Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Nancy Drew’s Tunji Kasim

Rising star Tunji Kasim is captivating audiences in all facets of his career. Whether it’s on the stage in productions like The Brothers Size or on the television screen in projects like Nearly Famous, Tunji is a dynamic young talent who shines across any medium.

This fall, he can be seen reprising his role as Ned ‘Nick’ Nickerson in the CW’s crime-stopping hit Nancy Drew.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Tunji about his journey as a storyteller, Nancy Drew Season 3, and more.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for storytelling?
Tunji: The first dramatic storytelling that I did was choreographing dance numbers for my parents’ anniversary with my sister—that was when I was seven or eight. That was the first time I did an organized, rehearsed performance. But the first serious storytelling happened when I met one of my secondary school drama teachers, Irene Adam. She really introduced me to this world because before that I’d only really done musicals and stuff like that. Musicals are absolutely fantastic, but I suppose my real passion and connection with storytelling comes from authentic to life stories. No one goes around singing in song, even though it’s great to do.

She introduced me to plays with no song and dance, just plays about people and emotions. That really sparked something within me. But I also think the study of the craft is something that very much motivates me and drives me in storytelling. What is the best way to tell those stories and how do you get better at your craft?

PC: You got your start working on the stage. What has the transition been like going from that medium to the screen? How much of an adjustment was that?
Tunji: I’ve been very lucky and very privileged to do jobs in both mediums. Going back to the craft, it’s just a different way of working and telling stories. You have to work at your craft. It’s very different being on stage than being in front of the camera. There are similarities, without question, because what you’re doing is telling stories; you’re just telling a particular person’s point of view, but the differences are vast.

When you’re performing in theater, you’re performing at different venues and sometimes in front of 2,000 people, but if you’re in front of the camera, you’re performing essentially to one person, and that’s the camera. There are definitely similarities, though, in the sense that you have to be aware of the camera and the audience (in a stage production).

There are similarities in what is required, but there are vast differences in the feel and the way you accomplish what you’re doing. Both are very challenging. Both ultimately involve collaborating with other storytellers: directors, costume designers, lighting, all of those people. Everyone comes together to tell the story. Both mediums require intimacy and chemistry between all the storytellers.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your young career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Tunji: There are a couple of moments. Getting my degree is one. Getting Nancy Drew was a turning point or touchstone in my career because it’s the first job I’ve done in America and on American TV. That’s a huge market and something that’s very different, having come from the UK and predominantly worked in the UK. This is very exciting.

There are special projects that have come through in the past. I did a play called The Brothers Size that was written by Tarell Alvin McCraney, who was the Oscar award-winning writer for Moonlight. I’m very lucky that I can call him a friend and worked on his play. The Brothers Size was fantastic. It was complete poetry in motion. That was a huge point for me, but also getting to work on Nancy Drew now, especially in the times we’re in, is something I feel very fortunate and blessed about.

Nancy Drew

PC: Speaking of Nancy Drew, the series has been incredibly well received. What do you think is resonating most with audiences?
Tunji: It’s a combination of things. You’re working with an already established franchise with the books. It’s already well known in the eyes of the public, but also, I think it’s the combination of people that are telling these stories and made the choice to modernize it and bring it to 2019 when we started. That has to do with the diversity of casting. That’s probably one of the more obvious choices, not just with the ethnicities, but also that it’s a female-driven show in front of and behind the camera, which is fantastic. Our showrunner is female, and we have a lot of female writers. That’s very much bringing it into modern times and making sure that it’s accounted for.

We’ve put our own twist on it with the supernatural elements. In the books, the supernatural elements very much did not exist. If there are ghosts, they’re usually some creepy man in a costume, but in our version, the ghosts are real. To be honest, I don’t think I fully appreciated the extent to which we would be doing that when I first signed up because I knew the Nancy Drew books. The writers, showrunner, and creators had a clear vision and they pulled it off.

We have a special combination of writers, showrunners, and actors. We have something rare here where we work together really well. We’re all committed, and to be blunt, we have very good actors who are very good at what they do. We all bring our own flavor and tastes to the show that balances extremely well as an ensemble.

We have Kennedy McMann as Nancy Drew. She’s a fantastic leader of the show and the perfect casting. We have all these characters and actors that well work well together and bounce off each other. We’re all very committed to telling the best stories we can.

PC: What can you tell us about your character’s arc in Season 3? What can fans expect?
Tunji: He’s got some wedding planning to do with George. He said yes—George put a ring on it! It’s very exciting and cool to explore the evolution of Nick and George’s relationship. It’s the CW, so there’ll be drama. Nick has some characters from his past life who may be coming into his present life, and that doesn’t bode well. He has some figuring out to do about who he wants to be and coming to terms with who he was before he came to Maine.

Amongst all of that, we have the new baddy of the season: Temperance. Temperance will drive wedges between the Drew Crew and test their friendships and relationships. There’s a lot going on, and that’s just some of it. We have other storylines and threads going on. It’s a very exciting season. We’re still filming right now.

PC: This is the longest that you’ve lived with a character on screen. Has anything surprised you about the experience? What’s been the biggest takeaway?
Tunji: It’s definitely been the longest. It’s kind of a two-sided coin in the sense that there’s good and there’s bad. It’s fantastic to feel so embedded in another person and feel like I know how this guy operates. I know how this guy thinks, which definitely gives me a level of confidence and relaxation in my work. But I suppose the bad side of that is the relaxation. It’s good to be relaxed, but not too relaxed; it’s making sure that you don’t become complacent in the stories that you’re telling, and you don’t churn out a generic character where audiences know what Nick will do. Of course, he has tendencies, but it’s interesting to delve into the nuances of him and how he reacts differently to situations and keep that alive and present so that he doesn’t become stale, generic, or predictable.

We have a fantastic crew, writers, and cast. I’m very lucky and very fortunate to be working with all these people. But at the same time, how do you keep that dynamic fresh?

PC: Speaking of Nick’s evolution, if the series gets picked up for a fourth season and you could write a storyline for him, what would it be and why?
Tunji: That’s a very interesting question. First of all, fingers crossed for Season 4. You never know in this world, but hopefully, that happens. This is actually a question that towards the end of a season going into the next, we have with the writers. We have fantastic communication with our showrunners and writers. They often reach out to us and have discussions with us about what we want to see explored with our characters. That’s not something that happens on every show. On a lot of shows, actors are basically told, “This is the way it is, and these are the lines that you’re going to say.” We’re very fortunate, once again, to have showrunners and writers who are open to this communication.

One of the points of emphasis for Season 3 was that I wanted to explore and delve into how Nick has processed his past. I don’t feel like it’s necessarily in a place of resolution with having gone to prison and having been involved in an altercation that ended in a man dying. That’s stuff we’ll delve into in Season 3 in more detail.

But there has to be a point where Nick moves on from that. I would love to see Nick focused and finding happiness within himself. I don’t think he’s a very content guy. He’s a guy that’s always seeking people’s approval. He wants to be the good guy, which is very admirable, but it doesn’t necessarily leave him with a rested soul. Going into Season 4, what is Nick proactively looking for happiness to look like?

On top of that, I’d love to see more action and more mystery solving. Nick has a lot to bring to the table when it comes to solving these mysteries and things like that. That’s always fun. We’ve got some stunts lined up. I’m very excited to do my own stunts. I try to do as much of the stunts myself.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Tunji: Sexy Beasts. I watched it when it first landed. It must have been three years ago on BBC3 in the UK. Netflix bought it, adapted it, and brought more budget to it. But that’s my guilty pleasure. It’s hilarious because they’re all sexy as well. Their makeup was all monstrous, but they take off the makeup and they’re all sexy.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Tunji: I don’t know if you can call this a guilty pleasure; I just get pleasure from it. I don’t feel guilty about it at all: Trolls 2, which is arguably one of the best/worst movies ever made. It’s fantastic. I’ll put it this way: if people don’t know, it’s called Trolls 2, but there’s not a single troll in it. It’s about goblins, so that gives you a sense of the making of that film.

PC: Favorite book?
Tunji: Cloud Atlas. It’s one of my favorite books. I haven’t seen the film, but the book is an exceptional read. The structure of it is very daring and very interesting.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Tunji: The Brothers Size is definitely my favorite play. If anyone gets a chance to go see it, do it! It’s a beautiful, very touching play.

As far as a musical, I was in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar when I was twelve. I was a disciple. That stayed with me. It’s probably a toss-up between Jesus Christ Superstar or Les Misérables.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Tunji: I don’t know what people necessarily expect me to be listening to, but I recently listened to Volcano Choir. I listened to one of their albums. It’s Justin Vernon [Bon Iver]’s side project. I also really enjoyed Mac Miller’s new album.

Watch Nancy Drew every Friday at 9/8c on the CW.

Photo Credit: Noah Asanias