(photo credit to Richie Lubaton)
Born in Fresno, CA, he came from a close-knit Latino family made up of lawyers, a doctor, and a Scholar in Aztec Literature; and Tim Perez certainly fits right in. A varsity athlete in High School and Junior College, awards in Drama, he found himself as an apprentice actor at the California Shakespeare Festival. He could be found in Off Broadway productions in the New York Public Theater and he treated audiences in Shakespeare in the Park.
Lately, Sci-Fi fans recognize Tim from his guest roles on “Altered Carbon”, “Arrow,” and “Legends of Tomorrow”. He’s also been in films such as a Sundance Film Festival selection “Relax It’s Just Sex,” “Tomorrowland,” and has a role in the upcoming Lifetime film “Doomsday Mom: The Lori Vallow Story.” Now Perez has put on black leather and rides a motorcycle in this exciting fifth and final season of “Van Helsing.” Get to know what he calls the role of his dreams and the actor behind the motorcycle in our up-close interview with Tim Perez.
Nerd Alert News: Let me start out with the fact that I was so impressed by your bio. My goodness, is there anything that you haven’t done?
Tim Perez: When you are an actor you kind of live day today. And every job or experience is transitory. One tends to have a lot of experiences or odd jobs, all working toward finding an acting job. If you act until you are one hundred and one…chances are you will have done every job. Jack-of-all-trades master of none. However, even at work, all one can think about is acting. I wanted to be an actor since the age of nine and that has been my focus. I have also been blessed to be good at carrying heavy objects. I have been told I was born to carry heavy objects. It has gotten me far. One has to be motivated.
NaN: Let’s dive into the vampire verse of “Van Helsing.” Two questions about this wonderful SyFy Channel show that’s ending this season.
1.) Tell us about your recurring character of Biggs.
My character’s name is Biggs. I ride a motorcycle and am decked out in black leather. This is my fantasy. I don’t have the courage to pull that off. So the role is my dream. Biggs doesn’t have a first name. So I made one up. (It’s a secret) but it sounds like Walter. I figure if I give him a frumpy name it will make him more formidable. I figure I was typecast as I’m kind of big? I have been trying to get on the show for years. Small, Little, Round, Biggs? I’m on the show! So I’m lucky and honored to be on. I would say in Greek Mythology my character would be a kind of Oracle who helps the Hero in the belly of the beast. My character speaks softly but carries a big stick. He looks mean on the outside but is loyal and righteous on the inside… a soldier for justice. I adored him.
2.) What has your experience on the set been like?
TIM: Being on set is always like the first day of school. Only this time everyone is wearing a mask for Covid. It was odd. I never got to see what the people who do make-up, hair, the grip, and cinematographer, producer look like. So one is kind of like being alone in a bottle. I can only take my mask off when I act. The crew can see me but I can’t see them. There is a heightened awareness to be safe and follow protocols. So it adds an extra layer of seriousness and rules. The show is a well-oiled machine and one simply has to get into the rhythms of the masked crew and director. It’s a kind of dance. Do your job and have fun, but don’t mess up.
NaN: What are you allowed to share about your role in the upcoming film “Doomsday Mom: The Lori Vallow Story.” I think I remember that hitting the news a couple of years ago. Yikes!
TIM: “Doomsday Mom” is a true story of a mother who is accused of murdering her children and her husband… and more. Life is indeed stranger than fiction. The trial is about to start. I play the lead detective in charge of finding her children. When I first read the script, I couldn’t believe the scope of this American tragedy. It was a page-turner of alternative realities towards Armageddon. In playing my role I attempted to be respectful, compassionate, and an agent for the victims. But, because the story is so present, it was difficult to process and act.
NaN: You’ve had spots on some super popular sci-fi shows over the years. By chance, are you a fan of science fiction? TV? Movies? Books?
TIM: Yes! As a child, I would pull my blanket over my head at night and have fantasies about flying through space. The stars call me. I do enjoy the big spectacle of the franchise shows. I’m also a fan of black and white science fiction and horror from the 1950s. I watch them so much, it’s possible I’m stuck in a time warp. I take special pleasure when I can see the wires on the rockets and the glue on giant rubber puppet monsters of giant bees, spiders, or ants. All spawned from some nuclear accident. I like the theatre and allegory of anything “Star Trek,” “Star Wars,” “Star-lord”…to laugh and marvel at the heavens of heroes, monsters, and vampires. The force is strong in me.
NaN: I read that you like reading poetry. Do you like writing poetry?
TIM: I do like reading poetry. I guess that is kind of nerdy? I do read a lot. And I find I can get the same thing out of a poem I can get out of a novel. And I don’t have time to read novels! Being a poet is a lifestyle and a calling. If I attempted it I would have to stop acting. Poets are like saints. And I am not a candidate for sainthood. However, I do write plays. So, I’m sure that makes me a scoundrel. I wrote a play about Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution that I plan to have a reading of this August on Zoom, based at NYU graduate actors workshop. Reading poetry has given me a few more years of life and tranquility. It calms me down.
NaN: You were awarded Most Outstanding Thespian in Drama and was also an apprentice actor at the California Shakespeare Festival. On top of that, you were quite the athlete in high school. I also read that you grew up in a family of “super-achievers.” What was life like growing up, and how did you catch the acting bug?
TIM: My mom and dad were both educators and civil rights activists and my inspiration. My mom was indeed a professor and my dad a Dean at a University. All of my siblings are doctors, lawyers, and scholars. We grew up on University campuses. My mom got her Ph.D. at Stanford at forty-two after raising seven children. All our lives were geared toward helping my mother accomplish her dreams in order for us to find our own. One has to sacrifice. Being around a University, you are exposed to motivated people trying to create something or improve. I remember at the age of twelve, my mom taking me to her meeting with her mentor to discuss her dissertation. My mom sat me in a chair outside the office and I was shocked to hear the language and the tone of her mentor. The unruly gloves-off passion and vitality of new ideas and defending them was revelatory. It terrified and inspired me. That was my mom’s gift to me. That’s how you catch any bug.
NaN: Do you prefer performing on stage or on screen?
TIM: Performing on screen pays more… but there is nothing like a live performance to bring out the mettle in your spleen. Before I go on stage I have a ritual. I get to the theatre early and I warm up and meditate… then, I throw up and promise myself to never do this again. However, once I hit the stage it’s like swimming in a pond of crystal clear water and everything is right where it should be. I am myself.
Written by Colleen Bement
Hi, I’m Lynn, and I Make.
Props, Cosplay, Scale Models, Home Projects, and just about anything else that involves me Making.
Evan Conroy
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