Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Dynasty’s Adam Huber

Hollywood heartthrob Adam Huber is steaming up our television screens as Liam Ridley on The CW’s Dynasty. He joined the cast in Season 2 and quickly became a fan favorite with his commanding and charismatic performance. So it surprised no one, except maybe Adam, that he was promoted to a series regular in Season 3. Since then, he’s continued to wow audiences as one half of the power couple “Falliam.” Pop Culturalist recently caught up with Adam to chat about Fallon and Liam’s future and about creating his own dynasty.

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting?
Adam: It was in college. I took an intro to theatre class. As a project, two people performed a scene in front of me. I was like, “Oh, wow! This is so interesting. I wonder if I could do that.” That was literally it. I auditioned for a play, which I didn’t end up getting. But I got a role in another play they were doing. I fell in love with it. After that, I started to take so many theatre classes. After three years, I decided to drop out of college and move to New York to pursue this.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Adam: My mom. When I came up with this crazy idea to be an actor out of a small town in Pennsylvania, she was like, “Adam, you’re a good-looking, talented kid. You have a lot going for you. Go do it!” I never looked up to any actors or anything. I’ve always had this really great support system with my family.

PC: Your character, Liam, wasn’t in the original Dynasty. As an actor, is that an advantage or disadvantage? Do you have a preference?
Adam: I love building characters from scratch. They brought me in and it was a guest star with the potential of recurring. I don’t think anyone had an idea of who Liam was or what he was going to do to the story. I like that I’m able to make him my own character. I can do whatever I want with him. People aren’t comparing me to anyone else or to the original.

I don’t think there’s an advantage or disadvantage. I’m grateful that they kept me around. I honestly don’t believe that I’m supposed to still be here. [laughs] But the people really like Liam and Fallon’s relationship. It kind of stuck.

PC: How familiar were you with the series before you joined the cast? How did you prepare to play Liam?
Adam: Honestly, I didn’t know about the show at all. [laughs] I told my mom that I’m on Dynasty, and she absolutely loved the original. When you book a role in which you don’t know what will happen with your character, it’s a bit hard to prepare. It went from episode to episode. I would always ask the writers, “Who is this guy?” They would always tell me that there was more to Liam than meets the eye. [laughs]

I have a character journal that I write in. I create my own backstory. But there wasn’t a bunch of prep work. As an actor, you don’t know what will happen, especially with television. You don’t want to do too much work because you don’t want to do the wrong work and have the writers say we’re actually going this way with the character. So I really just asked myself, “Who is Liam? What does he want out of this relationship?”

PC: This is your first big television role as a series regular. Has anything surprised you about the experience? What’s been the biggest takeaway?
Adam: Every day on set has been a tremendous learning experience. This is the biggest thing I’ve done. I feel like my career is just now starting. I’ve been in LA for about five years. I’ve done a few guest spots here and there. But this is the first time that I’ve been a part of a show. The whole entire thing has been a tremendous learning experience, from getting rewrites the night before to the day of. Being on set every day is great.

I’m like a sponge: I just take in and learn as much as I can. It’s very different than what everyone may think. There’s a lot of waiting around. You’ll shoot something and they’ll have to adjust the lighting, flip the room. You’ll have forty-five minutes in between takes sometimes. You have to learn how to stay in that zone and in your character’s mindset.

PC: Towards the end of Season 2, you learned that you were being promoted to a series regular. Did that change anything about the experience or process?
Adam: I was baffled that I got promoted to a series regular. I thought I would continue to be a recurring character. I think sometimes you play it safe. You don’t want to screw up your opportunity. You don’t want to be the one that messes up. Nothing has changed in my approach, but I think I have a little more input now. In the past, you go off what the writers and producers are giving you and what they’re telling you to do. Now I can say, “I’m feeling like this is what Liam would do. Is that what you’re thinking?”

PC: We know you can’t say too much, but what can fans expect from the remainder of Season 3? What’s ahead for Liam and Fallon?
Adam: Without giving too much away, it’s been a rocky road for Liam and Fallon. We’re filming episode 13 right now, and I can say that things are starting to go in a better direction for Liam and Fallon. We’re together. In episode 22 of Season 2, we discover that Liam has a child. Right now, where we are in filming, that’s coming back into the story. Where we’ll go with it? I have no clue. [laughs] But Liam and Fallon are going strong. Me and Liz [Gillies] love working together. She’s an absolute joy. We film as they’re writing and perfecting the next episode. I feel like we’re going to be strong throughout. But we’ll see!

PC: If you could write a storyline for Liam, what would it be and why?
Adam: Wow. That’s a great question. I didn’t know they were going to bring Liam’s kid back into the mix. Liam is a standup guy. He’s the voice of reason when it comes to these crazy families. I’m so excited that they’re bringing my kid back into the mix. The storyline that I would like to write is going way deeper into that. Also, I want to learn more about the girl that Liam got pregnant. Who is she? Fallon is a little off the rails. She’s very spontaneous. I would love to see the girl who I got pregnant be the complete opposite of Fallon. I would love to explore those relationships and learn why Liam is the way that he is. A lot of what we’ve seen so far is what Fallon wants out of this. I really want the fans to understand who Liam is. I want him to be a good example and role model for people.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Adam: Southern Charm. It takes place in Charleston, South Carolina, and it’s ridiculous. So Southern Charm and Below Deck, another reality show. I’ve been a waiter/bartender for most of my life, and Below Deck is about a private yacht charter company. It’s the ins and outs of that. It’s amazing.

PC: Yeah, I don’t think I’ve seen anything on Bravo except Top Chef.

Adam: Top Chef! That too. I’ll go, Below Deck, Southern Charm, and anything that has to do with food.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Adam: I love Tom Hanks. I look up to him so much. Cast Away and Forrest Gump! I can put that on at any time in the day and watch the entire movie. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen it.

PC: Favorite book?
Adam: I just finished reading Artemis, which is by the guy who did The Martian. It’s so good. This guy is a genius. As you’re reading, you’re learning stuff too.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Adam: Book of Mormon. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it. My buddy from home used to listen to the cast recording. After years of me talking about it, he finally went and saw it. I was like, “Is it so much fun to put a picture to the songs that you were listening to?” Now he can’t stop sending me videos of him listening to it.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Adam: I love Post Malone and The Killers.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Adam: Wow. I would say myself. Who would play me? I love Dane DeHaan. He’s so talented.

To keep up with Adam, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Catch new episodes of Dynasty every Friday on The CW.

Photo Credit: Rhett Wellington