty good company, and I’ve got the good Lord to thank for that,” he said. “I don’t put any more emphasis on one role over another. I just let the powers that be do their thing. This job is pretty nice.”

“Falling Skies” will premiere Sunday, June 19 at 9 p.m. on TNT. For more information on Drew Roy, search for him on Internet Movie Database online at imdb.com.