Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Siren’s Ian Verdun

Ian Verdun’s journey to landing his breakout role in Freeform’s Siren has been ten years in the making. Like many aspiring artists, Ian has experienced the highs and lows of the industry. But he’s continued to put one foot forward, proving that with hard work and belief, anything is possible.

For three-plus years (and counting), Ian has brought Xander’s struggles and pain to life and is excited for audiences to see his character’s growth into adulthood this season. Pop Culturalist caught up with ever-so-charming Ian Verdun to chat about Season 3 of Siren, what he’s learned about himself personally and as an artist playing Xander, and how he would describe each of his fellow cast members in one word.

PC: A lot of Xander’s storyline in the first two seasons has revolved around grief, loss, and betrayal. What can you tease about his arc heading into Season 3?
Ian: I’ve always thought about this character’s trajectory as the process of grief and going through all of its stages. First, he’s in denial, then he’s enraged, and then there’s acceptance. Now, he’s at the point of growth. In Season 3, you’re going to see Xander go through so much change and so much growth. He’s really built on where he started off in these first two seasons. You’ll see him step into manhood, into his adulthood. I feel like it’s a really redeeming season for him.

PC: Over the course of the two seasons, we’ve seen new relationships form and friendships be tested. Which of Xander’s has been your favorite to explore and why? Has that changed over time?
Ian: A relationship that I find really interesting but doesn’t get too much screen time is between Maddie and Xander. There’s such a deep respect between the two of them. They grew up with each other as kids. I think they dated each other at some point before the show started. There’s so much acceptance between the two characters. There’s so much love and respect for each other, in spite of their individual journeys. It’s really beautiful. I hope it’s something that we explore a bit more of. But from what we’ve experienced so far, it’s a really beautiful narrative.

PC: Audiences have had a strong reaction to Xander since the beginning and continue to do so. Having such a close connection with this character, what impact has that had on you?
Ian: There are so many different ways, even on other shows that I’ve been on. It’s always hard not to internalize your character. When people come at him, it feels like you’re coming at me. I get very, very defensive. I’m like, “No, no, you have to understand. He’s so human and such a human character in a world with all these mermaids and fantastical stuff that’s happening. There are big stakes here.” He’s so unflinchingly human in all of his flaws, in all of his edges, in all of his sincerity, in all of his loyalties, as well as all of his anger and spite. Those things are so human. I think that’s why people react so strongly to him because he does things that people don’t agree with.

I think what’s great about the show is that there’s always this moral gray. There’s always this space that exists in between. I think that Xander really represents that in the story, and that can have really emotional reactions. For me as an artist, it’s really a compliment that people can feel so strongly towards your character, good or bad. It means that I’m doing my job. If you’re getting any emotional response to the character, that means you care. It’s the greatest of compliments.

PC: Another thing that I love about Siren is that it tackles a lot of relevant issues that we’re facing in today’s political climate in a really unique way. Does that change the weight of a project when it’s so timely?
Ian: Yeah! We’d be on a storyline and then read about something we were doing a week later. We’d shoot it and then something happens in the news. I remember in Season 2, there was a mass beaching of whales, right at the opening. Right after we shot that, there was a huge mass beaching that happened. It was all over the news. It’s an honor to be able to talk about important things through the filter of entertainment. It’s really great to be on a show that respects the actual world that we live in, even though what we’re doing is entertainment, and it’s a fantastical narrative.

The writers are very, very interested in pulling really relevant human, global, relatable stories to make this world feel real because it’s what we’re going through, especially now today. I think it’s important for us as entertainers not to be distractions from that or to not acknowledge the world that we’re in doesn’t exist. I mean there are places for that that exist. But for me, I think the reason we’re artists in any capacity is to be mirrors to the society that we live in. When you do it in such a fantastical way like our show does, it reaches even more people. People’s guards are down. They’re into the narrative. They’re following these characters. Then before you know it, they’re hearing about perspectives and issues that are going on in the climate, within the world, and geopolitically, that affect them directly. It makes it more real, more tangible. It makes the world feel like it’s a world that we are all in. I love that.

PC: I love that answer! You’ve been a part of this cast since the beginning, which is now going three-plus years. What have you learned about yourself as a person and also as an artist?
Ian: Great question. I think for me, one of the biggest things that I learned is that I could do it. I’ve been at it for a really long time. I graduated college in ’07 for acting. I spent ten years in the service industry, struggling, dealt with homelessness and poverty, and all that comes from poverty. It’s been a struggle. When it finally happens, there’s an anxiety that comes from imposter syndrome. It’s like, “Oh my God, can I actually do this?” It’s been a dream for so long in your head that it’s abstract. After finishing up the first season, it’s like, “I did that. Wow!” Then in Season 2, it’s like, “Can I do as well as I did in the first season? What do I have to do?”

By the time you get into the third season, there’s a confidence that comes in and you’re like, “I got this.” I think it’s been a really beautiful thing for me personally. Then for any artists, performers, journalists—whatever it is—that are out there struggling and experiencing the mountain that lies ahead of you, it’s a testament that if you keep on working, you keep on trying, and you keep on putting one foot forward every day and believing in yourself, then eventually, even if it takes ten years, it can happen. That’s a very important thing that I have internalized, and I, in turn, have tried to amplify that to people around me.

PC: You’ve been really open about your early struggles as a working actor and your humble beginnings. When you look back, who or what’s had the biggest influence on your career/journey?
Ian: Oh wow. The easiest answer is my mother. She’s a single mom, and she went through hell raising me. She sacrificed everything so I could have a dream. She made sure I was in the play. She made sure to support a dream that, as far as our family’s perspective was concerned, was something that was so outside of what was possible or outside of what was normal, and she never flinched. When I went to college, she was like, “I don’t care what you study, just go. Go and pursue your passion, pursue what you want. Make sure you invest in yourself.”

To this day, she’s an incredibly supportive human being. I try to amplify that back to her because she has her own dreams and aspirations. They got put on hold because she was raising me. I have such a deep adoration and respect for my mother, what she’s done, and the infrastructure that she created in me psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually to be able to pursue this with any amount of confidence. You couldn’t ask for more.

PC: You’ve really amplified that message on Instagram, constantly sharing words of wisdom and encouragement. Last year, you posted about your goals for 2019. When you look at 2020, what do you hope to accomplish?
Ian: Oh wow. So much, so much. I think the big goal for me this year has been a lot of my writing and my other creative exploits. Before I started Siren, I was creating my own things and trying to make my career happen myself. A lot of that went on hold because of timing and other adjustments that go into being on television shows, which has been amazing. That’s not a complaint whatsoever. So now, I really want to be able to explore and exercise my creative self in a more three-dimensional capacity. So creating more projects—being able to talk about the issues that I want to talk about and the narrative that I want to tell. Hopefully, those speak to people as much as the characters that I’ve played.

That’s what I would love to do. I want to create stories, worlds, opportunities, and infuse the entertainment industry with more diversity, more diverse stories, more LGBT storylines—LGBT storylines that aren’t overtly LGBT storylines. Like LGBT characters that exist in the world, and their entire perspective and the narrative isn’t solely based on their sexuality. I think that’s an important thing to put out there. I think it’s a normalizing effort. We’ve gotten so far in terms of representation, and now I think it’s time to burst the lane bubble, where you’re supposed to stay within this lane as opposed to being able to broadly branch out into any character you want to play. The truth about art is you’re supposed to be able to express everything and represent the culture in society in a way that’s at least aspirational.

PC: I love that. Over the course of the three years, you and the cast have gotten really close, and it comes off on screen. If you had to describe each of your fellow castmates in one word, what would it be?
Ian: Wow, let’s see! Alex would be warrior. Eline: ethereal. Fola is fierce. Rena is masterful. Curtis, I would say insane.

To keep up with Ian, follow him on Instagram, and watch new episodes of Siren every Thursday at 9/8c on Freeform.

Photo Credit: Ryan West