Exclusive Interview: Jayden McGinlay Talks The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay

Jayden McGinlay is a rising young actor who is quickly making a name for himself with the diverse characters he’s brought to life on the stage and screen. His past credits include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The King and I, and Harrow. This year, he stars in the must-see Disney original, The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay. Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Jayden about the project.

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting and storytelling?
Jayden: It was obvious to my parents and everyone who knew me when I was really little that performing was my thing. I loved entertaining people, imitating people, making people laugh, and dressing up in different costumes. I realized really early that I loved connecting with people and getting a reaction out of them. I loved reenacting scenes from films with different accents and performing along to DVDs of Broadway/West End shows that my parents had. After my first performance on stage when I was six years old, I knew it was my passion.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Jayden: When I was younger, I looked up to actors like Hugh Jackman, Andrew Garfield, and Meryl Streep because they did screen acting as well as stage acting. I’ve always been inspired by Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale because of their versatility. They had a huge impact on me. I remember saying I wanted to be like them when I grew up.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your young career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Jayden: It’s hard to choose one moment because there are so many moments and experiences that have stood out. The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay was one of my favorite experiences because Teddy’s personality really resonated with me, and I had such a great time working on that film. We only had fifteen days to shoot the whole film, but even with the time constraints, Christine Luby, our director, created such a fun vibe on set and gave us the freedom to play around with the characters.

Playing Cecil in Children of the Corn was another favorite experience so far. That was an incredible experience. It was the only film in the world filming at that time during the pandemic, thanks to Lucas Foster, Sean Harner, Mathieu Bonzon, and Jon Heaney who worked so hard and pushed through all odds to get the movie made.

And my first professional role on stage, Jeremy Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, still remains one of my favorite experiences. That was so much fun, and I have the best memories from that show.

PC: You got your start in theater. What have you learned from the stage that you’ve been able to apply to your career on screen?
Jayden: There are so many things I’ve learned from performing on stage that I’ve been able to apply to the screen. My work on stage has definitely helped me to become a more well-rounded actor. Theater teaches discipline as you’re doing the show from beginning to end, night after night, in front of a live audience, so there’s no room for mistakes—you can’t do a re-take! It trains your voice as you have to hit the back of the theater and fill the space. It trains you physically and makes you aware of how to use your space and make bold choices. It also builds confidence and probably helped me to fine-tune my accents as you have hours of rehearsals followed by weeks of performances, so that’s a lot of practice!

PC: Tell us about The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Jayden: The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay was filmed in Australia last year and is currently on Disney Channel and Disney+ in the USA.

My character, Teddy, is one of four teenagers on a marine biology internship in Australia. He convinces Quinn (played by Izabela Rose) to join him on his adventure to search for buried treasure, and mysterious changes start to occur in the local reef. Teddy is enthusiastic and determined, and he’s funny even though he usually doesn’t mean to be.

I was drawn to the project because firstly I loved how lighthearted the script was in comparison to my previous projects, and Teddy shared some of my traits like his love of dancing and his optimism. I loved that it was an opportunity to show a side of myself that I hadn’t been able to show on screen before, and I knew he’d be such a fun character to play.

PC: Which was your favorite scene to film? Which was the most challenging?
Jayden: Some of my favorite scenes to film were definitely the underwater scenes that were filmed at SeaWorld. It was so fun to be able to get in one of the aquariums and swim with all the sea life. I’m going to be honest, I was a little scared at first because of the sharks, but the crew assured me they were harmless. There’s a moment in the film where Quinn and Teddy get a scare and they scream for a long time. We had to shoot multiple takes to get all the shots, and we just had to keep screaming. I had to adjust the way I was doing it because I was suddenly really dizzy after like the fifth take. That was probably the most challenging scene in the film for me. [laughs]

PC: The film has been incredibly well received. What do you think is resonating most with audiences? What do you hope they take away?
Jayden: I think there are a few reasons why the film resonates with audiences. It has a really fun tone and appeals to people of all ages. It’s funny, and there’s mystery and adventure, plus important messages like the importance of friendship and community and protecting our Earth. I hope this film inspires people to educate themselves on how they can take care of our environment and how important that is. Also, I know lots of young people are going to see this film, so I hope that they feel that they can do anything they set their mind to and that no matter what, they are enough.

PC: Besides The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay, what’s next for you?
Jayden: My movie Children of the Corn is coming soon, so stay tuned for the release date! I’m looking forward to people seeing what we made in the bubble!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Jayden: The X-Files.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Jayden: Joker.

PC: Favorite book?
Jayden: No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Jayden: My favorite play is A Streetcar Named Desire. My favorite musicals are Blood Brothers and Les Misérables.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Jayden: I don’t know if people would be surprised, but I love Post Malone.

PC: Dream role?
Jayden: I’d love to play a superhero for Marvel or DC, and I’d also love to be in a drama with serious content and heavy scenes. It really appeals to me because I really want to challenge myself emotionally as an actor and I haven’t really explored that side yet.

To keep up with Jayden, follow him on Instagram. Watch The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay on Disney+ today.