Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with See’s Josh Blacker

Actor Josh Blacker is delivering a commanding performance as Witchfinder Warrior in Apple TV+’s See. Starring opposite Jason Momoa, Sylvia Hoeks, and Christian Camargo, the dystopian sci-fi drama is set in the future where the human race has lost the sense of sight. They’re forced to adapt in order to survive, but that’s all challenged when a set of twins is born with sight. Pop Culturalist caught up with Josh Blacker to chat about See, discovering his passion for acting, and the biggest lesson he’s learned in his near three-decade career.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting?
Josh: I think I was born with it. I was one of those kids who drove their parents nuts—I was always doing accents, putting on little plays, and pretending to be different people. I followed that through to high school, where I was a drama geek. I left it for a while, but it was always inside me. I finally came back to it about twelve or thirteen years ago.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Josh: I don’t know if it’s ever one individual person; I think we learn a lot from everyone and every opportunity. I’ve learned something from every acting coach I’ve had and everyone that I’ve been on set with. They all teach you things here and there. If I had to choose, I would say my parents; they’ve been incredibly supportive. When I decided to go back into acting, my dad said to me, “Josh, do what you love and find a way to make money doing it.” They’ve been a constant, life-long support system for me. If I had to narrow it down to one (or two, in this case), it’d be them.

PC: You were pursuing a career in law before transitioning to acting. At what point did you realize law wasn’t your passion? How challenging was that pivot?
Josh: I think it was like a frog in boiling water situation—I didn’t realize it until it was too late. I was talking about this the other day, but I don’t think we talk about mental health issues enough. I was having some anxiety and panic attacks, which said to me that there was a disconnect between who I was and what I was doing. It was at that moment that I took a leave of absence from my law job. I did some deep soul searching on what I wanted to do and how I wanted to live my life. That’s when I made the transition.

At the time, it was difficult. I took a big leap of faith. In hindsight, it was the only thing I could do. I couldn’t have kept going on like that.

PC: You’ve had tons of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Josh: I don’t know if there’s ever just one moment, especially when you look back; you just appreciate it all. When I booked my first recurring role on Stargate Universe, that was an absolute thrill because you work so hard to advance your career, then an opportunity like that comes along. Rob [Cooper] and Brad [Wright], our showrunners, were so kind in explaining what my character’s arc was going to be. It really gave me the opportunity to finesse a performance and put as much energy as I could into a nine-episode arc. It allowed the truth of that character’s existence to come to life.

PC: What’s one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
Josh: I think because I came into this from another career, I went in knowing that I wasn’t going to let anyone out work me. I knew hard work was going to be a huge part of the process, but I didn’t realize how much.

There’s so much failure behind the scenes that no one sees. You go on audition after audition, and you don’t get every role you audition for. The thickness of skin and shortness of memory you need to survive this business was something that I was aware of, but I wasn’t truly aware of how much of a toll that it would take on me—not that I expected immediate success.

After a while, I learned to let it go and enjoy the process of acting. Every audition is an opportunity to tell a story. Sometimes that story resonates with the people that are doing the hiring and sometimes it doesn’t. If I don’t land it, it means one of my friends in the audition room is going to get the job. If one of us is working that means there’s other work available for all of us.

See

PC: You’re currently starring in See. Tell us about the series, your character, and what drew you to that project.
Josh: What attracted me to the project was everyone involved and that Apple was launching a new platform. I’ve always appreciated Apple’s commitment to quality. That was demonstrated when I found out who was involved with the project: Francis Lawrence as our director, Steven Knight as our writer, Jason Momoa as our star…I could go on and on. At every single interval, it seemed like we had the best talent available. I immediately made sure my agent got me an audition. Whatever I did, they seemed to enjoy and invited me back to do it on set.

I play the Witchfinder Warrior. He’s the right-hand man to Queen Kane’s genera, Tamacti Jun. I’m the muscle, the elitist in our army. We’re sent out to find those with sights otherwise known as Witches. That’s why we’re the Witchfinders. I’m the one who does the fighting to protect our general and our queen.

PC: What was the preparation like?
Josh: It was wild! Apple spared no expense to make sure we were able to properly tell a story of people who live 900 years in the future without sight. We had two months worth of blind camp, which is also movement camp. It’s not just about learning how to unsee or rely on your other senses, it’s about learning how to move and use your body in totality to navigate the world in which these Witchfinders would move.

We had two months of training that involved everything from hand-to-hand combat, walking around with night shades, and following our blindness consultant, Joe Strechay, for a day. It was really about understanding how to listen as much as it was about feeling the ground move underneath your feet. If someone pulls back a bit, maybe they’re coming in for a punch. We really learned how to adapt in those two months so we could tell this story with authenticity. We also wanted to be respectful to those who live with blindness.

PC: Great answer. As an actor, how are streaming platforms like Apple TV+ changing the industry?
Josh: That is such a good and complicated question. I think what it’s doing is it’s allowing audiences to find the content that they want to watch, when they want to watch it. What I enjoy about Apple TV+, specifically what they’re doing with our show, is that they’re releasing the first three episodes at once. It allows you to immerse yourself in the world, but then there’s a new episode every week after, which I also like. It builds up the momentum. It holds the intrigue. It gives you the opportunity to talk to your friends or your coworkers at the water cooler. It builds the excitement for the episode that is coming.

With other streaming platforms, you sometimes don’t get that opportunity to share the experience with your friends. I think that’s what people enjoyed about Game of Thrones. I’m like that—I would watch one episode and then I’d be losing my mind trying to figure out what was going to happen next. Apple TV+ has merged those two worlds nicely. Streaming platforms have really allowed audiences to enjoy content on their own schedules.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Josh: I don’t know if it’s a guilty pleasure but I really love Stranger Things. It’s something I can watch over and over.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Josh: I love Drive and Wayne’s World.

PC: Favorite book?
Josh: I love reading. Two come to mind: The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay and A Wild Sheep Case by Haruki Murakami.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Josh: I’m a big Les Mis fan. I was walking down the street the other day singing to it. Recently, I started to rock out to Hamilton as well.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Josh: That’s a hard question. I hope that the story of my life is only a third of the way there. If it were to be made now, I would really enjoy watching Chris Pine. He’s way more handsome than I am, but why not aim high? He has a groundedness and authenticity to his characters.

To keep up with Josh, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Catch See on Apple TV+.

Photo Credit: Noah Asanias // Stylist: Joanna Kulpa