Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Heights’ Liam Graham

Liam Graham is one of Hollywood’s most exciting young actors and his career is reaching new heights. He made his breakthrough performance in the hit TV series, Greenfield, and followed that with a starring role in The Legend of Gavin Tanner. Currently, he can be seen as the wealthy, sexually fluid bohemian Tyler in ABC TV’s The Heights. The serial drama is set in a fictional inner-city suburb called Arcadia and is an honest depiction of the people living in Australian cities. Pop Culturalist caught up with Liam to chat about the show!

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting?
Liam: I discovered my passion for acting by accident, actually! When I was small, I had some issues around self-confidence, which made interactions difficult with other kids at times. My Granny was flying back to Perth, Western Australia (where I grew up) from Scotland and was seated next to a children’s drama teacher and thought it could be something helpful for my confidence and social skills. I was very hesitant at first, though after a few weeks I started enjoying it for the craft as well as a life tool.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Liam: I really like telling stories, so I’d say that has influenced me moving into acting. Also being “given permission” to be someone else is a pretty incredible thing.

PC: You were born in Scotland, lived in Australia, and now reside in Los Angeles. What impact have these different cultures had on your career?
Liam: I think if you’re exposed to several different cultures it makes you see things from multiple angles. It’s a strange one because it makes you realize how different, yet the same we all are. As an actor, being able to draw on experiences can be a very useful tool, so I think the exposure to different cultures has had a very positive impact on it.

Liam Graham (@liamansellgraham) photographed by Rachel Palumbo (@rachpalumbo)

PC: Tell us about The Heights, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Liam: The Heights is a serial drama set in the fictional inner-city suburb of Arcadia. It’s focused on several families in a social housing tower situated in a rapidly-gentrifying neighborhood. I play Tyler, who befriends one of the residents, Ash. Tyler is a twenty-something, wealthy, sexually fluid bohemian type.

I was drawn to The Heights as the characters portrayed in the show are a true representation of the people living in Australian cities. The show has some great characters. It deals with race, disability, social hierarchy, sexuality, economic status, and many more societal elements.

PC: Like you just said, The Heights deals with many relevant real-life issues. Did that change your preparation heading into filming?
Liam: I guess I take on the way I approach each role differently. There is no “one size fits all” for me. However, one thing I do the same with all my roles is take certain traits, demeanors, mannerisms, and aesthetics from people I know or know of in real life to create the character. So, with Tyler being in a very realistic world, I wanted him to be like someone everybody knows or has encountered.

PC: Tyler is a multifaceted character. Which side of him was your favorite to explore? Which was the most challenging?
Liam: I must admit, I did enjoy exploring the world of someone so vain and manipulative. His intentions are not always apparent, so I enjoyed playing with subtext. I found the most challenging part was the not knowing where the storyline was heading after a certain point. In episodic productions, the scripts are continuously being written, so I only knew several episodes ahead and not the character’s whole story. My background is in film and mini-series where you have all the scripts upfront, so it was something I had to get used to. It changed my approach to making character choices completely.

PC: What can you tease about Tyler’s arc in season one?
Liam: Tyler is used to having all the power over the people around him. When he meets Ash, there are some complex power dynamics that shift, which test Tyler’s limits to what he’s willing to accept.

Liam Graham (@liamansellgraham) photographed by Rachel Palumbo (@rachpalumbo)

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Liam: My 600-lb Life

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Liam: I can’t believe I’m putting this out there, but The Notebook…it gets me good.

PC: Favorite book?
Liam: Last Night at the Viper Room: River Phoenix and the Hollywood He Left Behind

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Liam: Macbeth

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Liam: Metallica

PC: Last show you binge-watched?
Liam: Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes

PC: Hidden talent?
Liam: I can talk with my mouth shut.

To keep up with Liam, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and catch new episodes of The Heights every Friday at 8:30pm on ABC TV.

Photo Credit: Rachel Palumbo (@rachpalumbo)