Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Roswell, New Mexico’s Nathan Parsons

Nathan Dean Parsons is delivering an out-of-this-world performance as Max Evans on The CW’s Roswell, New Mexico. The modern reimagining (of the original Roswell) finds our heroine Liz Ortecho (Jeanine Mason) returning home on the tenth anniversary of her sister’s death. She’ll soon discover that Max, her high school crush, may have somehow been involved in her sister’s passing.

Pop Culturalist caught up with Nathan to chat about Roswell, New Mexico, this season’s mystery, and learned the original character he auditioned for!

PC: Tell us about Roswell, New Mexico and your character.
Nathan: Roswell, New Mexico is a new adaptation of the book series Roswell High by Melinda Metz. Instead of taking place in high school, we decided to jump ahead ten years and start our version of the story.

I’m playing Max who, ten years after high school, is still pining for the love of his life, Liz. He’s a deputy sheriff in the Sheriff’s Department of Chaves County, Roswell. He never left home. Liz comes blowing back into his life, only to get shot. Max uses his secret alien powers to bring her back to life.

PC: What initially attracted you to this project?
Nathan: Lots of reasons! I’ve always been a lover of sci-fi. I was excited by the story. It’s boundless in terms of where we can go and what we can do. That really appealed to me. I am also familiar with the show’s creators, and I knew they were going to put some good work in. I was also curious to see what I could do with the material.

PC: You initially auditioned for Michael. What was it like shifting your mindset over to Max? Did you learn anything new during that process?

Nathan: It was interesting! I spent about six weeks—maybe even longer—reading the script and going over the story from Michael’s perspective and building relationships from that perspective.

When I got thrown Max as a last minute curveball, I had to go back to the script and re-imagine the whole world. I had trouble seeing who Max was from Michael’s perspective. It was funny. I was like, “He seems a little vanilla. Who is this guy?”

Then I got into Max’s head in my read-through from his perspective, and the whole world opened up in a new way that I hadn’t seen. I think that’s what I try to bring to Max. From the outside, he seems a little vanilla, but the more you dig, the more you get into him and his life [and] the more you discover.

PC: Carina [MacKenzie] said in a previous interview that you were a very different Max than she initially envisioned, and the series wouldn’t be the same without you. What was the collaboration like between the two of you when you were shaping who Max was?
Nathan: [laughs] Yeah! It started from the screen test. She had a hard time finding someone to play Max. When I finally came to the table I brought a darker interpretation than what we see— especially [compared to] the original series. This sort of jaded Max isn’t what anyone expected. [laughs] We were both pleasantly surprised to get into that.

PC: As the series has progressed, we’ve seen Max become this conflicted hero struggling with his ability to help others while trying to protect his family. What can you tease about his arc for the rest of the season? Which of Max’s layers has been your favorite to explore?
Nathan: We brought in some great actors to play kid versions of ourselves. We’ll see flashbacks to high school and what we went through. We’ll dive into all the different things that have built this character up. It’s fun to see that unravel as the season goes on.

PC: The series also centers around themes of alienation. Was there a particular moment in your life you drew upon?
Nathan: We all have those moments throughout our lives. A big one for me would be when I was a kid. I was growing up in Texas playing sports, but also doing theatre. I’d be tap dancing in my front yard, and people would start making fun of me. During high school I was still playing football like everybody else, but then I go to theatre class. There wasn’t a precedent for that where I grew up.

PC: There’s this natural chemistry that comes across between you and Jeanine. How helpful was it having previously worked with her when building that relationship between Max and Liz?
Nathan: It helps immensely. When I first saw her at the chemistry read there was an immediate comfort level. It’s so much better than when you walk into a room and say, “Hi, I’m so-and-so. Now, let’s pretend to be in love.” It’s a forced integration; but, because we had history, there was a comfort level that we were able to lean into.

PC: Which of Max’s relationship is your favorite to explore and why?
Nathan: Liz is my absolute favorite. I’ve also loved getting into the relationship with Michael, and the tear between them. He’s family, but he’s not. It’s this weird, tempestuous relationship where we will always have each other’s backs, but we’re coming from two different places. Also, having read for Michael so thoroughly and seeing Max the way that Michael does, it adds a whole new layer of fun things to explore.

PC: You made the conscious decision not to watch the original series or read the books. Now that you’ve established who Max is and your take on him, do you think you’ll go back and watch the series or read the books?
Nathan: Absolutely! [laughs] I said from the beginning that I wasn’t going to watch it just yet. I wanted to get through season one, then I wanted to sit down and see what Jason Behr did and see his relationship that he built with Shiri [Appleby]. It’s going to be fun to take a trip down an alternative memory lane.

PC: There’s been a surge in television reboots. While others have really struggled, Roswell, New Mexico has set itself apart. What’s been the key to that success, and did you feel that as you guys were filming the first season?
Nathan: A little. Part of the decision not to watch was so we could start fresh and create our own show based on the source material as opposed to saying, “It’s the same characters, just ten years ahead.” Instead, there’s a whole different history that we can build.

We’re not trying to recreate what others have done. I think that’s the pitfall of a lot of reboots. It doesn’t work. Fans of the original want to watch the original. They don’t want to watch other people try and make the original again. We really tried to bring our own spin to it. Carina and Julie did a great job of spearheading that. The time jump also helped. It deals with issues we’re dealing with today. The original fans have been wonderful to us, and the original cast too! Shiri came and directed for us and brought a ton of energy. Jason has been really supportive.

PC: If the series is picked up for a second season, what are you the most excited to explore further with Max?
Nathan: I can’t give too much away because so much happens in the second half of the season, but I’d be curious to continue to explore the origin of where Isabelle, Michael, and I come from. There’s so much potential there and so much unknown. Even though Max has tried to suppress where he comes from and hide amongst the humans, there’s no way you can’t be curious about why we’re different.

Career Questions

PC: How did discover your passion for your craft? When did you make the decision to pursue it professionally?
Nathan: It actually started in elementary school. Growing up in Texas, I was always a sports kid. I wanted to be an NBA player for a while, then an NFL player.

My elementary school did plays every year. They were fun, and I enjoyed doing them. It turned out that I had a small knack for it. One summer when I was nine years old, I was flipping through the newspaper looking for a summer camp that I hadn’t done. I’d done all the sports camps, and I wanted something new. I saw this little ad for a musical theater camp, and I circled it. I went to my mom and said, “I want to try this.” So I did. It was two weeks and a lot of fun. I didn’t think anything of it until about four months later. The theater company called me to audition for their fall show. Of course, I didn’t know what an audition was at that time.

I went in, and I did what they told me to do. They cast us all on the spot. [Over] the next three years, I did six or seven different shows and started taking classes. I ended up doing cartoons and voiceovers. I never thought of it as a career until high school. Then I had an acting coach that basically told me, “You’re either going to NYU, Julliard, or the BFA acting program at USC.” I ended up going to USC and moving to L.A. A few years later, I was working.

PC: What’s been the biggest lesson you’ve learned being a part of this industry?
Nathan: You have to have thick skin. There are so many people that come to L.A. or New York and are trying to do this. You have to get used to disappointment and rejection. You have to learn persistence, determination, and form a strong belief in yourself.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Nathan: House Hunters

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Nathan: The Fifth Element

PC: Favorite book?
Nathan: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Nathan: Brilliant Traces

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Nathan: I went through a definite hard rock phase so I’ve got, like, some Godsmack and stuff like that on there.

PC: Last show you binge-watched?
Nathan: The Americans

PC: Hidden talent?
Nathan: Tap dancing!

To keep up with Nathan, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and catch Roswell, New Mexico every Tuesday at 9/8c.