Pop-Culturalist.com

2024 has been nothing short of a powerhouse year for Andrew Liner. With a versatile lineup of credits, he’s showcased his range in indie gems like Bang Bang and major productions like Accused, where he plays a wrestler determined to fight for his future. Much like his character on the mat, Andrew has proven his ability to adapt and thrive in every arena, balancing vulnerability, strength, and charisma. This year, he’s demonstrated the breadth of his talent and cemented himself as a rising star with undeniable leading-man qualities.

In his episode of Accused, Andrew steps into the shoes of a young wrestler navigating the pressures of family, ambition, and an uncertain future. Accused is a crime anthology series that opens each episode in a courtroom, with viewers knowing nothing about the defendant’s crime or how they ended up on trial. Told through flashbacks, the series unravels how ordinary people find themselves in extraordinary situations, revealing how one wrong turn can set off a chain reaction. In Andrew’s episode, his character’s drive to secure a better future for himself and his loved ones collides with devastating circumstances, forcing him to make choices that spiral out of control. Balancing the physicality of a wrestler with the emotional vulnerability of someone torn between loyalty and ambition, Andrew delivers a performance that is both gripping and deeply human.

Pop Culturalist had the privilege of sitting down with Andrew to dive into his experience wrestling with the duality of Accused, reflecting on his remarkable year, sharing his future career aspirations, and more.

PC: When your episode of Accused opens, there’s such an interesting parallel between your character TJ and how he frames that wrestling match as more than just a competition—it’s an audition for his future. That feels like a very similar mindset you must bring to your work as an actor. Did that mentality immediately connect you to him? How did you prepare for this audition, given that it’s so different from anything else you’ve ever done?
Andrew: Funny enough, I got the audition for the part while I was at my friend’s wedding in the U.K., so I had almost no time to prepare. It was a Zoom audition. I knew I would be playing a wrestler and twins, so I read the script and went through the sides as quickly as I could to familiarize myself with the material. Before I knew it, I was already auditioning. I didn’t have as much prep time as I would have liked, but in a way, I’m thankful for that because it forced me to draw from my own experiences.

I wrestled in high school. I was an athlete growing up. I know what that struggle is like and how it parallels the acting world. In a way, every job you take is an audition for the next one. It’s an opportunity to show people what you’re capable of. TJ just wants to prove he belongs on the Duke team. Similarly, through this show, I want to demonstrate that I’m capable of leading and carrying a big-budget movie.

PC: I feel like this project is going to open so many doors for you. Like you were saying, I think that lack of preparation time made you instinctively trust your decisions, which ultimately led to landing this role. There’s a big twist that happens halfway through the episode regarding your character. What’s so interesting is that when you rewatch it, you can pick up on the subtle hints you and the creative team incorporated leading up to that reveal. How did you find the balance between how much or how little to give audiences? It’s truly shocking when the twist is revealed, but it’s also really fun to go back and catch all the context clues.
Andrew: It was really cool because Mike [Skerrett] wrote an amazing script. At first, it seems like TJ is the one in the courtroom at the beginning—the one wearing glasses and looking distraught. But what really made sense to me was that the character in the courtroom is this evolved version of Nico. He’s speaking to his mother after losing his brother. When you’re faced with that kind of adversity, you’re forced to grow, stay the same, or backtrack. Nico grew into a man, while TJ was already a man in many ways. That dynamic was really fun to play and explore.

I actually did a watch party at my house with some friends, and they had no idea about my role. When the twist came, they were like, “What? They’re twins?” [laughs] That’s exactly the reaction we were going for. It was a constant discussion about how to hide the fact that it’s Nico. Tazbah [Chavez] wanted to approach it in a very earnest way—not leaning fully into either TJ or Nico, but instead portraying this evolved version of Nico where you can still see elements of TJ in him.

PC: I had the same reaction watching the episode. I imagine as an actor, you dream of roles and projects like this, where there’s so much depth to explore. You do such a fantastic job distinguishing these two characters through their mannerisms, physicality, and even the way they speak. Were there specific characteristics you wanted to hone in on for each? How different was it to get into TJ’s mindset, especially since he’s so determined to seize the opportunities that Nico can’t?
Andrew: I have two brothers, and as the oldest, that connection was easy to draw from. When you look at TJ and Nico—physically, emotionally, and even in how they speak—there are clear differences. TJ has a strong, singular focus. He wants to get into Duke, support his family, and be there for his brother. Nico, on the other hand, is more of a dreamer. He has a million ideas about what he wants to do, but he struggles to make them a reality. Playing that balance—TJ’s grounded determination versus Nico’s wonderment—was key in differentiating the two.

With Nico, I wanted to give him a more boyish feel. After the accident, he became the younger brother in a way. When I consulted with brain specialists, they explained that someone living with a brain injury for half their life can grow and learn to communicate and move forward, but they’ve had to overcome so much to get there. For Nico, emotions can quickly take over, and once he’s on a certain track, it’s hard to steer him away. The moment in the courtroom when he screams at Tyson is a perfect example of that.

They also struggle with memory. One of my favorite scenes is when Nico tells his mom, “I forget all the time. I don’t want to forget him too.” That line really hit me. Physically, differentiating them was straightforward—if you fall from four stories, it affects you. We put Nico in baggier clothes to hide the wrestler in me, which helped visually separate them. His voice was another key distinction; I gave Nico a more boyish tone while keeping him grounded and real. I didn’t want to push it too far or make the differences feel exaggerated. At the end of the day, they’re still kids—they’re only eighteen. The challenge was making them as real as possible while ensuring the differences felt authentic.

PC: You’ve accomplished that. You can hear the inflection in Nico’s voice, and it does feel very boyish. Outside of wrestling, you also have a tennis background, and acting can feel very much like a tennis match, with its back-and-forth dynamic. One of the reasons this show has been so successful is how the cast elevates each other’s performances. When you’re working with these heavyweights, how do their creative choices influence your own? How have you been able to push each other creatively? And how much does your sports background bleed into your acting?
Andrew: I’ve been lucky to work with some incredible seasoned actors like Michael [Chiklis], Sherri [Saum], and Tim Blake Nelson. Working with Michael was amazing. We both come from athletic backgrounds, so we connected on that level. I love working with other athletes because there’s an unspoken understanding—we get the 5 a.m. wake-ups, the lifting, and the drive to compete. Michael is also incredibly generous with his time. A lot of A-list actors wouldn’t sit down and share stories, give advice, or spend time the way he did. I hold those moments with him very close to my heart because I learned so much.

Michael encouraged me to try different things and not get stuck on one idea, which is invaluable. I remember watching Garret Dillahunt do a million takes on a movie I worked on called Gray Matter. Each take was unique, and they all worked. That ability to experiment while maintaining continuity and staying grounded is everything. Michael gave me the freedom and push to play, and Sherri did the same thing.

The first step to making a family dynamic believable on screen is building that comfort level with each other. One of the first things Sherri did was hug me and kiss me on the forehead, and I kissed her on the cheek in return. She set the tone, creating that sense of family, which is so important because if we don’t feel comfortable with each other, audiences can sense it. That instinct of hers was something I didn’t even think about at first, but it’s what seasoned actors know to do. I’m so thankful to have learned from her and others. It’s been such a blessing in my career to work with people like them.

As for tennis, it absolutely mirrors how I approach acting. If I’m not prepared for a match—or for a scene—I’m not ready. Tennis taught me to focus only on what I can control. If I worry about things outside of my control, I won’t do a good job. That mindset has been so valuable in acting. I can’t control what another actor does, but I can control how I react to it. It’s given me the freedom to let go, be present, and focus on the moment. Tennis is such a huge part of my life, and I have an immense love and passion for it. It’s definitely influenced my acting in so many ways.

PC: It’s incredible that you’re able to build that familial bond so quickly when you’re only working on a single episode. On the flip side, this role also involved a unique challenge—sharing scenes with yourself! I’d love to hear about the behind-the-scenes filmmaking magic that made that happen. As an actor, how do you mentally prepare when both of your characters are in a scene together? What did you learn about your craft?
Andrew: I got the final version of the script the moment I arrived in Toronto. Tazbah, our director, had about a week and a half of prep time, so we really didn’t have much to work with. Usually, when a show or movie centers around twins, there’s more bandwidth to plan those scenes. But in our case, we didn’t have that luxury, and I’d never done anything like this before, so it was all brand new to me.

We had two designated “twin days.” I got to work with an actor named Rob, who looked like me and played opposite me. We’d shoot one side with me as TJ and then switch to me as Nico, going back and forth. There was a special effects technician on set who showed us on the monitor how the shots would line up side by side in post-production. It was surreal to see myself acting opposite myself in real time—it was crazy but also really cool.

On the first day, I thought, “I’ll just memorize all my lines from top to bottom like a monologue.” That was not the way to go! [laughs] I found myself stumbling, skipping lines, and trying to keep track of what came next. By the second day, I realized the key was to focus on memorizing the lines for each character separately and taking the time to really live in each one. It was a learning curve, but that approach made all the difference.

The process was intense. On the first day, we were racing against the sun, but we still managed to get all the coverage we needed. By the second day, everything moved a lot faster because we knew our roles and had a system in place. It was such a wild experience—working with another actor who was copying the choices I’d made earlier was surreal but also incredibly rewarding. It was a beautiful process, and seeing it all come together so seamlessly was amazing.

PC: That’s such an interesting insight about the lines because audiences only see the final product, where everything feels so seamless. Without giving away spoilers about how the episode ends, TJ’s coach is such a mentor in his life. Who are the people in your own life who have shaped the storyteller you are today?
Andrew: Oh, wow. There are so many people. One of the biggest influences in my life is my tennis coach, Jon Neeter, who has been teaching me since I was seven years old. He’s had such a profound impact on me. My parents have also been huge influences. My dad would take me to the movies every Saturday for as long as I can remember, and that definitely shaped me into the storyteller I am today. My mom is another major influence—she always leads with love, excellence, and hard work.

I also have an acting coach, John Ales, who has been an incredible mentor to me. Without him, I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am today or able to do what I’m doing now. He’s helped me grow into the actor I’ve become, and he’s a phenomenal actor himself. Having someone like that to look up to, learn from, and go to for advice has been invaluable.

It’s so important to have those mentor figures in your life. I don’t think I’d be the same person without them. They’ve supported me in countless ways, pushing me to chase my dreams while keeping me grounded—like guiding me toward the sun but making sure I’m not flying with waxed wings.

PC: I like how you slipped that in here. This has been such a breakout year for you. I love the diversity of projects you’ve worked on, from indies like Bang Bang to bigger studio projects like Vampire Academy and Accused. How do each of these continue to fuel your artistic fire?
Andrew: I was just talking about this with someone the other day. Every project I’ve been fortunate enough to work on has given me something unique and special. With Vampire Academy, I had eight months of stunt training, which was incredible. The stunt team became my best friends, and on weekends, they’d teach me how to fall, throw punches that sell, and even choreograph our own fight sequences. It was an amazing experience.

Bang Bang was a completely different kind of opportunity. I got to learn from Tim and Kevin Corrigan, which was everything to me. I grew so much through that experience and really had to transform myself to play that role. Working with Vincent [Grashaw] and seeing how he approaches filmmaking was inspiring—it’s definitely influenced how I think about making movies in the future.

Then there’s Accused, where I got to wrestle, play twins, and dive into these very specific, niche aspects of the characters. The variety has been amazing. Vampire Academy was shot in Spain, so I lived there for eight months. For Bang Bang, I lived in Kentucky and Cincinnati for a month, and for Accused, I was in Toronto. This career has taken me to so many different places, and I feel so blessed and thankful for the cultures I’ve experienced, the people I’ve met, and the lessons I’ve picked up along the way. It’s all been so fulfilling.

PC: Outside of Accused, what’s next for you? What types of roles are you looking to play in the future?
Andrew: That’s a great question. I’ve got a few more projects coming out. I worked on a movie called Please Don’t Feed the Children with Destry Spielberg, which is her directorial debut. I also did a Netflix show called Ransom Canyon, and I’m really excited about that as well.

In terms of roles, I’d love to sink my teeth into playing vulnerable, real people—characters where you’re not quite sure if they’re good or bad. I’m drawn to that ambiguity, that gray area. I also enjoy exploring characters who are either completely different from me or really close to who I am. At the end of the day, I’m looking for roles that feel grounded and real.

I also write and want to create my own projects. That’s been a big focus of mine lately—writing and developing things for myself. A lot of the time, I haven’t seen something that feels like it was made for me, so I figure, why not create it myself? It’s been a rewarding process.

To keep up with Andrew, follow him on Instagram. Stream Andrew’s episode of Accused on Fox today.

Photo Credit: Tommy Flanagan