Yet again, I am honored to highlight another young actor in the Vancouver film community whom I first discovered as a result of the Hallmark Channel and their popular show, When Calls the Heart. As he has matured and honed his skillset, it became the right time for me to connect with him and ask him a few questions about his career, including his two current Netflix series. I am ecstatic to share Ty with my readers today.
Photo by Rob Daly Photography
RH: How/Why did you pursue a career in acting?
TW: In a way, you could say that acting actually found me! I started off at a pretty young age; it was something my parents asked me if I wanted to do when I was about six years old. I had absolutely no experience with it, but on my first time ever auditioning, I was fortunate enough to get a callback. My competitive fire was born and I decided I wanted to be an actor. I started getting really serious about my acting after I graduated high school and decided to pursue this passion full-time.
What was your first professional acting job? What are your memories of that job?
My first professional acting job was actually on my second audition ever; it was for a TV movie called The Battle of Mary Kay. To be honest with you, I have very little memory of working on this one. I vaguely remember having a dialect coach teaching me to have a southern accent for the role.
Hallmark audiences have loved you in a variety of films and shows. Please share some of your favorite memories from these projects.
The Christmas Heart
I have enjoyed working on all of my Hallmark shows and movies. The Christmas Heart was great; I got to work with a director that I had known since I was little who was an old friend.
Erin Krakow Credit: Copyright 2013 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Eike Schroter
When Calls the Heart has an amazing cast lead in Erin Krakow, who makes you feel the most welcome even on your first day on set. I remember sitting down and teaching her a song on the piano in-between one of our scenes!
It was such a pleasure working on Unleashing Mr. Darcy (where I played one of my more mean Hallmark characters). And Garage Sale Mystery: The Beach Murder, where I played a surfer who wasn’t the best at telling the truth. 😉😉. All in all, I’m very fortunate to be so involved in all of these great movies and shows.
Ty Wood as Joe Markham Unleashing Mr. Darcy
In addition to these, you have been involved with a handful of other well- known shows and films. What are some of those roles/shows that stand out to you?
Supernatural was a cool set to work on because they’ve been going for so long that the whole cast and crew was like a big family. iZombie–I got to play a zombie bully who was trying to bully a smaller kid into giving his brain tubes to me…weird but cool, right?
Another thing I was super proud to have been a part of was Keep Your Head Up Kid: The Don Cherry Story. As a Canadian, Don Cherry is a hero to us in the hockey world. And growing up playing hockey my whole life, it was such a great experience being able to play his son.
ReBoot: The Guardian Code
We can currently see you in ReBoot: The Guardian Code. How did this role come about for you? Please tell us about your role and how he fits into the overall premise of the show.
Well, like any role for me so far, I had an audition for it. I remember going into the room for my callback being super nervous. I had to do a scene where I was speaking to my father’s grave and talking about my insecurities of being a leader. I remember finishing the audition feeling really good about it. The producer of the show, Micheal Hefferon, asked me at the end of the audition. “How would you like to be a superhero?” I think my answer was, “It would be the coolest thing ever.”
ReBoot: The Guardian Code
Later on, they offered me the role of Austin. Austin is a chill kind of guy, never takes things too seriously and usually has a sarcastic comment ready. He discovers this Room 0 with two strangers, Trey and Tamra, and his childhood best friend, Parker. Room 0 gives us the ability to go into the internet and fight dark code (which you learn affects the real world). From battling exploding toys to stopping nuclear bombs from going off, Austin leads his new friends in constantly saving the world.
What is the purpose of ReBoot: The Guardian Code (Netflix)? What do you hope viewers will take away from this show?
ReBoot: The Guardian Code
I think that ReBoot’s primary purpose is to entertain, and they did it in such a cool way using the unreal game engine to make our animations come alive. It also strives to teach core values like friendship, teamwork, leadership, and family. ReBoot is also really tech savvy and has the ability to inspire passion in kids that want to try out coding or graphic design.
Viewers can now see you in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix). What can you tell us about your role and the overall show? What can viewers expect?
Chilling Adventure of Sabrina
In Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, I am playing the character Billy Marlin. Billy Marlin is your all-around jock. Most definitely the bully of the school, Billy is stubborn and is not a fan of change. With Sabrina and her friends at Baxter High, there is bound to be some changes! Working on the show has been a blast; the cast lead by the talented Kiernan Shipka has made me feel very welcomed every time I’m on set. Viewers can expect some scary times (followed by a laugh here and there) while watching Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Any other upcoming roles you can mention?
I also can be seen in the first two episodes of a new show coming to Netflix called The Order. The Order is where I’ll be playing a character called Gregory. Gregory comes from a wealthy family and he doesn’t think he has to work for anything. It’s fair to say he’s not the most likable character.
Photo by Karolina Turek Photography
How have you managed to remain as grounded as you are while maintaining a career in this industry?
Family–my whole family has been supporting me from the get-go with acting. My sister lives in Calgary now, but we keep in touch. My parents live in Vancouver with me and I visit them probably on a weekly basis for a family dinner or something. Its been amazing the support they give me and I’m very thankful for that.
Photo by Rob Daly Photography
In truth, Ty’s Hallmark characters have been roles that consistently shine as memorable and intriguing, and I am extremely grateful to know that his career did not end upon his graduation from high school. All too often, young people begin a career in the arts as a youngster, and by the time they reach twenty (if not before), the transition from child star to adult actor can prove to be cumbersome and confusing, thus ending many a promising career. Thankfully, Ty has been able to weather the storms of change due to the support he enjoys from his family as well as his pragmatic nature and sincere willingness to sharpen his craft. While these factors alone never guarantee a solid career fraught with success, it would appear that whatever path Ty is taking at the moment is earning him accolades and viable roles as an authentic actor. And to be forthright, I couldn’t be happier for him. I hope that everyone will check out his current (and upcoming) Netflix series–ReBoot: The Guardian Code, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Order–and also visit his links below. Viewers could not ask for a more responsible, sincere, gifted artist than Ty, and my foremost desire is that his passion and persistence will earn him even more diverse roles that ensure his longevity in this sometimes daunting profession. No matter what, I hope to support him every step of the way whenever and wherever I am able.
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