Josh Cruddas plays Alexei the assassin who is determined to kill Mads Mikkelsen’s character in the new Netflix film “Polar.” Just out Jan. 25, 2019 everyone is talking about this hot new Jonas Ă…kerlund thriller, and Cruddas is busy.
Actor/Musician Josh Cruddas. Image courtesy of Tina Picard
Fans know the very talented actor and award-winning film music composer from his roles in “Copperhead,” “How It Ends,” “The Education of Frederick Fitzell,” and TV shows “11/22/63”, “Murdoch Mysteries”, “Rookie Blue,” “Call Me Fitz,” and “Reign.” Out of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia the award-winning film music composer happens to be a big Fortnite fan and has a motto “work for what you want, then let your work do the talking.”
Colleen Bement: Thank you for taking time out of your crazy busy schedule, Josh. “Polar” looks like it will put me on the edge of my seat. Tell your fans all about your experience making this amazing film.
Josh Cruddas: Thanks for having me, and I hope my one fan, who probably lives in South Dakota, is reading this! We hope the movie will put folks on the edge of their seat, and I have to say I saw it last week and I think it really will. Making “Polar” was one of the coolest (both figuratively and literally) experiences of my life. Alexei is a fun, stylish, quietly deadly assassin and it was a sweet challenge to play him. The world that Jonas (Akerlund) and his amazing team have created allowed for lots of color and room to play. I love my fellow cast members dearly – they’re all amazing in this film and I miss wreaking havoc with them!
CB: Did you seriously stay out until 3 am with your castmates singing karaoke and that song ended up at the beginning of the film?
JC: We did indeed! We knew that we were going to have to sing a certain classic disco song at the beginning of the movie, so for one of our first cast bonding nights, we went to practice it at a karaoke place in downtown Toronto…over and over until we had it perfect – at 3 am!
CB: Your music career is stunning! How did you get started in the music biz, and what do you use for inspiration for your film scores?
JC: Stunning! That’s a generous word but I thank you for it. I had an amazing piano teacher named Diane Krochko who started me on a great musical path as a kid, then I met a young director in LA named Simon Hung – we’ve been working together on his projects ever since. Our most recent feature was a sports romance movie called “10000 Miles.” These projects have led to others with other amazing people. I’m very fortunate for that. I have a lot of folks who inspire me when I’m scoring films – mainly the greats like John Williams, Thomas Newman, Michael Giacchino, and a fantastic French-Canadian composer named Laurent Eyquem. My work is usually pretty melody-driven, which is sometimes a challenge in today’s film scoring landscape, but I’m learning to adapt with the times.
Actor/Musician Josh Cruddas. Image courtesy of Tina Picard
CB: Your beard is absolutely fabulous. I just have to throw that in. SO, you were nicknamed “The Pit Bull” as a child while playing soccer? That’s badass! Have you kept that intensity throughout your adult life?
JC: Thank you! It makes up for the lack of hair I have on top of my head, and yes, back then (and now still) I made a habit of going into tackles I had no business going into when playing soccer. I think that intensity has morphed into a couple of different characteristics – the way I drive my car, and the way I work. You have to really put your head down, keep your feet on the ground and try to push forward in this business. I’m pretty hard on myself to make sure I’m not wasting any opportunities to grow as an artist. But on top of that, having a good balance in life and making sure my work doesn’t take over is key! I always say my motto is “work for what you want, then let your work do the talking.”
CB: What’s on the horizon for you?
JC: I’ve been fortunate to have a bit of a busy moment lately – right around “Polar’s release, I get to pop up a few times in my favorite Canadian drama, “Cardinal” on CTV. I was lucky to stop by the Baroness Von Sketch show this summer, and I’m working on a new show for a new streaming service that I’m sworn to secrecy over, but it’s been a bunch of fun and an incredible experience. Otherwise, I’m looking forward to just continuing my daily routine of losing at Fortnite, making videos with my friends for Instagram and posting dozens of politically-charged tweets to Twitter!