Page 61 - Demo

MOST MAGAZINE - ISSUE 74 61MOSTMAGAZINEMOST MAGAZINE - ISSUE 74 HOW DID MOVING TO LOS ANGELES IMPACT YOUR CAREER, AND WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN TRANSITIONING FROM STAGE TO SCREEN?I have amazing representation here in LA, so the move has been astronomically better for my career! (Shoutout to Love Talent!)The biggest challenge%u2014or adaptation, really%u2014is remembering that on camera, even the smallest thought or emotion will register in a way that stage performance just can%u2019t, especially for audience members sitting in the middle and back of a theater.with actually doing the work. But if that busyness isn%u2019t driven by emotion, it comes across as fake or disingenuous%u2014which it is. YOU%u2019VE APPEARED ON HIT SHOWS LIKE PERRY MASON, WILD WEST CHRONICLES, AND SEAL TEAM. WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES THESE ROLES RESONATE WITH AUDIENCES?I think it%u2019s the realism in these shows%u2014the way their characters mirror elements of our own lives. Seeing what the brave men and women in our armed forces endure to keep us safe (and themselves sane) is remarkable.With Wild West Chronicles, we%u2019re portraying historically accurate figures who helped shape the society we live in today. And while Perry Mason may not have been a real person, that era certainly was%u2014and unbelievably, some of the societal issues from 90 years ago are resurfacing in our culture today. PERRY MASON EXPLORES COMPLEX CHARACTERS DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION. WHAT WAS IT LIKE BEING PART OF SUCH A CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED SERIES?t was an absolute treat%u2014a very proud moment for me. HBO always does a magnificent job creating rich, immersive worlds, and Perry Mason ranks up there with the best of them.Getting to work with Matthew Rhys was the highlight of my career. I have no idea if he was as relaxed on the inside as he seemed on the outside, but he was an incredible talent and a kind person. Watching him work was inspiring. WHAT DREW YOU TO YOUR ROLE IN WILD WEST CHRONICLES? DO YOU HAVE A PERSONAL CONNECTION TO THE STORIES OF THE WILD WEST?Definitely. Growing up in Western North Dakota, I had a front-row seat to Wild West history. As a kid, we often visited Medora, the Badlands, and parts of South Dakota%u2014areas deeply tied to Teddy Roosevelt and his passion for the frontier. It%u2019s hard to imagine how our nation would have developed without that westward expansion.William Grimes was a complex man%u2014a mix of hero and villain. I%u2019d argue that duality exists in all of us to some extent, and I really enjoyed trying to bring some likability to a character who is so often misjudged.