Ian Poake: Award-Winning Actor, Baseball Fan, and Protector of Cats!

(Photo courtesy of Ian Poake)

Written by Colleen Bement, Editor

Meet Ian Poake. The award-winning actor out of Philadelphia is known for his roles in “The Better Sister,” HBO’s hit series ”Succession,” “The Punisher,” and literally for playing opposite Seth Rogen as a stand in for “An American Pickle.” Ian has acted in and produced a handful of shows in the NYC Indie Theater scene including the sold out Off-Broadway run of Max Baker’s Hal & Bee at 59e59 Theaters, Juilliard alum Alex Riad’s festival winning “The Floor is Lava” at Planet Connections Festival at LaMama, as well as working with The Farm Theater’s College Collaboration project – developing the role of “Carter” in Kimberly Belflower’s current Broadway hit “John Proctor is the Villain.” He also starred in the award-winning short film “Jolie,” written by the creator of “The Tiny Chef Show” and directed by six-time Emmy award winner Hayley Geffen – for which Ian won Best Actor at the Paris Art and Movie Awards.

Ian also happens to be a big sports fan and a devoted cat lover. As a dedicated advocate for cat rescue and care, he’s a caretaker of several neighborhood cats. A fellow nerd, he also happens to be into Dungeons & Dragons. Get to know Ian Poake: Actor. One of the two Seths. Cat lover.

Colleen Bement: Thank you again for taking the time out for the interview. Let’s start out by chatting about your show “The Better Sister.” For those who have yet to watch it, tell us about your character Troy Younger.

Ian Poake: Thank you so much for having me! Younger is one of the two FBI Agents conducting a federal investigation running parallel to a local police investigation. He and his partner Olivero (the wonderful Frank Pando) take a particular interest in what Chloe (Jessica Biel) may or may not be able to illuminate for them regarding their investigation and how it relates to her husband (Corey Stoll). Younger is a little less experienced than Olivero, and defers to him as his superior – but as Olivero’s dogged pursuit of the case leads him to utilizing some less than savory methods of investigation, Younger’s morality and by-the-book nature make it increasingly difficult to go along with his partner’s operating procedure.

CB: What’s it like working with Jessica Biel & Elizabeth Banks on “The Better Sister”?

IP: It was wonderful working with Jessica. I only shot with her for a couple days, but I was blown away from the minute we stepped on set. Disregarding the fact that she and Elizabeth (with whom I was not fortunate enough to share any shoot days, but everyone on the team had nothing but glowing things to say!) are producing this monster operation – but her acting process was really, really impressive. One of the scenes we shot takes place in a small diner in Greenpoint – Jessica’s character is under a LOT of emotional duress, but needs to keep it together. While we were setting up for the first coverage, I was blown away by how she locked in and grounded herself to find the simmering rage and fear and frustration that she masterfully fills her performance with. Being able to juggle the administrative tasks of producing and delivering an outstanding performance, all the while being unbelievably gracious and kind to everyone on the set – top to bottom, Executive Producer to Production Assistant – is remarkable. To sum it up, I couldn’t have asked for more!

CB: You were the stand-in for Seth Rogen in practically every scene of “An American Pickle.” What an experience that must have been. Would you happen to have a story that you can share?

IP: Yeah! Likely the coolest gig I’ll ever have the privilege to do! The actual title of the role I played was “acting double” because when Seth and the team cast me, Seth was adamant that he have someone across from him that could pass the ball back and forth and help to elevate his performance – all the while, understanding that if I do my job as well as is possible, I will completely disappear from the film. It was the best learning experience I could ever ask for, as I got to do everything that #1 on the call sheet got to do – I got to do stunt work, green screen, picture car driving – all the things I ever dreamed of getting to do sitting in the Anthony Wayne movie theater watching any action movie when I was twelve years old.

One of my favorite stories from my experience on “An American Pickle” was right as it was just beginning. After several rounds of auditions in New York, I got a call from Francine Maisler’s office inviting me to fly out to the Sony lot in LA to meet with the producers, the director and of course Seth. It was an in-person audition where Seth wanted to make sure we could act and riff together, but more importantly that I could imitate Seth’s physicality (as this was the main hurdle after casting someone with a similar build). We did the scenes, the director gave us some blocking and made sure that I was capable of taking in Seth’s physicality and gestures and replicating them authentically. That all went very well, but then there was one last thing – there were going to be a lot of wide shots of Seth’s characters walking, and Seth has a relatively unique and recognizable walk. Before the audition was over, they had Seth walk up and down the hallway, and then had me watch and then replicate. I gave it a shot, and immediately all the producers, Francine and Seth himself were laughing and shouting “OH MY GOD IT’S LIKE THERE ARE TWO SETHS!!!” They sent me back to the lobby and the PA who was escorting me around the lot told me we were to wait in the parking lot for them to call. I’m sitting in this car, waiting for the phone to ring – and they’re either going to tell me I’m about to book the biggest job of my life, or I’d be taken straight back to the airport to fly home back to my bartending job. After the LONGEST five minutes of my life, Brandon Trost, the phenomenal director and cinematographer who helmed “Pickle”, called and said I got the job!

I bring up the walking story because ANYONE who has gone to theater school knows that in movement 101 you all pair up and study one of your classmates’ walks and attempt to mimic it. In the moment, it feels so silly and just like, “Oh jeez really? When am I ever going to use this?” Well I am here to tell you – YOU BETTER PAY ATTENTION BECAUSE IT JUST MIGHT COME IN HANDY!

CB: I have got to hear about your new Dungeons & Dragons based game. What is it all about?

IP: Ah! Well, it’s still very much in the incubation stage. A dear friend of mine is a very accomplished Game Master, and he lent me the Dungeonmaster’s Guide and I got to planning. I am firmly a millennial, and was in the prime of youth surrounding the Y2K craze. The campaign I want to write is set in suburban middle America on the eve of Y2K. The town is your typical small town, but the epicenter of the story will come out of, where else, THE MALL!

Basically the inciting event is that when the clock strikes midnight, nothing happens just like in real life – OR DOES IT? A rift in inter dimensional space opens up in a Sam Goody, and unleashes all kinds of hell on this small town. I’d love for the player characters to get to inhabit their younger selves, or versions of themselves, and I want to re-skin the classes as different types of high school social strata (jock, goth, A/V nerd, band geek, etc.). “Stranger Things” and “Papergirls” vibes, with a Lovecraft twist, set on NYE going into the year 2000. Like I said, a real work in progress, but I think it’s got legs!

CB: As a long-time Dodgers fan, I’ve loved Baseball since I was a kid. My Dad and grandpa used to bring me to games, and my husband does fantasy leagues. It can be stressful! What got you into baseball? If you were a baseball player, what would your walk-up song be?

IP: This question is AWESOME! My father-in-law is a huge Dodgers fan! I’m a diehard Phillies supporter myself, so until the playoffs, I’m not worried about the Dodgers haha. I played baseball up until the middle of high school when I had to decide whether I wanted to devote time to sports, or time to acting and theater – I’m glad I made the choice I did – but my love of baseball has never faltered. In fact, if anything I’m way more of a baseball nut than I used to be (I can thank Fantasy Baseball for that, haha). I have always loved the game, and I also love the community and social element of baseball. There are few things in sports that I find more exciting than the chess match between an elite pitcher and an elite hitter. I have been playing in one of my leagues for going on 16 years. Of the 16 people who are in the league, five of them are my lifelong friends, but the other ten are people who, even though I have never met them in person, have become really cherished people in my life. We had a guy who had been in the league for a decade leave last year, and it was legitimately emotional, haha. I could wax poetic about baseball for pages and pages, so to answer the important question, my walk up song would be “Renegade” by Styx. I’d probably be someone whose song changed all the time if I’m honest, but that’s what I’m going with. 

CB: Tell me about your cocktails, and working at the bar at Nitehawk Cinemas Prospect Park?

IP: It’s really cool to have a day job that is really in the thick of the movie business – and at Nitehawk we get to blend cinema and hospitality in a really fun way. We do fun drink and food specials that pair with new release movies, so it’s always fun to get to workshop ideas for the new movies we’re getting. For instance, I was the lucky one that got to see an early screening of “Thunderbolts” (which, if you haven’t seen it yet, is SO SO GOOOOD! Marvel is back, baby!) and I got to concoct the drink special for it. It ended up being a play on an espresso martini and espresso and tonic. It has vodka, cold brew coffee, walnut liqueur, creme de cacao and then a splash of tonic water. We also added some charcoal to make the beverage black in color (because one of the baddies in “Thunderbolts” turns everything to shadow). Aside from truly loving the people with whom I work (which is super lucky) it’s just a fun atmosphere.

 CB: How did you catch the acting bug and who inspired your creativity growing up?

IP: Like a lot of us, I began life as the stereotypical class clown. Always trying to get a laugh from my classmates, annoying my teachers, but I was precocious and a smooth-talker so I could usually get away with it. Cut to 8th grade, and our choir director could not wait to tell me to audition for “The Wizard of Oz”. I got up there for my audition and did a (rather impressive for a 12 year old, if I do say so myself) impression of Bert Lahr to the delighted cries of laughter from all of the teachers and adults who usually had to tamp down my performative energy. They like this? I’m good at this?? I’M HOOKED! 

From then on, it became a wonderful outlet for that unbridled energy, and I loved to disappear out of myself and into someone or something else. It took a long time (and a lot of therapy) to realize it’s a lot deeper than the exterior validation, it is something that I just have to do. 

When I was a kid, SNL just ran like 24hrs a day on Comedy Central and I loved those mid to late 90’s casts. Obviously Chris Farley, Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon and Dana Carvey stand out – but I also loved stand up comedy. George Carlin blew the doors off my mind. The way he thought and looked at the world (less so in his later, far more acerbic years) was so smart and elegant, but so viciously funny, without EVER punching down. I love that. On the dramatic side, I have always been a massive fan of Robert Redford. “All the President’s Men” is probably my favorite film, and I’ll never forget seeing it for the first time in middle school and just really appreciating Redford’s work and wanting to simplify my own.

Thanks again very much for the chat. We’ll be keeping an eye on your Instagram for updates! And check out the trailer for “The Better Sister.”

Lynn Makes

Hi, I’m Lynn, and I Make.
Props, Cosplay, Scale Models, Home Projects, and just about anything else that involves me Making.

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