Hi Noel, welcome to VENTS! How have you been? Thank you – glad to be here! I’ m very well thanks – hope you are too!
Having started on theater- how does that particular background influence your acting overall? I would say that it gave me the courage to explore a wide range of characters both physically and emotionally and taught me how to serve the audience and my fellow actors. It also gave me a respect for story telling because each“ take” was a 2 hr. performance!
Does your approach tend to change when you are doing voice acting rather than live action? It does change because of the nature of the medium, but in both cases body energy plays a role. When you’ re on the mic, you only have your voice to connect and engage with, which requires a lot of dramatic physical movement and energy. Whereas with live action, because the audience is visually receiving you as well as hearing you, your body has to communicate energy more subtly, so you can afford to be more internally experiencing the character.
Let ' s talk about Somewhere Between- what was the audition process like? It involved several rounds of auditions, and was unlike anything I had experienced, mainly due to how the character I played, Danny, who“ overtook” me from the moment I read the audition script. I hadn’ t really experienced that as strongly before, as I usually explore the character and play with different versions of them. But when I first received the audition, even though I wasn’ t sure I could play the role, having not done anything like that before, as I read the script over, he literally inhabited me emotionally and as soon as I gave him physical life he would simply run the show – I think I tapped into his vulnerability right away and he allowed me to express what had been lurking in me for quite some time. So even in the first audition I was deeply in character by the time I walked in the room, which carried over in the call back process. In the audition process itself we experimented with the varying possible levels of Danny’ s condition, Deletion Syndrome, by exploring different levels of physical and speech conditions.
What made you want to look after such a special role? Were you looking for a challenge? Because I hadn’ t done anything like it before, I was drawn to the initial challenge of it. I always like trying things that I don’ t think I could do, because it brings out the best of me I think. But with Danny, I wasn’ t prepared for what happened very early on in the process. The challenge of it was quickly replaced by a deeper connection to who he was and how important my relationship to him was- I felt I had to protect him and his vulnerability. What I wasn’ t prepared for was how much he would end up protecting and taking care of me. His“ disability” became an emotional strength for me and I was so honored to be able to express him and to bring him to life.
Did the role hit any close to home? Have any close friend or relatives has Danny ' s same challenges? Yes, it did, it tapped immediately into my childhood vulnerability. Because I was the eldest of 3 with a working single mom, there were many times that I had to take care of myself and get things done on my own. That was good because I learned how to fend for myself, but also challenging because I had to take care of myself emotionally as well and there was a vulnerability that repressed in many ways. Danny released that vulnerability and we connected immediately.
How did you prepare for this role? Emotionally, as I have mentioned, we connected right away, so much of that underlying preparation was in place. However, of course when it came to his Deletion Syndrome condition and circumstances in the story, there was much to do in terms of physical and speech preparation that I took considerable time developing. On set I would sit with him quietly and stay in character pretty much the whole time
What role does Danny plays in all this thriller? Danny is Nico’ s brother, and has a daughter Ruby and a mother Grace. He’ s caught in a very dramatic situation both in life and in family where he makes choices that affect him for many years. He can be seen as the victim and perpetrator at the same time, and as the story much is revealed with respect to that. He represents unbounding love despite incredible odds, and is willing to sacrifice everything when the time comes.
What else is happening next in Noel Johansen ' s world? I’ m off to do a Hallmark movie,“ Peared with a Kiss” playing a completely different role as a snobby city slicker who has a darker side. So I’ m excited about that and looking forward to working with all the brilliant talented folks on the show. I’ m also very excited about the future and I’ m hoping Danny lends to more opportunity to play such rewarding roles.