Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Nurses’ Donald MacLean Jr.

Being able to express yourself through your craft is a privilege that Donald MacLean Jr. has never taken for granted. The breakout star of 2020 has always led with his heart and put his art first, which has made him a standout in front of and behind the camera in projects like The Craft: Legacy, Workin’ Mom, and The Things We Say.

Currently, he can be seen as Wolf in the procedural drama Nurses. The series follows five young residents working on the frontlines of St. Mary’s Hospital, dedicating their lives to helping others, while finding their place in the world.

We had the pleasure of chatting with Donald about discovering his passion for storytelling, the parallels he’s been able to draw with Wolf, and how he plans to pay it forward for other up-and-coming artists.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Donald: That’s interesting. My mom always said that I used to play a lot. I used to be a kid that would play all the time, twenty-four-seven, even by myself. That is what I’m trying to achieve right now as an actor: getting to a state of being a child, having this imagination that can take me anywhere, and always being able to play. I think playing by myself, watching stories, recreating them with my costumes or characters or situations as a child helped me with my journey as an artist, especially as an actor.

But if I could take it to a specific moment, I did a monologue in English class. I remember my teacher afterwards asking, “What do you want to do?” I was like, “I don’t know. I’m pretty good at presentations. I want to be a speaker.” She was like, “You should be an actor.” I was like, “You can do that? You can act? That’s a possibility?” I used to think aliens were the only ones that were able to act. That was when I was like, “It’s possible.” But in general, since I was very young, I feel like I’ve always been climbing.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career, either personally or professionally?
Donald: Heath Ledger. To me, he’s the closest thing that’s ever been to a perfect actor. He’s such a well-rounded artist in everything—in his taste in music, in directing, and all his other endeavors. To me, he’s what it means to be a real artist. I’ve carried some of his values that I’ve been able to see through his performances and from what other people have said about him in my own craft. Obviously, there are other personal influences, but the biggest one, for sure, for me, is Heath Ledger.

PC: In addition to acting, you’re also a writer, director, and producer. How has your work behind the scenes made you a stronger actor and vice versa?
Donald: That’s a great question. When you’re coming out of it from the vantage point of just being an actor, you’re only seeing it from one lens, which can be debilitating. There are obviously people that do an amazing job with that. But in my opinion, when I started writing, when I started directing, producing, and getting behind the scenes with my own collaborators, that’s when the medium of not only being an actor but an artist started opening up.

It’s not only influenced me in my art but also as a person. I started seeing things from more than just one perspective. That’s what being an actor is essentially: it’s empathizing. Empathy comes from different perspectives. Being a writer, director, and producer, it gives you different perspectives—different levels of empathy from different sides.

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 to you?
Donald: There was a moment when I went into my mom’s room. I was getting ready to go off to Toronto and really do it. I told her, “I’m okay with never making a dollar. I’m okay with never being anybody. I want to do this. I’m okay living in your basement the rest of my life.”

When I did that, I committed. I let go of what I feel like so many of us, myself included, hold onto, which is material possessions and things that we think are important rather than leading from our heart and our form of expression and what we want to do. When I was able to let go of that, it led to all these minor successes that you see now.

Nurses

PC: Tell us about Nurses, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Donald: Nurses just got picked up by NBC. It’s my first series regular role, which was a huge learning curve. It’s about five nurses coming of age and their first medical post—except for one. But they’re all relatively new to being nurses. It’s their first job.

What attracted me to this role was the character. He really caught my eye. I’ve never really got to read for a character that is so human. He’s not a caricature. He doesn’t have a thing that distinguishes him, like how some characters are easily identifiable. You can go like, “Oh, that’s who he is. That’s why we hate him or love him or whatever.”

This guy’s human like you and me. He’s an everyday man. There’s something so attractive to me in that sense because you can’t just play sadness, darkness, lightness, stupid, or funny. You have to play everything. That’s what has not only attracted me initially, but it’s continued to attract me. I’m able to now draw parallels with this character in my life because he’s coming of age in his first job. I’m coming of age in my first job. I get to create a portrait of my manhood on screen. You get to see me grow with this character.

PC: Great answer. The series originally premiered in Canada, where it was incredibly well received. Now it’s airing in the States. What has that meant to you? What do you think is resonating most with audiences?
Donald: It means a lot to me because there are so many people that worked so hard on this. It’s incredible to create something. I’m sure you know. You create something and then you realize people are watching it. I’m sure you’re doing things and you’re like, “Nobody is watching what I’m doing.” You’re just doing it. That’s what’s so surprising when things work. We didn’t expect the success it had. It’s like, wow. Not only to be able to now be in the States but also globally, it’s being received by audiences all around the world. It’s crazy and it’s rare that you get an opportunity to share your work with so many people. I’m very grateful. The people that worked hard on it really deserve to have their work seen and hopefully appreciated. It means a lot to us.

PC: What can you tease about Wolf’s journey throughout Season 1? How did you prepare to tackle that?
Donald: I independently shadowed nurses. I realized that what I’m interested in with this character is not necessarily the job position of being a nurse or what it entails but it’s the people behind being a nurse, and who they are as people and who they are when their shift ends. They’re just like you and I. They’re thinking, “Man, I hope I can end up meeting up with that person” or “I could really use a beer.” It’s the human things. Like they go into a corner and text.

Are the moments with the patients emotionally lovely? Yes. But what I think informs those moments are the moments alone—the moments that we all go, “I do that on my job,” rather than the noble heroes who go, “Look at us. We’re nurses on TV. We’re saviors.”

Instead, we’re really showing the humanity of what these people do in real life. We’re showing the humanity behind such a hard and difficult job that really important, special people have to go through. You’re taking care of people, and I’m so interested in being able to capture the human moments of those people. So the prep really was observing nurses and developing the character with how I aligned with it and with the script, text, directors, and whatnot.

PC: With this being your first series regular role, did anything surprise you about the process? What have you learned about yourself as an artist?
Donald: Man, it’s been such a long journey. I couldn’t imagine being a successful child actor because right now, I’m barely able to walk. I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m trying to answer questions properly—like never mind being a series regular. [laughs] It’s such a huge responsibility. It’s one of those things: be careful what you wish for. Acting is a dream but other things come with it.

It takes listening, growing, failing, hurting to really get adjusted to it. Luckily, I did it under such a supportive and beautiful group of people with such great material. When you’re playing a character that’s a nurse, your character must have some form of good values that you can align yourself with and learn from, especially in such a specific time in your life. I’ve been fortunate, but it’s taken adjusting to. I think I’m getting the hang of it.

PC: You’re in the middle of filming Season 2 right now. Has the project taken a different weight, given the year that we’ve had as a society?
Donald: It’s interesting because we were one of the first shows to begin shooting in North America. We shot in July, and that’s when everything was really locked down. Not only was there pressure to not screw it up for the rest of the industry—for the rest of people who are shooting now—we were also the guinea pigs. If we messed up, you never know. We felt that responsibility.

Then you feel the responsibility of the people who are actually out risking their lives and showing up to work and doing their jobs. They’re the first responders who are sacrificing time with their family and their lives. That pressure mixed with the pressure of knowing that if one of us gets COVID, the whole production shuts down. You can feel it on screen. That’s what I will say about Season 2. You feel that weight on screen through the performances, through the writing. In my opinion, we really take it up a notch in Season 2.

PC: As you look ahead to the rest of your career, what do you hope to accomplish in the next five to ten years?
Donald: Wow. It’s interesting. I feel like I would have had a real clear answer for you three months ago. But now I’m at a point where I’m done reaching. I want to catch and pass it. I’m grateful for anything I get to do, any chance to get to express myself, whether it’s, as you know, like a writer, director, actor, and pass it. So pass it to other artists who may not be as fortunate as I am because of my privilege or my luck or whatever reason I’m in this position. Every artist should help every artist. That’s the bottom line.

I’m in a position right now where I’m grateful. If I get the opportunity to continue to express myself for the next five to ten years that is all I want. This is a gift. I’m trying to have as much fun with it as I can. I’m trying to be as generous as I can. You do that by giving and then staying present—not reaching, catching, and passing it.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Donald: I like Blue Mountain State. I remember when I had exams in high school, that was my escapism. That’s a little bit of a guilty pleasure.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Donald: I recently watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. I had so much fun, and I felt so guilty for watching it. I don’t know why I felt guilty. I was like, “I’m not a serious artist watching independent films. I’m watching Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson.”

PC: Favorite book?
Donald: Perks of Being a Wallflower.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Donald: I have a twofer. Peter and the Starcatcher. I got to do that. The writing and acting, it was so fun. That or A Streetcar Named Desire.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Donald: I love John Mayer. John Mayer is great. I don’t know if they’d be surprised. Oh, One Direction. I’m a One Direction fan. I love Harry Styles.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Donald: I’d love to see Sam Rockwell play me. Anything he does is gold.

To keep up with Donald, follow him on Instagram. Watch new episodes of Nurse every Monday at 10/9c on NBC.

Photo Credit: Ben Mark Holzberg/eOne/NBC