As long as I live, I am certain I will never tire of being that Hallmark viewer (or any network, for that matter) who pays attention to the credits at the beginning and the end of a show or film and attempts to recognize as many actors as possible within the work I am watching. Yes, I admit to “living” on IMDB when watching shows or films, but that is what has connected me with so many wonderful people in the last year or so. And that is how I discovered the actor Bruce Blain. I think I first noticed him in Looks Like Christmas this past December, and when I asked for an interview, he was more than happy to oblige. 

RH: It’s nice to get to chat with you today, Bruce. I really am impressed with how well-organized everything is on your IMDB page, and even your reel was very nice to watch and easy to follow.

BB: Thank you. My pleasure. Details like that are just something you need to do if you want to be a working actor. It can be time-consuming but I couldn’t be happier doing it.

That’s exactly what I picked up on. Sometimes young people in the business don’t understand that. Sometimes they are expecting things to go faster than what they are. You want to tell them what to do–

Well, young actors often get visions of fame and fortune in their heads and it’s hard to tell these young guns what to do. But sometimes, you come across a young actor who’s actually making it. Just naturally doing all the right things already. And it’s refreshing. In 1922, one of the movies I have coming out this year, I worked with a wonderful young actor named Dylan Schmid. He’s a young guy that you’ve never heard of, but if you look at his resume, it’s really solid. He’s doing quite well. He’s only eighteen or nineteen, and look at that resume! And like I said to Dylan, “You’re so lucky to have this much quality experience at this age and know what you want to do with your life!”

I’ve gotten to meet so many young people this past year who are doing really well. Andrea Bang from Kim’s Convenience. She actually took a class with me a couple of years ago. Really off to a great start…but me? I didn’t start this career till five years ago.

I noticed that! I love interviewing actors who started a bit later in life because in many ways, I’m doing a similar thing with my writing and interviewing. How did you end up getting involved in acting?

There’s two things I always talk about when people ask me that question.

First of all, when I was a kid, they would always have these plays, and there was always a king or a mayor or some central character. And I was always the mayor or the king. It happened automatically. I don’t recall ever asking for it. I certainly never tried out or auditioned. I was just always that guy. Even in high school, I took a drama class, and put on skits and shows that raised money for a charity. It never really clicked in my mind back then how much I enjoyed it, but I did.

Skipping ahead, back in about 2006 or 2007, I got this call in Bangkok to see if I had time to be a part of the movie about the Thai football team going to the World Cup. They said I was going to be an English football fan. So I went out and bought myself a cheap, knock-off English jersey off the street. I made myself this cool, little hat with a Union Jack on it, and I went to the set. There were like two thousand people there. I remember I was in the crowd, and everybody was doing their thing. The AD’s were directing people to do this and do that. About twenty rows in front of me was the central character they were actually focusing on. She’s shouting, “Thailand! Thailand!” And everybody’s doing their thing.

At one of the breaks, he came up and asked me for my hat. He took my hat and marched it down right next to the guy sitting next to that lady. He took my hat! I went, “Hey, wait a minute!” {laughs} “I need that hat! That’s my hat!”  So I got switched out and moved down into his seat, and I thought that was great! {laughs} And I was hooked! So there’s a film out there somewhere–I can’t remember the name of it–it’s in Thai–and the opening sequence where this lady’s standing on the chair, my big face is right there too.

I thought that was great, so I went out and did it again. Got another thing and then another thing. And the way it works in Thailand for the foreigners is there are five or six main booking agents, and all they do is keep in contact with casting and put the word out when they’re looking for people for extras or actual roles in commercials. So you are not signed on with anyone in particular. I got to know some of the people and connect with some of these booking agents. I started going out for commercials and booking those and then for bigger roles and started booking them. It got to the point where every time I went out, I was booking. I was booking nine out of ten times, which is unheard of.

The Impossible with Ewan McGregor

In the last couple years I was there, around the fall of 2010, I auditioned for The Impossible with Ewan McGregor and The Mark with Eric Roberts. And I booked them both. Which was cool because The Impossible was the first real audition – you know, “speaking and everything!” I was terrified to be opposite Ewan McGregor! I had six words to say and I just couldn’t say them. Peter Mossman was the casting associate, and he really helped me out. He gave me a lot of slack until they finally got something on tape. I followed up and eventually went in for the callback which also scared the heck out of me.  J.A. Bayona, famous director of this project, loved what I did, and they hired me.

The Mark with Eric Roberts

Around the same time, I booked THE MARK. I walked into a green room and sitting there is Eric Roberts. and he and I had a great couple of days talking about everything as well as the business, of course. About ten days later, I filmed with Ewan McGregor.  I really enjoyed both, and I just wanted to keep doing more.

Vikingdom

The following year, I did Vikingdom, a Viking movie shot in Malaysia. During the process, I did a lot of flying back and forth between Bangkok and Malaysia. I really enjoyed the length and breadth of what it meant to be in a movie. And that was it. I decided I was sticking to it. I spent a year putting away money. I did a whole bunch of commercials in that last year. And then I moved to Vancouver to pursue it for a living because there is no way you can depend on acting to make a living in Thailand. I’ve got friends–one in particular, he’s a stunt actor–he was very, very busy. He was working all the time. And yet every month, he was struggling to pay the rent.

Are you originally from Canada, or did you come from somewhere else?

I grew up in Aylmer, Quebec, just across the river from Ottawa. So you’d think I would have landed in Toronto. But you see, everything I’ve done has been extremely strategic. I analyzed what was shooting in each city. Vancouver, at the time, seemed much more TV-centric, and Toronto was much more film-centric. I also preferred Vancouver, just for living. I had been in Toronto a couple of times, and it wasn’t really where I wanted to live on a regular basis. I thought I might like living in Vancouver more. I also thought that while I would prefer to act in movies, TV is more sustainable. So Vancouver was the easy choice.

That makes perfect sense to me–the bit about you being strategic. In some ways, it’s unusual to find an organized actor. The artistic temperament seems to lend itself to disorganization and sometimes procrastination.

I hate to burst your bubble, but I’m also a huge procrastinator. And I’m extremely impatient.

Okay, I can understand that, but at least you’re organized in your procrastination, right?

Well, yeah, and that comes down to the fact that when I came here, I thought about what kind of work I could do to support myself while I wait for acting to pick up. I had been in Asia for thirteen years at that point. I didn’t see myself as being hire-able for anything substantial or anything worthwhile. I could have gotten a job in retail or as a bartender, but I knew I had to make it work with the acting. Failure was not an option. You may have heard that expression before, but to live or die by it is highly motivational. If I didn’t make this work, I’d be out on the street. I also couldn’t stomach the idea of having a part-time job that I had to schedule auditions around. I thought it would be extremely distracting. I am one hundred percent sure that there have been a number of times I got work because I was available. I remember sitting in an audition for a callback, and the guy I was up against was a guy I previously lost a job to . That’s why I remember him so well. I was calm and thinking about the scene, and he was a basket case. They were forty-five minutes behind; it was twenty to six. His call time was five. He had an appointment at six, and he was trying to get someone to cover for him. He was completely frazzled, so before we went into the room, I knew I had the job.

The same thing happened when I was cast in Supernatural. They brought me in at eleven and asked if I could come back at two for a director/producer session. You got a part-time or full-time job, you can’t take time off at eleven and say you have to go back at two. You’ll get fired! No part-time jobs for me. Knock on wood. I’ve been here four years, and I’ve managed to avoid real work altogether. {laughs}

I wanted to ask you about Supernatural because I think you played two characters, if I remember right.

as Dwight Charles on Supernatural

Yes. Twice. (four times if you count the two times I was on as an extra) The first role, Dwight Charles–the bartender with the beard and the long hair– was actually my first big role here in Vancouver. I was still new and I got to work with Curtis Armstrong. He played Booger on Revenge of the Nerds, and he plays Metatron on Supernatural. It was really cool hanging out with and talking to him. But again, “the hair” was part of the strategy.

When I came here, I had the beard leftover from Vikingdom and my hair was starting to come in. I knew that my look with the long hair and the beard would get me into the casting director’s rooms. But I also knew if I wanted the meatier roles, I would have to lose that look. So  about two and half years in, I talked to my agent about getting rid of my beard and in September of last year, we realized that the roles for that bearded look were diminishing, and so we pulled the trigger. And the moment I shaved it off–I shaved it on a Friday–that Monday, they booked me for my second stint on Supernatural. Coach Phil Evans.

as Coach Phil Evans on Supernatural

So I knew my “look” – long hair and a beard – would work for me AND I knew eventually, I would want to change that look. When I would chop it all off, it would be a whole new me. One of the phenomena in this business is that casting directors like to have a look at new people. It’s like getting a new car or a new TV–they like the newness. But it wears off. So I got myself two rounds of newness. {laughs}

A day on the set of Supernatural is a real dream. The crew is so tight. Everybody knows exactly what they’re doing. The hierarchy is in place. There’s no squabbling. If decisions need to be made, they’re made quickly and calmly. When you’re working on Supernatural, you’re almost guaranteed to work a  minimum twelve-hour day. They shoot in twelve hours what other shows would take sixteen hours to shoot. They work so fast and efficiently. I would “kill” to get on there for a third stint. And a recurring stint would even be better. It’s a good show to get on. It’s not going anywhere. It’s down to the boys. If they want to do another season, it’s up to them. Jared {Padalecki} and Jensen {Ackles} are really nice guys. Even with their hectic schedule, the show, the fans, and all that, they are very approachable with all the people on set. They’re always ready to take a picture with fans or sign an autograph. They’re super cool guys, and they’re probably just so freakin’ happy. The stress they have is good in their lives, not the “I’m going to pull my hair out” stress. They’re very lucky.

The way I found out about you is through Hallmark because you have done some work with them. How did you get involved with Hallmark?

Jackie Lind was the casting director for Wedding Bells, and she brought me in for the role.  My role, Tony, was just a small role, but I was happy to be brought in for Hallmark. They’re good people to know, and I got to meet Danica McKellar. That was awesome! {laughs} I have liked Danica since I can’t remember when. She is so gorgeous. Kavan Smith was in that, too. He’s a really nice guy, but he’s also very busy. He’s one of those guys that nobody’s ever heard of outside of Hallmark, but he’s got a thriving, professional acting career. He keeps busy. He’s always working. And that’s all I aspire to. I don’t need to be famous. I don’t necessarily want to be famous .

Someone asked me how I define what it means to make it in the business. My response is “a series of sustainable successes.”

I like that. That’s pretty cool.

It is cool–thank you–’cause it’s accurate. A lot of actors come in and they have “a” success. They book their first recurring role, and they will sell the farm on that first success. And of course, when that success is not followed up with another success, they’re broke. And then there’s people… like, I had a good year last year. 2016 was a series of successes for me. I had thirteen bookings out of seventy-five auditions last year. Seventy-five auditions is a lot of auditions. And thirteen out of seventy-five is a monstrous number. But that is only a “series of successes”. The real test of making it is–are those successes sustainable? If it’s not sustainable, you haven’t made it. Kavan Smith has a series of sustainable successes. Is he getting invited to the same parties as Brad Pitt? Probably not. But he’s making a good living and paying his bills. As far as I’m concerned, he is making it.

So you were also in Looks Like Christmas which was a popular one since it was Hallmark and Christmas. How did you get that role?

I seem to remember going into my audition and walking out pretty much knowing I had the role. Not because of anything they told me in the room, but it just felt right. I felt good about my audition, and I had a lot of fun with my role. I got to work with Anne Heche. And of course, Dylan Neal, a Hallmark staple.  I think he has his own series of mystery movies–Gourmet Detective. I want to be in one of those! {laughs} I think it would be so much fun to do something like that.

Oh, you would be great in one of their mystery movies. They could even put you in as the murderer.

Oh, I’d like that. I would like to play a bad guy in a movie like that.

You’ve gotten to work with two well-known Hallmark leading ladies.

And two very different people too. Anne Heche is a long-time professional actress. She has a lot of ideas about how things should happen and how the characters should be. And she’s very much involved in driving that bus. But on the other hand, Danica was much more easy-going with the flow. Two very different approaches of putting the work up on screen. Really pretty cool.

While I don’t know either of them personally, that does sound about right. And it just goes to show that you have to find your own way, your own rhythm of doing it. Both of them have found what works for them, and they’re are able to have a solid career based on that. Sometimes there are those actors who haven’t found out who they are, and they flounder in the business because they haven’t found their rhythm yet. 

with Danica McKellar

True. But Danica doesn’t need the acting. She can always fall back on writing math books.

Yes, she is such an amazingly smart woman.

She sure is. I’ve enjoyed the Hallmark stuff. Given more opportunities to work on Hallmark, I will pursue them aggressively. Everyone is nice, calm, and collaborative. I wouldn’t mind getting to know them more and having them get to know me better.

When I was on Wedding Bells, I was talking to one of the producers and he said they are producing about ninety movies a year. Which is an unfathomable number. They’re working all over the continent. They’re not just doing twenty a year in Vancouver. They are doing it all over the place.

I think Hallmark could have a really good year. Given the state of the nation, for lack of a better term, there’s a lot of negative, cynical, destructive, hateful, divisiveness–all kinds of  stuff that’s going on that is just horrible. But Hallmark is always positive. It’s this warm hug. It’s a hot cup of cocoa on a cold day. I like a good action movie or sci-fi movie with lots of violence. And I like really dark dramas where the hero is torn apart and broken and overcomes many obstacles and death is everywhere. I like that stuff. However, given the way society is today, I wonder if something like the Hallmark Channel that makes movies of a positive nature might take hold a little bit more. People might gravitate towards it.

From what I’ve seen, people tweet to Hallmark about not watching the news. Instead they are watching Hallmark to escape all the bad news. People spend their whole weekends watching Hallmark.

That’s exactly what I’m talking about. People see all the crap on the news, and they say, “It’s a good day to watch Hallmark.”  It will take you away from the negative stuff.

I know you have quite a few things upcoming that you have been involved in. I think you have a small part in When We Rise, right?

I auditioned for another role in When We Rise, but I didn’t get it. But the director, Gus Van Sant, liked the way I look, and they needed someone for this particular role. It’s actually man taking form. It just involved me giving a certain look to one of the characters who was being recruited. Gus Van Sant said I had a wonderful face and he could watch me all day. I didn’t get a lot of interaction with him, but I heard that. That was nice.

For at least six months now, I have heard so much about The Arrangement  and I see you’re a part of that too.

They shot the pilot for that about a year and a half ago. I auditioned for the pilot and had a callback with the director, but I didn’t book anything.  Fast-forward about a year later when they finally got the green light to go ahead and shoot episodes, I’m in episode seven airing in early April I think. I play Ollie Flanagan, and it’s one of the more substantial roles of my four-year career here.  I’m very happy with it. I think it’s going to do really well. It’s an interesting story. A rich guy pays a struggling actress to pretend to be his girlfriend. There’s all kinds of stuff  in it, but they’re very hush-hush about the storyline. The star, Christine Evangelista, has recently had a stint on The Walking Dead, and she has blown up on the internet over that.

And you’re also in an episode of Riverdale?

Yes, I just did the ADR for that. This is Archie and The Gang re-imagined quite spectacularly, I’d say. My episode is coming out March 16th {March 30th in the U.S.} for that one. That’s a smaller role opposite Luke Perry, which I thought was kinda nice. I’m most excited about this one because it’s very early in the show; it’s still the first season. I’m introduced as somebody who lives in Riverdale. And so I am established as a person who lives in the  community, so there’s the possibility they might use me again. I like that idea.

I was in a recent episode of Legends of Tomorrow. That is a reuniting of me and Dominic Purcell. I worked with Dominic in Vikingdom in Malaysia. With Legends of Tomorrow, they had a transport there ready to take the actors to set. I got in on the back of the rig and then Dominic got on his side. He sat there, looked at me and said, “Hi.” So now I’m fairly clean-shaven, and I said, “You don’t remember me, do you?” I reminded him about Vikingdom. And he was like, “Oh! How’s your daughter?” Funny. We spent three months together in Malaysia, so of course, we know each other. That was funny.

And I also read that you were in an episode of Timeless. I watch that show faithfully, and I even remember the episode you were in. You were in the “Space Race” one, and that was a really great episode. 

My character was very short-lived. I likened that role to being a red shirt security guard on the old Star Trek. Yeah, he’s dead. {laughs} I love time travel. That day, I was working on a bonus day for The Arrangement because on a previous day, it had been raining a lot, so many of those shots they couldn’t use. So they had to re-shoot a bunch of stuff. So this was a Thursday. In the morning on Friday, I was supposed to work my second day on 1922. I got a phone call from my agent saying that Timeless wanted me on the evening for Friday. So that was a good week! {laughs}

I’ve also got Max 2: White House Hero coming out this summer I believe. The original was called Max. It was about a dog that does all kinds of heroic stuff. And this is the sequel. That is my biggest role to date. I play a Russian chef. And I get to talk in a Russian accent. It stars a couple of young actors: Zane Austin and Francesca Capaldi. Zane is pretty much a newcomer, but Francesca is already a pretty old hat at twelve years old. I enjoy working with kids that are sharp and capable. And these two kids were both very sharp and very capable.

I noticed Lochlyn Munro is in this one too.

Yes, he and I didn’t share any scenes. We crossed paths coming and going on set. And this is like the fourth thing we’ve been in together, but we haven’t worked together yet.

That’s a shame! They need to let you guys work together!

I would kill to have his career.

He’s in Riverdale too.

Oh, he is? That’s like five things we’ve been in together but have not shared a scene together yet!

1922 is something else you’re in. Do you know when it will be out?

I don’t know when. I don’t know that much about it. It should be out this year.

Shut Eye came out recently. I met Isabella Rosselini. I walked into the green room, and I went into full brain fart.  {laughs} I went complete ga-ga.

I also have been recently cast in CROWNED AND MOLDERING: A FIXER UPPER MYSTERY for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.  My part is a nice little role, and it is my third Hallmark movie in about ten months.

I am glad we covered so much ground in this interview, Bruce.

Well, we’re talking about my favorite subject! Me! People ask me why I’m an actor, and I’ll tell them honestly, “I love being the center of attention.” I want to be the guy in the middle that everyone is looking to to move the day along. I want to be that guy. So if I do my job well, we move along quickly.

And there’s really nothing wrong with that. You’re not arrogant about it. There are actors who seem to come off as being arrogant, but you’re not one of them. There are the actors who think they are God’s gift to acting. 

I think what you’re talking about is that some actors forget how lucky they are to be able to do this for a living. At every turn, I am so grateful and I realize just how lucky I am that I get to do this for a living. I just had this conversation with the guys on Legends of Tomorrow. We were standing there between takes. I said to Neal McDonough, who plays Damien Darhk, “Man, we’re lucky to get to do this work.” And lots of actors say that. But some actors just forget that we’re really lucky to do this for a living. I can’t imagine ever being so full of myself that people would think me arrogant on set, because I’m just so grateful to be able to do it. I love doing it.

One last question, Bruce. What advice would you give to young people who are considering a career in acting?

We talked about this a little bit in the beginning how young people are pulled in all these different directions. They have visions of grandeur that they’re going to make it big. They think they’re going to immediately start booking and be superstars. Then they have pressure from their parents and their peers. They have their teachers telling them one thing and their peers telling them something else. What I want to tell them is to stop listening to what other people are saying–at least in a sense.

For example, I’ve heard acting coaches trying to tell young actors how often they are going to book. They say “If you think you are going to book every time or most of the time, you are sadly mistaken. You are not going to book every role. You are going to have ninety-five percent rejection and maybe two percent success.” This is what they are being told. And they start to believe that. And that’s where all the doubt comes from. When an actor has doubt, then they’re all over the place. Acting itself is a very simple thing. You read the words, you understand the words, you repeat the words. But if you have all these doubts that you’re not going to get the role, even if you’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing, then it forces you to do something else that doesn’t work, whereby you don’t get the role. They end up focusing on the result, not the work.

I have an attitude–and nobody believes me when I say this–when I get an audition, I expect to book every single time. Clearly, that’s an idiotic expectation. But by maintaining that expectation, I set a standard for every single role I walk into. That is, I must do the work necessary so I will be in a position to book every single role I audition for. Booking and not booking are possible, of course, but the young actors know what they need to do. They understand the work. They’re young, and they’re sponges. When these young people hear all this other stuff, it pulls them off into the wrong direction and they end up doing the wrong things. If I’m preparing for a role, and I’m worried that I’m not going to book it, it messes me up. Positive motivation versus negative motivation.

So basically, young actors, stop listening to what people tell ya. Just do the work! And do the work that you need to do in order to succeed. It is such a subjective business. I really don’t have control over what people write about me, what my agent says about me, what the producer or director thinks about me, the list goes on and on. The only thing I have control over is myself. So that’s the thing you need to focus on. So if you’re listening to what other people are telling you, they’re pulling in this direction and that direction and feeding doubt into your mind, that’s not you controlling yourself. That’s you giving into what everyone else has to say. When young people ask me for advice, that’s what I find their problem is that they don’t know how to trust themselves.

Keep in mind that my advice is based on logic and strategy. I’ve analyzed the world around me, and this is what I’ve come up with. My success is based on having the right attitude about the work that needs to be done. I shy away from words like talent ’cause everyone has talent in varying degrees. Some people have oodles of talent and it takes little effort to get there. Some people have lesser talent and it take loads of effort to get there.

It is quite possible that the name Bruce Blain meant virtually nothing to you when you began reading this article because Bruce is not as of yet a household name; he is a working actor. Notwithstanding, once you delve into the body of works in which he has been privileged to appear, there is a solid chance that you may recognize many of them. As I often tell the supporting cast when I interview them, “I watched that movie, but I didn’t know you then, so I’ll have to go back and watch it again!” In Bruce’s case, that is entirely true, especially in relation to his Hallmark works. 

What I appreciate most about Bruce is the fact that he has a strategy, and he puts that strategy into place to accomplish his goals. All too often, I run into actors–even actors who have been in the business for years–and they are content to just sit and wait for the jobs to come to them. Actually, let me rephrase that. They are going out of their minds wondering why on earth they are not booking roles, they are not getting auditions, the producers and casting directors are passing them by…Trust me, I’ve HEARD the stories and complaints. Hearing Bruce’s advice to young people in the business was so motivating to me, but principally because I feel that some of the more experienced actors in the business could benefit from his pep talk, too. Bruce has done his homework, and he has put into practice and into motion the various things he envisions occurring in his career, and he is not afraid to go out and fight for what he wants. It’s a competitive world out there, and being ill-equipped in this day and age is setting oneself up for failure. Bruce is not about letting the chips fall where they may. Instead, he pursues what he wants in this business, and when he books a role, he is ecstatic and grateful just to think that he has been able to make his dreams come true. Well, at least that dream. He’ll tackle the others on another day, but he can revel in the fact that he booked this particular job.

I also applaud Bruce’s outlook. Why go to an audition while thinking to oneself, “I’m not gonna get this anyway,” or “This casting director has never liked me.”? Again, that is a perfect recipe for disaster, and Bruce avoids that whenever possible. Why shouldn’t he go in with the attitude that he is going to get every role? That attitude all but guarantees the most stellar performance from him, no matter the outcome. I think this is wise advice, and I hope that more actors begin to adopt a similar outlook when facing the intimidating “audition room.”

I cannot thank Bruce enough for taking the time to share his thoughts, passions, experiences, and more with me, and I in turn, am honored to share his contemplations, anecdotes, and advice with my readers. I hope that many of you will check out his links below and watch out for his upcoming roles. Furthermore, consider looking up his past works because you just might find a few gems in there. Bruce is a versatile actor who embraces every role he’s given, and now my fingers are crossed for him that his “series of successes” indeed proves to be sustainable! 

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