Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Exchange’s Ed Oxenbould

Award-winning actor Ed Oxenbould has quickly emerged as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents. His ability to transform into any character has earned him notable recognition at film festivals around the world.

His latest project, The Exchange, finds him stepping into the shoes of a socially awkward teenager looking for a friend.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with fast-rising star Ed Oxenbould about The Exchange.

PC: Tell us about The Exchange and your character in the film.
Ed: The Exchange is a coming-of-age film. It tells a really great story about friendship, acceptance, and diversity, and uses the ’80s as the perfect backdrop. It’s about a new face coming into town and how everyone deals with that.

I play Tim, who’s a very bored, very angry teenager. He’s very angry at the small town that he’s been raised in and is unfortunately trapped in. He gets sick of that. He thinks that taking on a French exchange student will help his situation, but it only causes more problems.

PC: You’ve worked on projects of all sizes. What was it about The Exchange that attracted you?
Ed: I’ve been wanting to do another comedy for quite a while. When this came up, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. I felt like this was in my wheelhouse. It felt like the perfect mix of something fun and something challenging. It hit every note that I was looking for. I was determined to get it.

PC: The film does a really beautiful job balancing comedy and drama. For you as an actor, is one more challenging than the other?
Ed: It’s hard to say because they are so different. They’re equally challenging. It’s very hard to pull off a joke if it’s written a certain way. It’s also hard when you’re saying a joke over and over again. It can get beaten and worn. The same goes for drama. They’re both tricky, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around how to do both of them. It’ll take a while for me to nail either one.

PC: The center of the film is your character and Avan Jogia’s character. How did you two approach the dynamic relationship between your characters and how it evolves throughout the film?
Ed: Fortunately, as soon as we met we bonded instantly over our love of movies and video games. We had a real-life bond we could tap into when we needed to transfer that dynamic onto the screen. I think having that connection gave us the ability to really explore the friendship between our characters and make it realistic, believable, sweet, and heartfelt. That all came through because we were friends in real life.

PC: The film is set in the ’80s, which is well before your time. How did you prepare to tackle this decade? And do you have a favorite ’80s trend?
Ed: Favorite ’80s trend? It definitely wasn’t the wool sweaters that I was wearing because they’re awful. I didn’t have to do much to get into it. As soon as you step foot on set with all the decor and everyone in costume, you feel like you’re there. The dialogue helped with that too. Even though I didn’t experience the decade firsthand, I felt like I had from all these great ’80s movies that I grew up watching. I tapped into that a bit.

PC: Is there a particular scene that you’re really excited for your fans to see? Which was the most challenging to film?
Ed: We have a scene with a real cow. Cows are very unpredictable. As soon as you put a camera on them, they don’t do what you want them to do. That scene is probably my favorite. There’s a bit of pyro action. There’s a bit of a fight. There are a lot of jokes. There’s some alcohol. There’s a bit of everything in that scene. It’s just me and Avan. I love that scene so much. Hopefully, it sticks with people.

PC: You’ve worked on projects of all sizes. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you as a creative?
Ed: The smaller scale independent films give people much more opportunity to focus on what really matters. There aren’t as many distractions. I feel that with independent filmmaking you can get right down to the nitty gritty. It’s very rewarding. It’s nice to be part of a team that has the luxury to focus on what matters without having to worry about studios and all those other factors that can get in the way of everything.

PC: What do you hope audiences take away after they see it?
Ed: I hope more than anything they’re wildly entertained for the hour-and-a-half. I hope they leave with a smile. I hope they take away this nice sense of warmth that I think the film radiates. I hope they get the message. I hope they love the performances. The screenplay is so brilliantly written. It’s just entertaining. That’s what’s so great about it. It’s one of these rare breeds of film that you don’t get to see very often.

To keep up with Ed, follow him on Instagram. The Exchange is available On Demand and digitally.

Photo Credit: Sally Flegg