It’s a touchy subject that we have to be very careful of. I didn’t really come from that sort of background. It’s just really about tapping into the trauma surrounding Nate’s upbringing. You have to come from a place of truth. I want to put good messages out there for anyone that is struggling with domestic violence or a broken family or depression and suicide. These are all the sorts of conversations that we were having. It really came down to just empathizing with Nate and having compassion.
It’s such a sense of betrayal for Nate with his mom. She expects to come back into his world after years of abandonment. And I think he always had this thought in mind: “Well, jail is my destiny.” So he gives up a little bit.
If we do a season three, knock on wood, I would love to do that dynamic more justice. Nate’s trust issues affect Bronwyn and Nate’s dynamic. It’s a reason Nate finds it so hard to commit to her. Sometimes it seems like he’s just being the bad boy and not giving her attention. But it just cuts so much deeper than that, the fact that he’s emotionally unavailable for so many different reasons.
You’ve already described Nate this way, but the sensitive bad boy is an archetype in pop culture. Did you have any in mind as you were developing your performance?
10 Things I Hate About You is one film that I love. Heath Ledger’s character is deemed that typical bad boy. He’s a bit of a lone wolf and he’s a little isolated and he probably doesn’t have the best home life. But at the core of it, he has such a good heart, and he’s so charming. That’s a performance that I really tried to pull references from.
What were the shows or movies that were formative for you when you were a high schooler?
I didn’t really watch too much TV when I was younger. I liked Freaky Friday in the early 2000s. Candy and Animal Kingdom, all these cult classic Australian films.
You were barely out of high school when you were first attached to One Of Us Is Lying, and though presumably you were never accused of murdering a classmate, were there other specifically high school-ish situations that made you feel like, “Oh, thank God that’s all behind me now”?
I enjoyed high school, but I’m glad it’s over. The structure and the schedule of it. I tried to stay away from the drama and I feel like sometimes I would get caught up in it. And the idea of popularity, I think that’s a big thing in One Of Us Is Lying, too. Everyone is trying to climb this social ladder and gain popularity and fame within high school. I couldn’t care less for it. I tried to be friends with everybody.
You also studied acting pretty seriously, so I imagine that was a respite—it gave you something else to focus on outside of your school hours.
That was my therapy. I attended a film school from the age of 11 to 17—a two-and-a-half-hour class, one day a week. We would make short films. For 10 weeks, we would construct the script and the characters. And then for the next 10 weeks we would spend our weekends shooting. And then at the end of the 20 weeks, there was a premiere night at a cinema, and it was so cool.
Nate rides a motorcycle. Do they let you actually drive it?
They don’t. Even if I was an experienced motorcycle rider, I don’t think they would. They had me do two lessons back last year, and oh my God, it was so fun. It was so exciting. But just for liability reasons, they won’t let me drive it.
Nate is also a horror fan. We are in the spooky season. Are there horror movies that you would recommend?
The Exorcist. I didn’t watch that until I was probably 16 or 17 and I feel like I should’ve watched it before. The Babadook is a really scary, creepy movie. It’s not just a cheesy horror film. I was riddled with anxiety after watching it.
Tara Ariano
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