Exclusive Interview: Nolan Gould Talks Miranda’s Victim, the Untold Stories that Deserve to be Told, and More

Nolan Gould is one of the industry’s most versatile and exciting young talents. Known for his comedic chops and nuanced character work, Nolan has delivered transformative performances in projects including Modern Family, Yes, and The To Do List. Currently, he can be seen in the must-see film, Miranda’s Victim.

Based on true events, in 1963 eighteen-year-old Trish Weir (Abigail Breslin) is kidnapped and sexually assaulted. Her assailant, Ernesto Miranda (Sebastian Quinn), confesses without legal representation and serves a two-year sentence, only to have the verdict later overturned. In the resulting retrial, a determined prosecutor (Luke Wilson) seeks to hold Ernesto accountable for his crimes, despite grueling opposition from Ernesto’s defense attorney (Ryan Phillippe). What follows is a legal proceeding that forever changes the nation’s justice system.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Nolan about Miranda’s Victim, the untold stories that deserve to be told, and more.

Please Note: Miranda’s Victim has been granted an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA. Without the labor of actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist.

PC: Miranda’s Victim is hitting theaters and On Demand on October 6. This is the first time that Patricia Weir’s story is being told which, I imagine, is a huge honor; but it also brings a lot of pressure. Did you feel that responsibility or weight as you were filming or heading into this project?
Nolan: Yeah, of course. The team that is involved with Miranda’s Victim did feel the weight and gravity of telling somebody’s story for the first time. What happened to Patricia took place in the early ’60s. She went her entire life never being named or telling her family about it. Yet, she was so brave going through this extremely invasive and wild court case and all these proceedings. That took a toll on her, her family, and her entire life.

Years later, we’re finally able to tell this story, bring it to the world, and tell everyone who she is and her incredible story. I wouldn’t call it pressure; that’s the wrong word. There was the sense that we all knew we were handling something that’s incredibly important and we wanted to do it justice and tell her story in the way that she would want it to be told. I think the team that’s involved did a pretty good job of that.

PC: Outside of this being such an important story to tell, you were attracted to it because it was the opportunity to work with Abigail Breslin, who similar to yourself grew up in this industry. What was it like getting to collaborate with her?
Nolan: Yeah. [laughs] I told this to her face. I signed onto this project for many reasons. I wanted to work with director Michelle Danner. It was also being shot on film, and I have never worked on a project that was shot on film. I’m a big nerd. I was really excited about that. Obviously, the story carries so much weight and it’s so important, especially now. I wanted to do it for all those reasons.

But, I’m also just a fan of Abigail Breslin. Growing up my mom was always like, “That’s the gold standard of what young actors can do.” So I wanted the chance to work with her. Through the process, we became really good friends which makes this whole experience even better. We’d go shoot these long days and then we’d go play cards at her hotel room. We formed this great little group of friends. To work alongside somebody who’s that young, talented, full of grace, and just an awesome person was a really enjoyable experience.

PC: I give so much credit to actors because you’re constantly putting yourself out there. This is an industry where you hear more noes than yeses, but you were actually Michelle’s first choice to play James. How did this project find its way to you? What were those initial conversations that you had with her?
Nolan: The project found its way into my email late one night. I was actually shooting a different project at the time. I was burnt out at the time that it found me. We were doing night shoots. The production was going through a lot of struggles. It was in the middle of COVID. There was a lot of stuff happening. This is the stuff that makes it hard to act sometimes. I was burnt out. I needed a day. Then late one night while this was happening, this email came through from the team with a letter from the director. They were like, “Hey, there’s this project. You’re her first choice. Let us know what you think.” I read Michelle’s letter, and it was so kind, generous, and beautifully written. She explained how important the story was. I didn’t know the story of the Miranda Rights. I think most people don’t. If they do, they know it from the story of Ernesto Miranda, what he did, and, specifically, who he did it to.

All of us have heard of the Miranda Rights—whether we’re watching Law and Order or it pops up in a movie—but you don’t really know what that means. I was like, “I don’t know what this is.” I’m like, “Okay, it’s the story of the Miranda Rights.” I started to read it and the story is interesting from so many perspectives. There’s Patricia’s story: one about a survivor who was incredibly brave to share her story, especially in a time that was less than merciful and generous to people who came forward. There’s also the fascinating story about how these rules were put into place and why we need them, and the awful circumstances in which they were created. They’re so integral to our society. That’s a long way of saying that I was really invested when I said, “I don’t know what this is.” [laughs] I read through it in one night and I was like, “I have to be a part of this project.”

PC: It’s gripping to watch as well. This is a departure from the comedic roles that you’ve played in the past. James and his relationship with Patricia are so fundamental in representing the innocent that was taken away from her. How different is the preparation when you’re playing a character whose relationships are more about embracing the subtleties as opposed to prepping for a comedy which is more outward and expressive?
Nolan: First off, well put. It’s a process that I’m still figuring out in my own life. When Modern Family ended and the pandemic happened, I was like, “I want to stay fresh.” I wanted to relearn things that I hadn’t used in a while. I got into acting a lot over Zoom. I’m still a part of it. I’m really interested in continually expanding and growing as an actor. You’re right that it’s a completely different world, role, and set of circumstances that you’re working with when you’re telling a story like this.

Whether you’re working on a sitcom like Modern Family or you’re working in a heavy drama like this, finding some level of humanity is always important. I know that might be the obvious answer. It was super easy to play Luke who is this human who was very similar to me, but in a world that was funny and a little brighter. This is playing a version of myself in a world with a completely different rule set and much more grounded. I wanted to find the humanity that all of us could connect with in James.

He represents a lot. He represents the many ways that people, specifically men in that time, reacted to what happened to Patricia. He represents the innocence lost in a lot of ways. He represents opportunity and love lost. It was about trying to connect with what’s real about that and what hurts. There were moments when I was like, “I wish you were better than that.” There were moments when I empathized with him. It’s about being a real human being. That’s the weird thing about acting. A lot of the time, it’s working really hard to figure out how to be a human being. [laughs]

PC: Great answer. You’ve said in previous interviews that you’re passionate about storytelling because it’s the opportunity to bond with other human beings. What did you learn about your craft working alongside this star-studded cast? Do you have a favorite behind-the-scenes moment?
Nolan: There’s a ton that I learned, a lot of which came through Michelle Danner. I did Modern Family for eleven years. By that time, you’re in the groove of it. You show up and you don’t need anyone to show you where to go or where to stand. I know what we’re doing. I know everyone’s name. I know where to be, what time lunch is, and all that stuff.

So being a part of a new environment surrounded by hundreds of new people…there were nerves that came with all of that. I was really nervous in the first few takes that we tried. Working with Michelle and incredible actors like Abigail Breslin and Enrique Murciano, I found this settling-in point when I was like, “I can breathe and ground myself.” I got to watch these incredible actors not only give great performances, but [also] just be and feel. I got to connect with that and settle in. I call it “dropping in,” which is dropping any ego, weird anxieties, fears, or pride. Now I get to be this different person who is watching, reacting, and feeling actively to what’s happening in front of you. That’s not to say that I didn’t do that on Modern Family; it’s just that we’d done it for eleven years. At some point it just became zippy, natural. We knew what the finished product was going to look like. Whereas this was much more of a journey of discovering it in the moment.

PC: Michelle has also acted in the past. Is the filming experience different when the person at the helm also has experience in front of the camera? Is there a different shorthand that’s created?
Nolan: Some of my favorite directors to work with are actors. I’m sure people on the crew might feel differently. [laughs] They’re like, “Oh God. An actor is directing? They don’t know anything about cameras or lighting!” Although all of that is probably true, that’s definitely not in Michelle’s case. As an actor, I really appreciate it.

One of my favorite directors I’ve ever worked with was Julie Bowen, my TV mom. She directed a few episodes of Modern Family. She would come out from behind Video Village and talk to me in the way that I wanted to be talked to as an actor. As you’re putting yourself out there on the line, actor-directors know how to get that performance out of you—which at the end of the day is why you’re there.

Working with Michelle, she’d be like, “Feel it out. Do what you want to do on this one. Breathe. Be yourself. Let’s tune up a little bit more of this side of yourself.” It was so refreshing. It was like, “Yes, this makes my job way less stressful.” They get it. They understand what you’re going through at that moment.

PC: You’ve also worked on projects of all sizes. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you as a creative?
Nolan: There are so many people who have talked more eloquently than me about the importance of independent filmmaking. I’m coming obviously from a history of the opposite. Modern Family was about as big as you can get. We were that show for so long. With independent projects, these are stories that deserve and need to be told that often aren’t going to be told through a mainstream lens because maybe it’s not what sells the most. Maybe it’s not what the algorithm tells people they should watch or whatever it is. But these are still stories that need to be told by storytellers who need to tell them. There’s no better example than Patricia Weir’s story and the decades it took to get here. I can’t express the gratitude that I feel for being able to tell this story and even be a small part of it. I had my moment of being on a big show. It was great, and I’m so grateful for that time. Now I’m excited about taking a step back from that and telling all these other stories that are equally as important and meaningful.

PC: Beautifully said. I believe this is the first film that you’ve taken around the festival circuit. What has it been like getting to share this beautiful film with all these different audiences and seeing the impact that you’ve had firsthand?
Nolan: You’re right. I’ve been to a film festival here and there, but this is the first one that has been doing the circuit. I’ve gotten to be a part of the Q&As at the end and hear women share their stories. People watch this film, and they laugh, they cry, and they get angry. It’s one of the goals, hopefully as an actor or storyteller, to elicit some kind of emotion from your audience. You want to make people feel something. Being on Modern Family, I got to hear it secondhand. People would be like, “Your show means a lot to me. It makes me laugh. It makes me cry.” I’m like, “Cool.” But to be in a theater filled with hundreds of people and watch it with them is a magical and cool experience. I hope I get to continue to be a part of projects like that.

To keep up with Nolan, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Miranda’s Victim is out in select theaters and On Demand.