Khleo Thomas Recalls Heat Rash While Filming Holes (Exclusive)

Khleo Thomas is among the many feeling this heat!

Amid a heatwave affecting many areas of the U.S., a post on X recently went viral, acknowledging the hot and hazy weather.

“this is the type of heat those kids in holes were working in omfg,” @gapbby wrote on X. Thomas, who played Zero in Holes, based on the 1998 novel of the same name, shared the comment, adding, “Confirming. This is true.”

Thomas recently caught up with PEOPLE at DreamCon in Houston, where he revealed that a heat rash led to one of the worst moments that he had while making the 2003 hit film.

“My least favorite scene was when I had to jump on the back of Zigzag [Max Kasch] and choke him out,” Thomas, 36, tells PEOPLE.

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Thomas repeated multiple takes of the stunt while dealing with heat rash from the harsh conditions in the California desert, where the movie was filmed.

“I had heat rash that day, so my legs were on fire and man, was that uncomfortable. It was already hot. It’s already dusty, but to have a heat rash on your legs and try to wrap your legs around this tall guy and shoke them out. Oh man, I hated that day,” he adds.

There was plenty to love about the role, however, which still holds a special place in Thomas’ heart.

“My favorite memory is probably the shovel-swinging scene because I didn’t know how we were going to do it. I didn’t know how I was going to hit Dr. Pendanski [Tim Blake Nelson]. They didn’t warn me of what that day was going to be like,” he recalls. “I had been holding a real shovel for up to two months before that actual day, and then we get to set and then they gave me this gigantic rubber cartoony-looking shovel. So that was my favorite scene, because that’s the day movie magic made sense to me.”

As a young actor, he was particularly moved by the opportunity to work with big names like Henry Winkler and Sigourney Weaver.

“There were so many iconic, legendary actors in this film. I remember seeing Henry Winkler for the first time. My dad couldn’t believe it. He was like, ‘That’s the Fonz!’ So that was the moment, but for me, time froze and stood still when I saw Sigourney Weaver because I’m a huge sci-fi guy, and when she walked on set, I didn’t know she had been casted as the warden,” he recalls of the Alien star.

“She comes around the corner. She’s in wardrobe, and I just freeze, and I’m like, ‘What is Ripley doing here? No one gave me a heads up.’ ”

Even castmate Shia LaBeouf was significant because for a young star, he was “very seasoned already.”

“He was built for this and getting a chance for him to be my very first major scene partner in a major motion picture film … I picked up so much from him, from the very beginning on the first day,” Thomas shares. “So I’m very grateful for that guy to be the guy that kind of led the way for me to understand how to prepare for certain roles.”

While some actors shy away from their early work, Thomas says he’s “so grateful to have a role on my résumé that could stand the test of time.”

“I think, as actors. you want those moments. You want to have a rolling résumé that no matter what, if people tap into it — either when they first watched it or years later down the line — they’re still entertained and it still gets people emotional,” he says.

“Those are the moments you want, and for me to have a nickname like Zero for the rest of my life, and to be that cool character, for me, I would have been a fan of Hector Zero Zeroni, even if it wasn’t me,” he continues.

“The fact that I get a chance to go through life with that legendary role on my shoulders. I’m very grateful for it,” he adds. “I don’t run from it at all.”