Recently, Nick Belial, director and writer of the upcoming independent feature To Avenge, announced that actor Arthur Harshagen would be playing the younger Danvers brother, Jameson Danvers. Perhaps you remember my interview with Bernard Robichaud, who plays Clayton Danvers, Jameson’s father, and now it is time to acquaint ourselves with yet another member of this fractured family. It is possible you have never heard of Arthur, but I have a feeling that will be changing quite soon. He is from the Netherlands, and he is best known for being featured on a television series there in Holland. Interestingly enough, he has been working for the past few months on perfecting his American dialect/accent, and since I had the opportunity to talk with him, I can attest to the fact that his hard work is definitely being rewarded. Not too long ago, I chatted with this young man, and I am ecstatic to share our enlightening conversation with you today!
RH: Hello, Arthur, it’s so nice to speak with you today.
AH: Ruth, it’s lovely speaking with you too. Thank you for taking the time.
My pleasure. You’re actually the first person I’ve ever interviewed from Holland. I know I’ve interviewed someone in Australia and a couple other places, but you are my first from Holland.
Is that so? I’m honored.
Arthur, how long have you been involved in acting?
I have been acting professionally for the past four years, and that was in a television series here in Holland. But at the time, I was focusing on my high school, so I couldn’t do much more than just be in this series. Last year, I graduated, and so now I’m spending way more time in acting. I am currently involved in many more projects.
Your accent is absolutely fantastic.
You think so?
Yes, I definitely think so.
Thank you very much. That’s so good to hear!
I barely hear any accent to be honest. Once in a while, I catch a hint of something that says you might not be a native English speaker, but I would say that it is really good.
Thank you so much! That puts a big smile on my face.
Before you got involved with this TV series, did you act as you were growing up?
Yes, when I was in high school, I was involved with the school musicals. And when I was in elementary school, I got to take some acting classes.
Were you interested in TV and movies when you were growing up?
Oh, yeah, I was. I have loved movies all my life. But now that I’m an actor, I’m getting more and more interested in them. I’m interested in watching and analyzing how the actors play their roles.But yes, I’ve always loved movies and TV series.
How did you get involved with this TV series in Holland?
When I was in my first year of high school, I decided I wanted to do something different. Acting has always been a dream of mine, and so I decided to give it a try. I began to check out casting calls and submit my information to see if that could work out. And it did work out. I got into this series and had a leading character role. I was so glad that worked out.
What can you tell us about this series?
The series is about a couple of first-year high school students who go through the most bizarre situations and have to figure out how to deal with them. It’s a scripted reality series, so it’s all very raw. They try to show the most extreme things you can imagine in the first year of high school, and as they follow these students who go through all these situations, the viewers see how they handle them.
How many seasons has this series run?
I was there from the first season. Then I was in the second season as well as the third. And then in the fourth season, there was no space for my character, so I wasn’t in that season. But the fifth season, one of the lead characters couldn’t end the season. As I recall, there were two guys and four girls. Since this guy couldn’t do it anymore, they had to find another guy to fill the role. They asked me to do it, and I said “yes.” So I had a major role in the fifth season and the sixth season.
That really is something!
Yeah, that was cool, I agree.
Nick Belial is the one who first told me about you because of his upcoming film, To Avenge. So how did you get involved with this film and land this role?
It has been my dream since I started acting to play in big things like American movies. I really would love to explore the world and see America. I’ve never been to the States, and I would love to see it and check out everything there. I got onto this casting website. I was looking for a casting call for a blonde guy with green eyes around eighteen to twenty years old. After a long search, I found this casting call for a movie called To Avenge where the director was looking for an eighteen to twenty-year-old guy with blonde hair and green eyes. I thought that might just be perfect. Since I didn’t have an account with the site, I wasn’t able to submit my information on the site. But I looked up Nick on Instagram and sent him a direct message with my info. I told him I was very interested and that I would love to play in a movie and work on this project with him. And he responded, and that’s how we got in contact.
How did Nick go about casting you for the role?
Nick wanted to know how I was doing and what my accent would be like. I had been putting in a lot of work on my accent to make it more American. Nick and I have stayed in touch, and I update him every now and then with the progress on the accent. I’ve also told him about the work I was doing in films. I wanted him to know about the short films I had been in as well as the series so he could see my development as an actor.
Your character, Jameson Danvers, is not going to be a very nice character, or at least, that is my understanding.
Yes, that’s true. He’s not very nice.
What are your thoughts about your character and filming To Avenge?
Of course, I’m looking forward to coming to the U.S. to play this character. But I do think this character has always been treated like a little prince, and his parents have never really loved him. That scars a person in some way. The way Jameson has been raised is very different from kids who had love from their parents. Those other kids usually know when they’re crossing a line and when they’re being rational and when they’re not. But with Jameson, because of all the money his family has and the way his parents raised him…how they let him and his brother do whatever they want and how they could get away with everything, I think that makes a type of kid who’s really messed up and has no conscience. Or at least very little conscience. I’m very excited to give life to this character.
I’m also looking forward to meeting the other members of the cast–Bernie, Hannah {Kleeman}, and all the other members of the cast. And I’m very excited to meet Nick in person and get to work with him.
When Nick mentioned you, he sent me a picture, and my first thought was that you have the perfect look for the Hallmark Channel. Are you familiar with that network?
Oh, yes, I know about that network!
Well, I do a lot of work with them, and I think you would work really well as a supporting character and maybe eventually a leading man. You have the right look, and although I can’t cast you in one of their movies, it’s something I wanted to be sure to tell you. You have that nice-looking, all-American look. I wouldn’t automatically think you’re from Holland or Europe.
Thank you so much. I take that as a nice compliment.
That is how I intended it. It sounds like you have thought about your character a lot.
Yes, and I intend to do a lot more thinking. This character requires layers and layers.
In addition to To Avenge, do you have other projects that you are currently working on?
Yes, I do. I have shot three short films in the past two months. In one, I got to die for the first time {laughs} and that was very spectacular. It was a very cool experience. In another project, I had to deal with my girlfriend who was pregnant, and she wanted to keep the baby and I didn’t want to. That was a very intense script, and it worked out so well. And the crew was amazing. I am still in very good contact with the director who I think is a very nice guy. That was such an impactful project for me, and it gave me lots of incredible experience. The other short film I did back in January is all done, but it is not officially released to the public yet because they want to send it to film festivals. If they make it public, film festivals are no longer interested. Those are the projects I did for the last couple of months. In the upcoming week, I’m filming two pilots with a really cool production company from Holland. Another actor and I are playing the lead roles, so that’s something I’m excited about.
Well, it sounds like your career is really starting to take off.
I’m working very hard to work on some great projects and gain experience. I’m trying to grow and get experience as fast as I can. You’ve got your success in your own hands, and you’ve got to work very hard. If I didn’t spend hours and hours on the internet searching for casting calls, I wouldn’t be doing this interview right now.
Exactly! You’ve got the right idea, Arthur. Now is there anything else I haven’t asked you about that you want to be sure to mention?
Yes, let me tell you about my acting classes. I am actually studying the Meisner technique. My teacher here in Holland is the only one who teaches the Meisner technique in Europe. Twenty years ago, he went to America with William Esper to study, and William Esper taught him to be a Meisner teacher. So now he’s teaching me this technique, and it’s working so very well! It’s an underrated technique, I think, and it focuses on the reality of doing and reacting. The purpose is to make acting not acting anymore. You are taught to handle things from the imaginary circumstances that you’ve been given and respond and react as accurately and as real as you can. I am learning so much, and it’s really helping me become a much better actor.
I am familiar with that technique, and I think that is great that you’re doing that. You are definitely off to a fantastic start, and it’s very smart of you to start training now. Some younger actors don’t always see the benefits of acting classes, but I can see that you do, Arthur. Best of luck to you, and we look forward to seeing you in To Avenge.
Thank you, Ruth. It was such a pleasure talking with you, and I can hardly wait to bring this character Jameson Danvers to life!
In today’s society, young people are often “bitten by the acting bug,” but they don’t tend to appreciate the significant amount of work, experience, and persistence required in order to have a flourishing career as an actor. I’ve witnessed many a youth who aspire to a life in the arts, but suddenly abandon it when the circumstances become cumbersome. Thankfully, in the case of Arthur, he is willing to invest the time, resources, and patience necessary to hone his craft and polish his technique. Although his ambition and enthusiasm are strong within him, he realizes that without training and good, old-fashioned hard work, he will never accomplish any of his goals or dreams.
As I reflect on his discerning responses, his resourcefulness and tenacity clearly stand out to me. He takes full responsibility for furthering his career, and without his investigative discovery, the concept of making a movie in America wouldn’t even be a possibility. He has no illusions of grandeur in a business that is often plagued by “champagne dreams and caviar wishes,” and he is prepared to do whatever it takes to have an opportunity that many in his position may never have. He takes absolutely nothing for granted, and as he embarks upon this new adventure, I have no doubt that he will exceed all expectations because this is a “newcomer” who aims to please without sacrificing his intrinsic essence.
So please consider checking out all of Arthur’s links below as well as the links for his upcoming feature To Avenge. While many of Arthur’s works now are only available within the confines of his country and/or Europe, I am convinced that it won’t be too much longer before this handsome, charming fellow will emblazon the screen with his portrayal of the unscrupulous, vain, and spoiled Jameson Danvers. I tend to think Arthur has the most brilliant future imaginable as his physical appearance, limitless energy, and matchless endurance, combined with his undeniable giftedness continue to afford him unimaginable opportunities in the days, months, and years to come, and I hope each of you will accompany him along this adventuresome path every step of the way.
FOLLOW ARTHUR
FOLLOW TO AVENGE
