Original-Cin Q&A: Kristian Bruun talks Mars in Red Rover and dishes the upcoming Orphan Black charity reunion on HOMECON
Kristian Bruun is a familiar face when it comes to Canadian television and films. He starred opposite Tatiana Maslany in the popular series, Orphan Black and has most recently been seen in the series, Carter opposite Jerry O’Connell.
His latest role is in the independent film, Red Rover where he plays Damon, a lonely geologist who needs something in his life to get him out of his funk. Things are so bad for him here on Earth, he decides to try for a spot on some billionaire’s inaugural one-way mission to Mars.
However, he’s slightly overweight, lacks social skills, and is both a bit of a dreamer and, given his situation, a bit of a loser in life. On the positive side, he at least has some technical aptitude to contribute to such a mission. Then he meets an oddball musician named Phoebe, played by Cara Gee.
Our Bonnie Laufer spoke with Kristian who is in quarantine at his apartment in Los Angeles, about the film, an Orphan Black reunion and how he chooses his roles.
Read Liam Lacey’s review of Red Rover HERE.
Kristian Bruun and Cara Gee in the quirky indie film Red Rover.
Red Rover is available on digital and demand May 12th.
ORIGINAL-CIN: You are currently quarantined at your apartment in Los Angeles. It's been almost two months for all of us, so how are you doing?
KRISTIAN BRUUN: “It's a little strange. I am used to down time between gigs, so I'm pretty good at organizing my day. And I also like to write, so I've been working on some writing projects during this time.
“Normally between gigs, I like to feel productive and get things done. But what's different about this is there's this kind of existential dread of, like, ‘What is going on in the world and are my parents okay back in Canada?’ It’s weird not being able to go out with friends and there's this extra added stress to it.
“So I find that a large part of the process is just trying to remain calm, not stress too much and just keep plugging. Other generations had to sacrifice and do so much worse than what we're doing right now.
“We have the internet, we have every movie and TV show at our fingertips. So it’s not the toughest thing in the world. It is a very bizarre time, but I'm holding up just trying to take this time to be as productive as possible.”
OC: It’s the time to try and get the things done that, when we are working, we keep putting off.
BRUUN: “Exactly. I want to come out of this time with something to show for it. I’m just finishing the first draft of a screenplay that I've been working on for way too long. But it really feels like this is my time to get it done.
“It's like if I don't come out of quarantine with this bloody script, I will be so mad at myself. I'm so close to the end and I feel great about how it’s been going.”
OC: Your latest film Red Rover is something that you shot a couple of years ago with (director) Shane Belcourt. Your character, Damon, is a little different from some of the other stuff we've seen you do over the years. You play him with so much heart, and I was thinking as I was watching this movie, ‘What a perfect time for this to come out.’
BRUUN: “I agree!”
OC: Here's a guy who's going through a little bit of a depression. He's not having a good time in his life and he gets this opportunity to fly to Mars. Don't we all want to kind of do that right now?
BRUUN: (Laughs) “Yeah. He's in isolation essentially. He’s lost his job and he lives in his basement apartment underneath the house that he bought with his ex-girlfriend. She's still living upstairs with her new boyfriend, who of course is ridiculously handsome. I think a lot of people can relate right now to this isolation and loneliness that Damon is going through, so it is kind of weird that this film is coming out right now. “
OC: What did you bring to this role on a personal level? I'm hoping you're not as depressed and sad as Damon. But you know, there's a lot of parts of his character that I think we all relate to.
BRUUN: “Yeah, I mean, there’s a lot of Damon in me. I go through periods where I feel just as lonely as him and have had to navigate that. So, I think that aspect of him was deeply personal.
“I think everybody experiences loneliness at some point in their lives. He goes through this kind of transformation that's really more about his confidence than it is his body - even though he's working on physical fitness and trying to get healthier.
“Then he meets Cara Gee’s character Phoebe, who gives him that boost of confidence that he needs. She seizes the opportunity to build up his confidence. And I can totally relate to that, because this business comes with so many knocks and so many failures.
Tatiana Maslany and Kristian Bruun in Orphan Black
“I especially can’t stand auditions, where you're constantly going out for jobs and you're not getting most of them. So you're facing rejection constantly and it's a really tough mental battle. So, watching Damon kind of become a more confident man through the process of the film - in self and also with his interaction around others and his love for Phoebe - I can totally relate to that.”
OC: Speaking of Cara Gee, she's so good in the film and the camera loves her!
BRUUN: “She just sparkles, like you can't take your eyes off of her. She's so watchable and so compelling and she brings so much to her roles.”
OC: I was wondering about the chemistry between the two of you. Was it instant when you both started working together or had you known her before you even started working on this?
BRUUN: “We had known each other from various functions and things in the Canadian film world for a couple years, but we've never worked together before. We have, like, a really good banter going on whenever we are together. We still take jabs at each other and we really have a lot of fun together.
“I adore her. I think she's wonderful. I think she's super talented and she's become a good friend of mine down here as well. So, nothing but love for her.“
OC: How would you adapt if you were able to go to Mars, or would you even want to?
BRUUN: “I've been watching a lot of films and doing some research for a script that I'm writing that takes place in Scandinavia. And so every time I watch a film that takes place somewhere else, like in nature, that's where I want to be right now.
“I want to be in a little cottage somewhere like Iceland or Norway or even in Northern Ontario. I've done a lot of work up there and I love Northern Ontario. I live in a very urban part of Los Angeles and right now we are having a heat wave. I'm not going to complain about that. But I will say it makes me think of Mars.
“So, I don't think I would do too well on Mars. I would love to be in nature, because in nature you can walk around without a mask on. And it's just you and a little babbling brook or a stream to keep you calm.
“Mars would just be too stressful for me. At least here I can put on a mask and go for a walk out in the sun. On Mars you’ve got to suit up. You got the full Hazmat suit to worry about. and I think that would just be too claustrophobic for me.”
OC: Looking back on some of your other work, I was a huge Orphan Black fan and never missed an episode. Honestly, you are so good on the show. But I always give props to Tatania Maslany. Taking on all of those roles on that show was beyond outstanding. Every time you saw a different character, you seriously believed it was a different actor.
BRUUN: “That is exactly how we all felt on set The whole time while we were shooting, when I finally started meeting other clones in the show, it would really throw me. I had to do a double take thinking, ‘This can’t be Tat!’ The way she would move and interact, even off camera, would really throw you.”
OC: You play Donnie on the show and your character is married to Allison, one of the clones. You also had to act differently to every clone that Tatiana played. That had to have been a huge challenge for you.
BRUUN: “It was a fun challenge for me. The bigger challenge was obviously for Tatiana, who had to really delineate between these characters and have the energy to play all of them. The most marvelous thing about what she did in that show, from a technical perspective, is she's in almost every single scene.
“From the first season until the end she is in everything, and so that schedule was insane.
“I would just come in for a couple days and do my episode, so I didn’t have it too bad. We would shoot seven-to-nine days per episode. Then it became more, because we realized the technical requirements of the show were so difficult.
“My whole job there was to support Tatiana and keep up with her because she's present, she's on the run and you're just trying to keep up. It was such an acting gift, because when you're working with someone who can pull performances out of you and you connect so easily… Tatiana it taught me so much.
“We connected really well, and so we would improv a lot. We had a lot of fun between scenes and ramping up into a scene and coming out of a scene. We usually improved on both ends and they would use some of that sometimes.
“Especially when she played Helena that was incredible. It was just such a joy for us to get to work together.”
OC: During this pandemic a lot of people from older shows are getting together and reuniting online for charity. I understand that the cast of Orphan Black will be featured at the upcoming HOMECON on May 16-17th. Can you tell me a little bit about that?
BRUUN: “With all of the Cons shut down around the world right now, people are trying to figure out a good way to get it up and running in some way so that fans can connect with their favorite shows.
“Paul Amos, who is a buddy of mine and an actor who lives in Canada, is putting together these Homecons, and trying these interactions through Zoom.
“We don’t normally do a Con like that as a cast. We've done the big ones that the show sent us to, so this one's going to be fun. I don't know who the final lineup is right now but that's being worked out.”
OC: Very exciting, but I believe you guys might have something else in store for fans?
BRUUN: “Yes, that’s right. People need to keep an eye on Twitter and Instagram, and they might see something else popping up very soon as well. I sent out a little bit of a hint photo about a week ago.
“:A bunch of us met up in L.A. before the pandemic and I posted a snapshot of all of us saying, “Something wicked this way comes.” And something fun is really coming down the pipeline as well. Stay tuned.”
OC: We've seen you in so many projects over the years. Of course, you are in Carter with Jerry O'Connell, The Handmaid's Tale, the recent thriller, Ready Or Not. And you have a web series coming up called Avocado Toast. What is it that catches your eye when you are offered a script?
BRUUN: “Well, I have to preface this with saying that I am not at the part of my career where I generally get a ton of scripts and they're like, ‘Hey are you interested in this?’
“Every once in a while I do, and it’s the most wonderful feeling in the world as an actor. As your career grows you want to get to that part, because I hate auditioning. But occasionally I do get a script that comes my way, or even an audition, and my agents will ask my managers if I'm interested.
:I can always turn down an audition, but I generally really like everything that I see and I want to work on as many different projects and genres and mediums as possible. Whether it's film, television, theater - and I love doing podcasts - it’s always an opportunity.
“With the film, Ready or Not, I didn't have the whole script but I read the sides my agent sent and I just knew exactly what they were going for. I knew exactly the genres that they're mixing in. It was something that I'm a big fan of in terms of that type of horror-comedy-action and I just I just had a feeling that I really wanted to be in that one.”
OC: You’ve been lucky to get some great material and to work with some amazing people.
BRUUN: “Most definitely. Sometimes I come across a script that just works and other times it’s about the people I get to work with, from the directors to the cast. What I look for, mostly, is if it feels natural. Then I know that I can connect to it.”
OC: Do you prefer doing a series over a film because you can flesh out your character a little bit more, or does it really matter to you?
BRUUN: “There's pros and cons to both. I've always loved films. But we're living in kind of a TV world right now because people really want stories that can be extended over 10 episodes or longer.
“I'm writing a feature film script right now. And you know, I have to keep length in mind to try and write this thing. But with television, you really get a lot more space to explore.
I really do love film, and I would love to work more in film just because I love the excitement of it.
“Who knows when we can do this again? But I love going to the cinema, eating my popcorn and watching something unfold on-screen that blows me away. I love that, and it almost becomes more of a public activity compared to, like, TV that you watch at home.
“So I love the expansion of television and how we can explore these characters. Donnie on Orphan Black was supposed to be on only, like, three-to-six episodes in the first season and then they were going to kill him off. But Tatiana and I had such had a lot of fun together, and also the writers and the directors we all had fun working together. And they saw potential for comedic relief, so they extended my role.
“So I love that in that show, where I came in in the third episode and I was able to really explore Donnie and make him my own. There are definitely pros and cons, but ultimately I just love to work.
“I love this job. I love acting. I love entertaining people. And if there's a message, even better. I just hope I keep getting to do it when this pandemic is all said and done.”