CHLOE Magazine Fall 2013 Volume 4 Issue 3 | Seite 54

It doesn’t take long before we launch into a discussion
about the state of television and film today, in a time
where both are so easily accessible, and advances in
technology allow for us to work shows and movies
around our daily lives and busy schedules. I ask
Shawn whether he prefers television to film and he
responds with a chuckle, saying that though TV provides more accessibility with the audience, as actors
are in the intimate space of a viewer’s living room,
film allows an actor to know his or her character
better. Receiving a script allows an actor to see the
development of their role throughout the film, but
what about television?
“Often, we learn very little about our characters as we
go along,” Shawn says. Yet, he finds something exciting about not being given all of the information.
Because television and film are both so accessible
to the audience, with shows and movies available
on Netflix, film seems a bit obsolete. But Shawn
disagrees, stating that although things have definitely
changed in the industry from the way they were 50
years ago, “There’s something different about going
to a theatre and sitting in the dark.” For Shawn,
that could never be recreated at home, in bed with a
laptop.

For Shawn, this collective feeling of having experienced something together, simultaneously, is a beautiful thing that the somewhat antisocial activity of
watching television will always lack With the second
season of The Following just around the corner, we
can expect more amazing work from Mr. Ashmore.
Shawn has grown from being a superhero from a
small town in British Columbia, to a star on his hit
TV series.
The Following is more than just a title. He has his
own now.