Pop-Culturalist.com

Lukas Gage is leading the next wave of Hollywood’s most promising young actors. He’s won over audiences with his transformative performance as Brandon Darrow in Hannah Macpherson’s psychological thriller, T@gged. The series centers around a group of high school students who are targeted on social media by an anonymous organization seeking revenge. Over the course of three seasons, Brandon has evolved physically, emotionally, and mentally, and Lukas has proven he’s more than up to the task of bringing that to life. Pop Culturalist spoke with Lukas about T@gged, Brandon’s journey, and the show’s loyal following. Plus, he answers your fan questions!

PC: Brandon has had this incredible arc across three seasons. What’s been the most surprising part about his journey for you?
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Lukas: Nothing has been too surprising. Since the very beginning, I’ve talked to Hannah, the creator, about wanting to explore Brandon’s backstory. Even in his extremities, I’ve found him to be very human and real. Hannah is an incredible writer; she takes a bit of every actor’s real-life experiences and infuses them in the character.

Having spent time with Hannah in season one, she learned that I wasn’t close to my dad and that I spent a little bit of time in juvey in high school, so she made that part of Brandon’s storyline. She also did that with Lia [Marie Johnson] and her music, and Lulu’s [Antariksa] love for Paris.

PC: Has your approach to Brandon changed over the seasons as he’s made his transformation?

Lukas: It’s gotten easier as the seasons have gone by. There’s less stuff for me to fill in now. Hannah and her writing have given me so much to use. When I read the season three script, I knew where Brandon was coming from with each line.

PC: Brandon has several interesting relationships in his life and new ones that we learn about in season three. Which is your favorite to explore and why?
Lukas: I really like the one with Trevor, or as the fans call it, Trandon—I was really shocked when I read that. Actually, going back to your earlier question, this is the most surprising part about Brandon’s storyline. Trevor and Brandon have a past where they hooked up one night, which I thought was really cool and unexpected. It was cool to explore and talk with my co-star, Braeden [Lemasters], about it. We chatted about what we thought that relationship had been, who had the power, who we felt like was in control, who made the first move…we created a whole backstory for ourselves.


PC: In the first two seasons Brandon is keeping a secret from Rowan, but the roles are reversed in season three. What impact will that have on Brandon?
Lukas: It’s Brandon’s way of finally becoming a man and being honest and his true self. There are a lot of little details, like how he dyed his hair black in season two, shows how he wasn’t being his full self. Hannah and I discussed how hair holds a lot of secrets, so I either wanted to chop it all off or dye it to cover it up. In season three, it’s a mix of the first two seasons. It’s becoming this brown-ish color and things are fading away, and that’s how I felt with Brandon. He had this dark past, but it’s coming to the surface, and he’s being more truthful and vulnerable. That was my favorite part about season three: exploring his vulnerable, sensitive side that we hadn’t seen, but has always been there.

PC: What’s the collaboration like between you, Hannah, and the rest of the cast? T@gged seems like a tight-knit family.
Lukas: I feel like a lot of people say this, but they’re really some of my best friends. I talk to them every single day. I just had dinner with Claudia [Sulewski]. I had lunch with Tim [Granaderos] the other week. We talk to each other all the time. Hannah has made such an effort for all of her characters; there’s so much truth and honesty with each one. That’s a result of her becoming close with all of us collectively and individually.


PC: If the series is picked up for season four, where would you like to see Brandon’s storyline go? Who would you like to see him interact more with?
Lukas: That’s a good question. I’d like to see more of the dynamic between Brandon, Trevor, and Rowan—I want to see where that goes. I’m fangirling as much as everyone watching. I also want to see if he follows through with his promise about going to boarding school, finishing up his education, and getting his life together, or if that’s just another one of Brandon’s grand ideas. He gets easily excited, which I connect to. I also would love to have some scenes with Ash, Tim Granadero’s character, because I love Tim and I want to work with him. Also, Emma Dumont, who plays Zoe! They’re great actors and I’ve never had a scene with either of them.

PC: T@gged has become this fan-favorite series with a very loyal following. Did you ever imagine it would become what it has, having been a part of the show since season one?

Lukas: Not at all! Honestly, they’re the reason we’ve had multiple seasons, and they’ll be the reason if we get picked up for a season four. They reached out to Hulu and AwesomenessTV and really fought for us. I don’t think we would have gone for more than one season if it weren’t for how enthusiastic and invested they are. Like I said earlier, I’m a fangirl; I read all the tweets and the video edits they make. It’s so cool and flattering.

PC: Besides T@gged, do you have any other upcoming projects that you can chat about at this time?
Lukas: Yes! Right now, I’m filming a show for HBO called Euphoria with Zendaya, I just wrapped on a movie with Ben Affleck called Torrance, and I have a couple of other things, but I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about them yet. I’m very excited for some stuff that’s going to come out next year.

Lukas Answers Your Fan Questions

Lukas: There are so many! Can I say a few? In season two, it’s the rooftop scene. It was done in one take—we literally did it in one shot. It was a very beautiful moment where everything aligned and we didn’t have to do it more than once. There was something so natural and easy about it. I love watching that scene. In season three, my favorite one actually has to be the one at the very end at camp when I tell her that we protect the ones that we love, and that’s why I’m here. That was another scenario where the sun was going down and we had one shot to do it. There’s something really magical when you have all this adrenaline and you have to get it right in the first shot, for whatever reason, but that’s when you end up with these unexpected, beautiful little moments.


Lukas: Well, I originally auditioned for Ash. I love that character, but after watching Tim do it, you can see he was so meant for that role. He does it so well. I think the most fun character to play would be Zoe, Emma Dumont’s character. I think she absolutely killed it in episode eleven this season. She deserves an award for that episode.

Lukas: I think three today. Just three.

Lukas: I had a lot of fun with Braeden and Lulu this season.

Lukas: Honestly, both! I want to see where they both go, and I feel like maybe in this new age of dating and life, there’s a world where we can make a triangle.

Lukas: Noah Centineo

Lukas: My favorite behind-the-scenes moment is when Brandon meets Jake, played by Nick Fink. I love that kid. There was supposed to be a lot of tension in that scene between our characters, but I couldn’t get through a take without laughing—neither of us could stop laughing. I think we only got one useful take. The whole set wanted to kill us that night because we made everyone go overtime by at least a few hours. That was the most mad I’ve ever seen Hannah. I mean, actually, there’s one scene this year where I’m in the freezer, and I could not stop laughing in that one, either. I was supposed to pretend like I was dead, and I couldn’t stop laughing. She was ready to fire me.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Texting or talking on the phone?
Lukas: Talking on the phone

PC: Most used emoji?
Lukas: The squinted eyes and the tongue out

PC: First AOL screenname?
Lukas: In second grade, my screen name was sexualsandwitch, even though I didn’t know what it meant.

PC: A song that you could listen to on repeat?
Lukas: “Bottoms Up” by Trey Songz ft. Nicki Minaj

PC: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
Lukas: I want to be able to morph into different people. That would be fun.

Make sure to follow Lukas on Twitter and Instagram, and binge-watch season three of T@gged on Hulu today!

Photo Credit: Awesomeness