Joel Thomas Hynes is an award-winning novelist, filmmaker, musician and now has a role in CW’s new series “Trickster.”
With 5th generation roots from Newfoundland, Canada, he not only acts, but also produces, and writes screenplays and novels, Hynes is an accomplished musician with a new studio album in the works. His first full-length studio album Dead Man’s Melody has made him a name in the music world. Fans can catch him in his role. Music is a constant in his life and he loves to dive deep into singer-songwriters, rock, and folk. Catch up with Joel in our interview.
CB: Congrats on your role in CW’s new series “Trickster,” and thank you so much for taking time out for Nerd Alert News. My first question is what was your reaction when you found out you were chosen for the role of Richie?
JTH: I’ve been a huge fan of Eden Robinson’s fiction right from her first book Traplines. And of course, I’d worked with Michelle Latimer. She’s a brilliant artist. I love working with strong women. Plus it was a great opportunity to work with a largely indigenous cast, so this role (despite the fact that Richie is such a lowlife), held a lot of positive for me. I met a lot of people, made some new friends, I just approached it as an opportunity to learn and grow.
CB: What was the filming experience like for “Trickster?”
JTH: You know, we had some tough, grueling days but for the most part it was a lot of fun. I just loved working with Joel Oulette. I don’t think he’d had such a substantial role before “Trickster” and I came away with massive respect for him carrying the show as he does. It’s a fantastic ensemble cast, brilliant performances all around. The show looks amazing, the series is dark and violent and supernatural, deals with a lot of sensitive cultural issues, a lot of stunts and special effects, great scripts, really driven and experienced crew – but none of that adds up to much without a lead actor. Joel O really delivered.
CB: What can you share about “A Small Fortune?” Has it been released and where can people watch it?
JTH: “A Small Fortune” is a feature I was involved in that shot on Prince Edward Island in the fall of 2019. It’s kind of a Fargo-esque crime drama about a bag of cash that washes up on the beach and ends up in the wrong pockets. I play the guy who comes to get the money back, who reluctantly orchestrates a series of very violent events. COVID has delayed the release of the movie for now but I’m hearing great things about it. PEI has a very flourishing film community and I think a lot of great projects are gonna spring off that island in the coming years. It’s probably one of my favorite places to work. Great people.
CB: You won multiple awards for your recent novel “We’ll All Be Burnt in Our Beds Some Night.” Huge congrats! Are you working on any writing at the moment?
JTH: Yes my last novel was a bit of a crazy whirlwind with all the awards and media. The GG award was certainly a shock to me. But that’s all over now. So I am, as ever, working on a new novel. It’s torture. Right now I’m in research mode, searching for the voice, taking notes, and mapping it all out. I have so many writing projects up in the air that I can’t say for sure when I’ll publish another book. Writing is way more fun than publishing anyway.
CB: I love your Instagram. The photos have so much color and character. Do you spend time often on social media? Where can fans find you?
JTH: I don’t spend a lot of my time on social media. I tend to use it for announcements of creative events and projects. I don’t like to get too personal. I mostly use IG as a creative platform for showing off artsy photos I like to take. And I initially got on there at the behest of my son who’s got like 90k followers. But I find Instagram, or at least m own experience with it, is a less noisy, gentler platform to pursue. I’m on Facebook once and a while too and I do love to interact with fan sand followers. But I still prefer to read a good book than dump my energy into social media.
CB: I’m a bit obsessed with Viking mythology lately. I see that you’re from Newfoundland, Canada. I wonder if you have any Viking ancestry!
JTH: I do not have any Viking ancestry. Unless it goes way back. My people crossed over from southeast of Ireland. I am fifth generation Newfoundlander and happily so.
CB: What music are you into lately?
JTH: That’s a loaded question. I generally listen to anyone who’s got something real to say. I tend to gravitate towards singer-songwriters, rock, and folk. I am working out a new studio album too, so I’m always on the hunt for inspiration. I’ve been revisiting a lot of my old favorites lately. I bounce around the eras. But music is a constant in my life. When I’m working out a scene in a script, for example, I’ll often play the appropriate music to help me along. And I often try to listen to the type of music one of my characters might listen to. I do that when I’m either writing or acting.
Written by Colleen Bement
Lynn Makes
Evan Conroy
Ron Peterson