Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Last Kids on Earth’s Nick Wolfhard

Nick Wolfhard is an exciting new face in the industry. He’s leading the next wave of young actors in Hollywood, and can currently be seen starring in Netflix’s The Last Kids on Earth. Based on the popular graphic novels by Max Brallier, the highly-anticipated animated series follows Jack Sullivan (Nick Wolfhard) and his friends as they fight off zombies after a monster apocalypse. Pop Culturalist caught up with Nick to chat about The Last Kids on Earth, the three-month audition process, and the parallels he shares with his character.

The Last Kids on Earth Questions

PC: Tell us about The Last Kids on Earth and your character.
Nick: The Last Kids on Earth is about four kids who are trying to survive this zombie-monster apocalypse. I play Jack, who’s a very lonely guy. He’s never really had a family because he’s a foster kid. His middle school life is a real bummer: he only has one friend and he gets bullied, which is actually similar to my own middle school experience now that I think about it. But when this apocalypse happens, it’s ironically the best thing that’s ever happened to him. He’s sees this as an opportunity to make his own family. He has a lot of different goals with this apocalypse. For the first time, there are actual stakes in his life, and that gives him motivation.

In book one, he tries to convince his ex-bully to join up with them. His love interest, June Del Toro, doesn’t really like him at first. He’s trying to find a way to get to know her and change her mind, whether that be as a friend or as a crush. He tries to get everyone together because it’s the apocalypse and you need everyone you can get, right? For Jack, it’s more than that; he sees this as a chance to have a real family.

PC: What was the audition process like?
Nick: It actually started off as a normal audition process. I auditioned for Jack and Dirk, and it evolved into a three-month process where I had callbacks for both characters. Then, Charlie Demers ended up getting the role of Dirk. I kept auditioning for Jack and eventually, I got an email saying that I got the part! I was barely awake, and I was like, “Whoa! No way.” I went downstairs and I told my family. I was so happy, and they were so proud of me. It was an amazing feeling.

PC: As an actor, is it easier or more challenging when you have so much source of material to draw from?
Nick: That’s an interesting question. In the past, I worked on Beyblade Burst, which is an anime, and World Trigger. Both of those series already existed, so you could go online and watch them in Japanese. Any time I go in for an anime audition, I ALWAYS watch it in Japanese beforehand to get a feel for what the character is like, and that’s usually how I end up landing those anime gigs. For Last Kids on Earth, I found it was helpful not to do that. I think it helped my delivery because with all the plot twists and turns in the series, I was able to learn each one as I was delivering the lines. It’s definitely easier to have more source material, but it also depends on the character.

PC: Your character is at the heart of the story. Which of his relationships was your favorite to explore and why?
Nick: Oh, man! There is this great one, but I can’t say too much about it. I can say that it’s a relationship with a character who’s not part of the main cast. That was probably my favorite to record. There’s a specific moment that involves their relationship, and with so many twists and turns, who knows what happens! You’ll just have to watch.

PC: If you had to sum up the series in one sentence, what would it be?
Nick: One sentence? That’s impossible! I would say there’s something for everyone. It’s action-based, but also has some great comedy and fantastic fluid animation. Atomic Cartoons did such an amazing job on it. There’s humor for all ages, starting from people who grew up on Back to the Future, Terminator, and stuff like that. There’s great editing for Edgar Wright fans who love everything from Shaun of the Dead to Scott Pilgrim. If you’re a cartoon fan and love Codename: Kids Next Door, there’s something for you, too. Also, the kids have a tree house and it’s all tricked and decked out, which is pretty cool. That’s not one sentence, but I feel like it gives people more information to watch the show. [laughs]

PC: What parallels were you able to draw on between your own life and Jack’s?
Nick: We had similar middle school experiences. Those were some of the worst years of my life. I was super introverted; I’m still kind of introverted, but I’ve managed to get out more and have more life experiences with my friends. Back then, I was also super insecure. I hardly had any friends. I got bullied. Unlike Jack, I was lucky that I had an awesome family. They got me through those tough times.

In high school, it got a little better. I wish I had a series like this back then. The Last Kids on Earth is about going out there and making do with what you have. It’s about making friends and having life experiences because you’re only a kid for so long. I wish I had this series back then because it would have inspired me to go out there and experience more. I hope it does that for others.

Photo Credit:Netflix

Career Questions

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting?
Nick: My passion for acting has always been there. I loved taking acting classes; we used to film on old cameras. In school, I was part of the drama class. I started acting before my brother, and we’ve been supporting each other ever since. I’ll help Finn if he has a voiceover audition, and I actually directed him on a project recently—it was a lot of fun! If I’m ever doing an on camera project, he gives me advice on how to deliver my lines. We’re always supporting each other.

It’s actually weird that we both got into acting because our parents are not like that. I know on my mom’s side, my great-grandmother was an actress. She was on the Lusitania, which is interesting to think about. She was actually one of the survivors. Maybe the acting gene skipped a couple of generations. [laughs]

PCL You touched on this a bit earlier, but you’ve done a lot of both voiceover and on camera work. Is one more challenging than the other? Do you have one that you prefer?
Nick: In the past, I would say that on camera work is very hard to do compared to voiceover. Now that I have a feel for on camera, I’d say they’re equal. They’re just different processes.

I know a lot of on camera actors say that voiceover is more difficult. I briefly met Bill Hader and he told me that voiceover work takes a lot out of him. My brother says the same thing. It might be because I’ve been doing voiceovers for so long in my career, but I find it super duper fun and rewarding.

I actually think voiceover on an anime series is the hardest. There’s so much screaming and yelling involved. It’s like balancing milk on your head while juggling—you have to look at the script, but you have to match the lip lapse. It affects your delivery because you have to slow it down and then speed it up. Those lines are so fun to deliver, though.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your career. When you look back is there a moment that sticks out?
Nick: I have to say The Last Kids on Earth! After that three-month period of auditioning, it was nice to see the hard work pay off in such a big project like this. There’s no better feeling than when all your hard work pays off.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Nick: Star Wars: Episode III

PC: Favorite book?
Nick: The Other Side of the Bridge

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Nick: Book of Mormon or Chicago…I still want to see Hamilton.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Nick: I love Kendrick Lamar; To Pimp a Butterfly is one of my favorite albums ever. I also love MGMT and their album Little Dark Age. “When You Die” is such a great song…that entire album is gold. Also, Daft Punk is a favorite, too! I love their new and old stuff. I’m a huge fan of ’90s music and pop punk, so Green Day, Sum 41, and Blink-182. I’ve also become a big Elton John fan recently. And of course, who doesn’t love Queen and David Bowie?

To keep up with Nick, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and binge-watch The Last Kids on Earth on Netflix today.