Pop-Culturalist.com

Connor Weil is a dynamic storyteller who is best known for his performances in projects like Liv and Maddie, Scream: The TV Series, and K.C. Undercover. He recently had a guest spot in the critically-acclaimed series, Acapulco.

Acapulco tells the story of twenty-something Máximo Gallardo (Enrique Arrizon), whose dream comes true when he gets the job of a lifetime as a cabana boy at the hottest resort in Acapulco. He soon realizes the job is far more complicated than he ever imagined and in order to succeed, he must learn to navigate a demanding clientele, a mercurial mentor, and a complicated home life, without losing his way to shortcuts or temptations.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Connor about his role in Acapulco, the production company he and his wife started, how fatherhood has impacted his career, the importance of booking the room, and more.

PC: How did you discover your passion for storytelling?
Connor: Great question. Thank you for asking that. I started acting professionally when I was ten years old. I was doing theater around Portland, Oregon where I grew up. That’s where my love for storytelling began. I enjoyed expressing myself creatively. I had a good time with theater, and I knew that I wanted to transition to film and television eventually.

I actually stopped theater entirely and focused solely on film and television at thirteen. I loved the camera. I loved being able to share that story through someone’s living room. That’s where it started. It’s grown ever since. Acting is a lot harder than a lot of people realize. There are a lot of things to learn, focus on, and figure out. It’s a continuous learning process.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Connor: It’s mostly been the people around me. A lot of actors have a similar story where people thought they couldn’t do it and they proved them wrong. For me, it was the opposite. I had so much love surrounding me. Anytime I would get to a place where I was like, “Man, I don’t think I can do this anymore,” whether it was my mom, my wife, or my friends, they were like, “That’s preposterous. You’re going to do this. You’re going to be a part of this industry. You’ve got to refocus, recenter, and believe in yourself.” It’s been the people in my life who have supported me but also challenged me to be 100% what they know I can be.

PC: You’ve had so much success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Connor: You know what’s funny? I didn’t think of this until recently. I was on a Disney set back in 2013 for a show called Liv and Maddie starring Dove Cameron. I was having so much fun. That was the first time I’d ever booked a guest star, so instead of one or two lines, I now had a full episode that I had multiple scenes in. I was so nervous.

We started shooting and I was having so much fun. I remember looking around and being like, “I know what I’m doing. I’m actually killing these jokes. Anytime there’s a note, I’m handling it perfectly. Now it’s not so much stress as it is, ‘Oh my God. This is so much fun to create.’”

I felt like up until that point, my first thought was always, “I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m really scared. This is crazy. There are cameras. There are famous people around.” After this moment, I was like, “I’ve got this. I know exactly what I’m doing.” Since then, I’ve been able to live in that space.

PC: You and your wife just started your own creative production company. How did that come to fruition? Have you found that the work that you’ve done behind the scenes has impacted the way that you approach your work as an actor or vice versa?
Connor: Thank you for asking that. We started our own production company called Worth Weil Productions. It’s a total play on our last names. We have always wanted to create in this way. Before, it was a very vague thing like, “I’d love to shoot something or we should do something.” It’s now become much more focused, and we want to help creative people get better.

That’s where it is. It would be fun to put out something for profit one day. But our first couple of projects have been helping people with demos or social media to help them become more attractive for casting versus just attractive for fans. It’s very specific. It’s like, “Let’s help everybody understand your business, your image, and how to strategize specifically with that, rather than it being just a selfie.”

That’s where we’re starting. We’re having a lot of fun. We were on set for a couple of weeks shooting some horseback material. Some Western-influenced things. It’s really fun once you start doing your own thing.

PC: Having had such a tenure in this industry, has anything surprised you about this journey thus far? What’s the biggest piece of advice you give to somebody that’s starting out?
Connor: I’m so glad you asked that. I’ve had this answer prepared for months. [laughs] Patience. I hate that word, but patience and living your life. Be happy.

My wife and I just started living our life in our own way. We were living in Burbank, California. We were broke. We had this new baby. We were so living the dream. [laughs] Finally, we moved a little outside of Los Angeles to an area where it’s cheaper to live, so we weren’t broke all the time. I wasn’t sure if that was the right move. I was like, “I think I’m supposed to stick this out in LA.” I was really pounding the pavement trying to get it done.

As we were moving, we literally stopped at a hotel. That’s where I got the audition for Acapulco. My episode just aired a couple of weeks ago. I shot the test in a hotel room. Three days later, I got the call that I was flying to Mexico in first class to shoot it. I don’t know if you believe in signs, but it was literally the week that I decided I was going to live my life in a way that I was going to be happy and not worry about whether people or the industry thought that I was an instant success! It was amazing.

Since then, this has been the busiest year that I’ve had in a long time. I’m happy. I’m enjoying life. I’m patient. I’m allowing it to come to me. I’m not stressing about what I should have booked and what I should have done. It’s not our journey to tell. We’re on the wave.

My advice is to be patient. Live your life in a way that you are happy day to day, and the rest will come. The rest will come. It’s crazy.

PC: You also recently became a father. How has fatherhood impacted the way that you view your craft and the projects that you go after?
Connor: I love being a father. My son is everything to me. He’s an absolute joy. Every father would say the same.

It helps with the range of characters you can play as I’m starting to not look like a teenager anymore. The characters that I’ve played are very young, very bro-ey, and very much high school jock characters. Now I can play characters with some depth to them because I have that emotional life experience. He’s done nothing but made me feel more confident and made me feel like as long as my son has had a good day, I can lay my head on my pillow at night and feel good.

I actually have a funny story about that. The first six months were the hardest six months. It’s the first time you’re a parent trying to figure this out. I got an audition to play a sixteen-year-old. So I’m putting myself on tape with my wife. I do the scene, and my wife is like, “You look like a tired, twenty-eight-year-old dad. You’re supposed to be sixteen. Get the bags out of your eyes. Pep up your step.” [laughs] It was great.

PC: Speaking of Acapulco, your episode just recently dropped. What was it about this character and script that attracted you to it?
Connor: First of all, I’ve been attracted to this show forever. I originally auditioned for Chord Overstreet’s part as the original Chad, back when the pilot was dropping. Since then, they’ve brought me back for everything they can think of, trying to get me on the show, which I thank them profusely for. I had so much fun.

It goes back to that patience advice that I just gave. I auditioned for Chad in 2020. It took two seasons before I finally got to be on the show in 2022. Things take time in this industry. But when this character came, I was like, “I know how to play this guy. I am the living incarnation of a college bro.” [laughs] I guess that’s what I do.

Acapulco is such a fun show. It’s light, and it’s not so heavy-handed. People love that right now. They love to laugh and watch a good story and enjoy themselves. The ability to enjoy it and not have to hit any crazy drama was so much fun. Then being on set with Chord and the whole cast was so freeing. We just got to create and be funny. We’d throw a joke in and the director would be like, “Yes, love it! Let’s roll again.” It was fantastic. It was really fun.

PC: That’s happened a lot in your career, where you’ve auditioned for a particular role and then they found another role that fit you a little better. How does that change that preparation and your mindset?
Connor: Thank you for that question. It’s the best question ever. For young actors, don’t audition to book the part, audition to book the room. We’ve been told that in acting class for over a decade. Book the room, don’t book the part. Once a casting director likes you, they’ll bring you back forever. They have a shortlist. They don’t want to go scouring the globe. They have their people that they want to be like, “I have this part. This guy is perfect for it. This girl is perfect for it.” Most of the parts that I’ve booked have been because of that. I’ve originally auditioned for the pilot, but instead I’ll come on for a guest star. It’s done nothing but help me. It’s a better part for me that I know I can kill. It can be frustrating, but in the end, it’s really better.

PC: What is your mindset as an actor coming in and doing a guest star? How do you integrate yourself among the cast? What is that process like?
Connor: You definitely enter every set and try to acclimate to them. You’re not trying to take anything over. One of the mistakes that actors will make is they’ll go, “Well, I’m the guest star, so I’m the star of the episode.” No. You’re there to help the show. When you help the show, everybody shines, the episode is better, and everything is better. When you come in humble and go, “Let’s lock in,” it’s really, really great.

For example, on Acapulco, my costar Owen Joyner (who was on Julie and the Phantoms on Netflix and who’s a fantastic guy) came in with me, and we knew nobody. We just hung out together, trying to figure it out.

As soon as we set foot on set, Chord brought us in. He was like, “You’re my bros. You’re my people.” We started hanging out and got to know each other. We rehearsed a lot. Chord would take the lead. He’s a great leader in terms of helping us settle into a scene.

The whole cast was like that. Once you’re accepted like that, you’re in. You get to perform, create, and be a part of that.

By the end of the week of shooting, we felt like we were part of the main cast. It was so cool. We felt like we could contribute ideas. We could enjoy ourselves. We could take that deep breath and know that we had this. It was really great. Mind your humbleness and let them amplify you to that fantastic guest star spot.

PC: Throughout your career, you’ve played in comedy and drama. For you, is one more challenging than the other?
Connor: Great question. They both have their challenges for sure. I love comedy. I’ve got to say that drama’s a little bit more difficult for me, strangely enough. I definitely relate more to comedy. I grew up on Disney Channel shows, so my instinct is to be funny and over the top. It’s taken me a long time to learn how to bring that down. But thank you, I really love bouncing back and forth between drama and comedy and knowing that I can handle both. It’s a challenge, but it’s really fun.

PC: How helpful was the wardrobe in embodying the ’80s because you’re a ’90s baby, so what was that process like?
Connor: It’s a blast. I would wear that outfit today if I wouldn’t get made fun of. [laughs] It was so much fun. Everybody was saying the same thing. I’m glad that people don’t allow this wardrobe today because I’d wear it.

When you get to the set and they have a whole hotel painted in pink and you’re in your pleated pants and they highlight your hair, how can you not be in character? How can you not settle in and have fun? The vibe is there. That’s why being on set is so magical.

PC: You’re having quite a moment with Apple TV+ right now. You’ve got another series coming out later this year. Is there anything that you can tell us about being involved in Season 2 of Little America?
Connor: You’ve done your homework. I appreciate that. Little America was really, really cool. I didn’t know very much about the show when I went in unfortunately. But once I got cast, I started looking it up. I get to be in the premiere of Season 2, which is going to be really fun.

He’s a very similar character. Excuse my French, I play the douchebag. That’s what I play. That’s my other advice to actors: know your typecast. Play their game first. Because at the end of the day, you get to play yours as it goes on.

On Acapulco, douchebag, White boy, American. Little America, I’m playing a douchebag office worker. [laughs] Our protagonist has to deal with me day to day.

It was really cool. It was really fun to be part of a story that way. When you get to be an antagonist and push the protagonist forward in their story, that’s where the magic happens. Little America was a really great set. I’m so thankful to Apple TV+ for double-dipping with me this year. They have a wide variety of great content. They’re going to continue to pump out some really good material.

PC: You’re such a dynamic storyteller. As you look ahead to the next five to ten years, is there a dream role that you’d love to bring to life? What’s left on your bucket list?
Connor: I want to play a cowboy. I’m trying to work on that and see where that fits in. I’m really liking television. Television has been my favorite over the past decade or so. I’m really diving into that. Then getting behind the camera more. Like you said, in five to ten years, I want to be creating my own material, whether I’m on camera or not. It doesn’t matter to me. It’s just finding my own voice and what I want to say. I’m going to continue forward. I’m going to remain patient and keep living my life in a way that I’m proud of.

To keep up with Connor, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Acapulco is airing now on Apple TV+.

Photo Credit: Brad Everett Young