Get to know a fellow horror fan before his upcoming “Supernatural” episode!
Fans know actor Adam Beauchesne for “Tucker and Dale vs Evil,” “You Me Her, “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” and the list goes on. Now “Supernatural” fans will know him for his role in October 15th’s episode ‘Gimme Shelter.’ Horror lovers will definitely enjoy his YouTube Channel “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” Adam spent some cold nights outside with Misha (Collins) and Alex (Calvert), and was under the direction of Matt Cohen. Find out how his spot on one of the series’ final episodes EVER brought him full circle.
Colleen Bement: “Supernatural” you play Zack in the episode that airs on October 15th called ‘Gimme Shelter.’ What was the mood on the set like, and would you happen to have a story that you can share?
Adam Beauchesne: You know what – dropping into a show that’s been around so long like “Supernatural,” in its final season, can be hit or miss. Sometimes it’s hard to find your place in a group of people so accustomed to working together for so long. But my experience on “Supernatural” was truly fantastic. I spent a couple of very cold nights outside with Misha and Alex, after a long day of shooting another series, and they were incredibly welcoming and professional. The real benefit of dropping into a set like this is everyone already works so well together, they’re incredibly efficient, and allow each other to be their best, creative selves in what can sometimes be a high-pressure environment. The director Matt Cohen, had been an actor on the show several times over the years. He made sure to give us some creative freedom and contributed a lot of ideas in the moment to try out. It honestly was a really great time.
A story that I tell frequently that revolves around “Supernatural” (although wasn’t from this on set experience), was about my first time auditioning. I moved to Vancouver in 2009, and “Supernatural” was one of my very first auditions, to play a recurring villain in an early season. In retrospect, the role was likely too big for what I was ready for, and I just didn’t know much about myself or my abilities to pull it off. The audition was terrible. And not like “oh yeah everyone has off days” – like, I feared I may never be seen by the casting department again. But lo and behold, a decade later I’m brought back to play a villain.
I think in that time I learned so much about this craft, gained a ton of confidence, and became way more comfortable in my skin. This role is pretty wild and theatrical, so I just went for it, over the top, big and broad and silly – and they laughed! Same room, same people. It was really kind of cathartic to see that journey I’d taken. And I consider myself super lucky to have snuck onto the show in their last few episodes. Bit of a full-circle moment.
CB: Do you have any other projects in the works that you’re allowed to share with us?
AB: It’s been a bit of a wild ride with COVID-19, so I’ve been focussing on voiceover stuff, audiobooks, and the like that I can largely do from home. But I do have an upcoming role in the second season of “The Twilight Zone” on CBS and was a recurring character on the first season of “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” on NBC, which had just gone into production on its second season.
CB: Tell us about your recurring role in the series ‘You Me Her.” What was that experience like?
AB: Oh boy. “You Me Her” has been the pinnacle of my career so far – and frankly I’d be thrilled if it ends up being the pinnacle of my career, full stop. I’m so proud of that show, and I so hope it gets a few more eyes on it in the years to come. I play Will, a cynical, acerbic realtor, who kind of acts as an antagonist to the central characters in the show’s final two seasons. He’s a character that is far too close to my own personality it hurts, but was a really fantastic opportunity to represent a multifaceted queer character with a strong, albeit narrow viewpoint. It’s such a rare opportunity to stumble across a character that seems to speak in your voice, that you feel so at home in. It really felt like just this perfect series of events that got me into that room, in front of exactly the right people, at exactly the right time.
The show opened up so many doors for me. Working with two incredible directors, and a cast I could only dream of, and whom I still consider very close friends. I’m so, so thankful to the entire production team and creator for allowing me that opportunity – I only wish it had gone on for another ten seasons after that!
CB: You played Mitch in “Tucker and Dale vs Evil” and I just have to let you know that that movie is one of the biggest quarantine watch parties this year! Do you have any stories that you can share from the set?
AB: I mean, I say YMH is the pinnacle of my career, but man am I ever proud of “Tucker and Dale.” That was my very first film audition EVER, and is the sole reason I ended up moving to Vancouver. Truly, an agent in Calgary happened to have seen me at a theatre audition and knew they were looking for teenagers for this horror movie. I happened to look like a stoner, and fit the bill for one of the roles – so again, a series of pretty fortunate events got me in the room and in front of the right people, and the next thing I knew I was having lunch with Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine, and learning what to avoid at craft services. It was honestly an insane experience. Just being thrown in the deep end and learning the ropes as I went. It absolutely gave me the confidence to move out to the coast and take a real stab at this. I never dreamed that movie would pick up the steam it did, going to Sundance and SXSW, and now having a massive cult following behind it.
As a huge horror fan and aficionado, it was pretty cool to be on the production side of things too. Filming the chainsaw chase over a couple of days with Alan Tudyk was clearly a highlight, although technically pretty harrowing. I did the “stunt” for that, which pretty much involved being tethered to a tree with a harness, and running full tilt through the woods until I was stopped in my tracks on the rope. The tree was superimposed for that shot, but then they created a tree rig for the close-up. It was essentially just a C-clamp that went in through my shirt, and out the other side – super basic, but I think looks great in the final cut! I believe they had to steady the pointy end of the branch in post-production because the movement of my breath would make the viscera hanging off it sway around…
CB: How have you been able to stay sane during COVID?
AB: I’m such an introvert, so I can’t even claim it has felt like survival all this time. I won’t say that I’m “thriving”, but staying inside with a Negroni and a jigsaw puzzle is something I probably did far too often before COVID – now I just have a better reason to. I’m not a huge gamer, but some buddies of mine started playing COD Warzone when this all began, and that’s been a huge boon to our quarantine social lives. I’ve also gone back to some old hobbies – playing the autoharp here and there, and trying to get back to my old YouTube channel where I review episodes of “Are You Afraid of the Dark!”
AB: Let’s get to know you even better with a speed round:
1.) What type of music inspires your creativity? Is folk music the lamest thing I could say? I’m a sucker for any kind of Canadiana, so I’ll usually just find a playlist with some Sarah Harmer, Basia Bulat, Serena Ryder, Katherine Calder, that kind of thing. I like slow and weepy. Again…thriving in COVID.
2.) What movie do you watch over and over and over? A fantastic question. There’s an old British horror mockumentary called “Ghostwatch” that is fantastic. It’s a “live” broadcast of a “Ghost Hunters” type show on Halloween, but with subliminal images in the background for the audience to pick up on. Honestly, check it out. I also love “Misery” and “The Shining;” a bit more standard.
3.) Favorite Sci-Fi movie? I might get raked over the coals for calling this a sci-fi movie, but “Cabin in the Woods” is one of my favorite movies. Yes, it’s likely just straight horror – but I think the twist verges into sci-fi territory.
Written by Colleen Bement
