(Photo credit to Todd Duncan)
Meet Nathan Lovejoy.
This Emmy nominated actor can currently be seen starring in Disney Channel’s series “Gabby Duran and the Unsittables” and he shares some interesting stories from the set. This Tasmania, Australian-born actor who saw a Melbourne production of “Sunset Boulevard” as a kid thankfully left his basketball on the court for an acting career.
Australian’s love him for his role as ‘Borkman’ in the Australian comedy series “Sammy J & Randy in Ricketts Lane”, for which he was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Performance in a Television Comedy. He is also known for his roles in “The Good Place”, “The Code”, “Deep Water”, “The Kettering Incident”, “Bombshell”, “Headland”, and “This Is Littleton”. Get to know Nathan and find out why it is fun to play a shape-shifting Gor-Mon alien.
Photo credit to Todd Duncan
Colleen Bement: Huge congratulations for your Emmy Nomination for your hilarious role in “Gabby Duran and the Unsittables.” What was your reaction when you got the news that you were nominated?
Nathan Lovejoy: It was really cool (John/Joan) one of the Executive Producers of the show sent me a text and I didn’t really believe it at first. I said send me the proof. It’s funny with all these big awards, it’s kind of mysterious what happens in the background in terms of how you get propelled forward and deciding who gets nominated. I’m an Australian as you might have picked up from my accent, you kind of come over to the States on a bit of a wing and a prayer and try to forge a career for yourself. So it’s nice to have some recognition like that, and particularly on a kid’s show as well. Obviously, I’ve worked on a lot of regular TV. I’ve had an amazing time working on Gabby Duran, but you wonder sometimes who’s watching the show. Kids are watching the show but whether it’s being seen by anyone else, it’s nice to have that recognition from your peers. It was really exciting.
CB: What can you share about life on the set playing a shape-shifting Gor-Mon alien/principal?
NL: It’s cool, I mean we shoot up in Canada, and we have a big studio and sound stage set up there with all different sets on it. I work with amazing crews up there. I guess one of the more interesting things about working with children is, of course, there’s a lot of legality around how long they can work and when they have to wrap. I might get to go in and get to do a scene with the kids in the rehearsal, but then they’ll be shuffled off to school. Often I’ll be shooting my parts without them there. I might be talking to a piece of tape attached to a tennis ball that’s off-camera. Or have someone else reading their lines because they’ve reached their maximum number of hours that they can work and they have to go home.
Aside from that, it was been really amazing to just be a part of their formative years. For example (Carly), the lead girl, she must have been 12 or 13. I mean she was tiny. I remember meeting her in and show just turned 16. It’s also been a real privilege and super exciting to watch them all grow up and be part of those formative years and watch them go through the experience of being on TV. I can’t imagine doing that at their age. Being able to share it and watch their skills evolve, and then I’ll get to watch their careers take off as they head into their adult lives.
CB: That is kind of a privilege. I love it. By chance, do you have any other projects in the works that you are allowed to share?
NL: (laughs) I wish I did. I mean at the moment. I’m waiting to see if this comes back, and I’m out there auditioning and back on the treadmill of trying to find that next job. I’d love to work on some grown-up TV again soon before too long.
CB: Just how fun was it to do voice work for the video game Star Wars: The Old Republic? Are you a “Star Wars” fan by chance?
NL: I do, it’s really cool. It’s another great avenue to work in. In Australia, where I come from, there’s not a lot of voice over work. Mostly commercial voice over work. Whereas in the US, there are theatrical, animation, video games. It’s a real thrill. I play less video games the older I get. I’ve got a one-year-old son and my wife doesn’t give me too much video game time. I’ve certainly played a lot of video games so it’s a real thrill. It’s great work. I don’t have to go to Canada for it. I pop down to a studio in Santa Monica, smash out a whole lot of lines, then it’s over.
CB: Are you a big “Star Wars” fan by chance?
NL: I’m a little bit–are you a big “Star Wars” fan?
CB: Absolutely. Seeing the first “Star Wars” in 1977 when I was 13 changed my life. It created a spark to want me to become a writer. It’s amazing how something like a movie can really have an impact on a person.
NL: There’s always something that is that catalyst that drives you in that direction. For me, it was seeing a production of “Sunset Boulevard” and I was that same age in Melbourne. I saw it with my parents and it had Hugh Jackman in it. Critically, it wasn’t a very successful production, but for me, my jaw was on the floor at the end of it. I was like THAT’S IT. That’s what I want to do. So I’m a passing “Star Wars” fan. I feel a degree of guilt that I don’t have the burning passion that so many people have for “Star Wars.” I definitely like it, but it’s safe to say that you would beat me in a game of trivia. (laughs)
CB: I read that you were born in Tasmania, Australia. Is that where you grew up? How did your direction switch from being a basketball player to an actor?
NL: Growing up in Australia was great. I only lived in Tasmania until I was five. My dad was a minister when I was a kid so we were constantly moving around. Tasmania is amazing because it’s kind of wild and incredible in terms of its nature and environment. Basketball was definitely a huge part of my life. If you Google my height I’m something like 6’7″. So obviously when I was growing up I started high school at 6’3″. It was a huge part of my life until the end of high school. But like a lot of kids, I did start to get a little bit burnt out, and I’d also done a lot of drama in high school.
Then two paths just started to diverge a little bit. I had coaches saying you’ve got to make a choice. I started going to universities was starting an arts degree and theater and started getting more interested in it. Then I auditioned for some big drama schools in Australia. I ended up getting into one of those big schools and that was the tipping point. I hung up my basketball shoes, but I still love basketball and I still play socially. That was my journey from basketball to acting.
CB: Tell us about the charity that you work with called Ads-Up.
NL: It’s great. In between filming the show, I found myself with a lot of downtime. When I had my career in Australia it’s a smaller industry and you’d often supplement your work with other things. I thought I’d get involved with some work on a charity that works refugees that have been resettled in the USA that have been in immigration detention in Australia.
Australia has a rather high-level overview with a fairly punitive immigration system where anyone who arrives by boat, which happens a lot in Australia. People jump on boats from other countries and they’re sort of picked up and detained in detention centers. They’re often held there for a very long time. There was a deal with a certain amount of refugees that were in detention. There was an agreement between the two governments to have them resettled in the USA. That’s specifically what Ads-Up does is work with those refugees that have been resettled in the US. They’re often from Iran, Syria, Afghanistan. When I had more time, I worked as a liaison where I would talk to a whole range of people who would arrive in the US that might help them get set up clothing and just giving them general advice. My wife and I always tried to make donations to charities we believed in, and that’s what we did with this one. It was hugely rewarding and they do really important work. I wish I had more time at the moment.
Thank you for taking time out for us, Nathan, and best of luck in your future!
Written by Colleen Bement
Hi, I’m Lynn, and I Make.
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