Pop Culturalist Chats with Dan Amboyer

Dan Amboyer caught our eye when he was a part of Younger, one of our favorite TV shows. He played deliciously terrible Chad as well as Thad, his identical twin brother. Since then, he’s performed on stage in Squash in New York City. We’re excited to catch his newest role on The Blacklist: Redemption. So, we were excited to chat with him about that upcoming role, his experiences in the theater, and what else he sees himself doing in the future.

PC: You are joining The Blacklist: Redemption. Is there anything you can tell us about your character or give us a teaser?
Dan: The first time you meet me, I am a very high-class escort—the highest class you can get. You might not give me a lot of consideration at first, but I’ll be around for some cool twists and turns.

PC: How has it been being a part of a spin-off of a show that’s been hugely successful?
Dan: It’s really cool. There is such excitement behind a spin-off and getting to follow some different characters more closely. What’s cool about it, too, is that it is the same producers. They know what makes Blacklist work so there’s a real sense of knowing that everyone already knows what they’re doing, but then they’re also still figuring things out with the new characters. It’s a bit of a challenge for them. They get to explore different terrain, but they already know what makes the formula work. It’s kind of a good combination—having a new show with people who already know how to do it.

PC: Speaking of television success, you were on Younger. What was your favorite part of being on that show and playing both Thad and Chad?
Dan: I had so many favorite parts about that. It was a dream experience because I love Darren Star. He’s always been someone that I’ve known of—it’s seared into my mind from 90210 and Melrose Place—and hoped someday I would cross paths with him. That was amazing. He’s the kindest man, too. That whole writing staff was so great, and they’ve honestly become such good friends. What’s fun about working on a comedy is everyone around you is so funny. It’s a really enjoyable experience to shoot stuff because everyone’s a comedian. We always had so much fun just laughing together and enjoying the process. Getting to work with those great actors, too, was amazing. It was really my first time being on a show for the course of a couple of seasons. The story takes a couple of twists and turns, and your character changes; everything around you kind of changes, and eventually you die. It was just really fun being on the journey with the whole show.

PC: You’ve played a ton of different types of characters on screen and on stage. What is your process like preparing for these roles? Does it change?
Dan: You just mentioned theater. I think that’s what primed me for the ability to play a lot of different roles. I always admired actors who came from that kind of background and training; obviously, Meryl Streep and those kind of people who really were trained very well as actors. They could do Shakespeare as well as The Devil Wears Prada. Those are the kinds of actors I’ve always admired. Hopefully, as my career grows, I’d like to do that as much as possible. I think theater gave me the training. Because I went to Carnegie Mellon, I had some great acting teachers who stretched me so much. They would literally try to set me up to fail in a supportive way saying, “This is a complete opposite role than you will ever play. We think you should do this right now.” They would give you something that you think you can’t do, but then, eventually, you find your way into it. I’m not afraid of different types of roles anymore. I’ve always  found a way to bring myself to it no matter how different they may seem from the outside. You kind of pull back the curtains and reveal yourself in there somewhere.

PC: What’s one of those characters they gave you? Is there one that sticks out in your mind?
Dan: There’s one. They gave me Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire when I was a freshman. They were like, “You’ll never play this.” They also gave me a crazy drag queen in a play, too. So, everything from Stanley Kowalski to a drag queen—I had it all!

PC: What do you think the biggest challenge is for both screen and stage work?
Dan: I think the biggest challenge on stage is the fact that no performance is ever the same. You have to learn not to judge the audience’s reaction to the play, or try to recreate a performance over and over every night. You have to allow yourself the flexibility to ride the energy the audience is giving you and allow things to be flexible enough to change so it doesn’t feel canned. After you’ve been doing a play for a few months, you can go definitely into a mode that feels a little bit pre-packaged. I think the challenge in theater is to keep considering the character and asking questions about the circumstances and what’s going on and to keep it exciting and fresh for you. In TV, a lot of the challenge I feel a lot of the time is that you get the material at the last minute. You finish a 15-hour day of shooting on Monday, and you have four giant scenes to shoot for Blacklist, but you don’t get the material until midnight on Saturday. They say, “Here’s the final version!” You’re like, “Oh, God! I have to learn all of this and be ready to shoot all of it and feel great about it.” You have to know the material well to have confidence in front of the camera to be able to make it come alive since that’s the only chance you get. With theater, you can discover the character for a long period of time, and in TV you’ve got one day to get the scene right.

PC: Do you have any little tricks and tips that you do when you’re trying to cram in something last minute?
Dan: It all comes down to having great friends and family who practice with you. I think memorizing is a muscle memory kind of thing that gets easier the more you do it; sometimes, though, you just get so much material. So, you need a good friend to help run it over and over again so the words will be second nature. My tip and trick would be: make buddies with somebody who might need the same help every once in a while. Find a friend to work on material with.

PC: If there was a remake of something for TV or film and you got to be whatever part you wanted to be, what would that remake be?
Dan: I love Barefoot in the Park. I think that would be a fun role—do a little Robert Redford. I’ve always wanted to do some stuff like he achieved in his career. Who couldn’t use a good laugh right now, right?!

PC: Oh, my gosh, yes! Is there someone in particular that you’d love to work with some day, whether it’s another actor or director or writer or playwright?
Dan: I constantly get told that I look like a version of Ryan Gosling so I’m going to say Ryan.

PC: Also in the realm of dream roles, do you have a dream stage role that you are hoping happens one day?
Dan: I would love to do a new play. I love doing new plays. I’d love to put my mark on the role for the first time and discover it with the playwright. As far as the known canon…I would say I’m really interested in Henry V. I’d love to play Prince Hal as he’s becoming Henry V (through Henry IV—part one and two into Henry V). I’d love to do that.

PC: Do you have any thoughts about doing something aside from acting? Like exploring something else within the entertainment industry?
Dan: I fully intend to direct some day. I’ve started doing a few workshops of plays that I was considering producing/directing with some friends of mine. I’ve been exploring some titles. It’s just finding a time where I have a solid two or three months off to be able to commit to actually doing it. That’s the only problem right now. I’d absolutely love to do that. It’s always been something that I’ve toyed around with with my friends. I love to work with friends on TV shows or plays or whatever and help them prepare for that. I really enjoy that. I think directing will come down the road at some point.

POPCULTURALIST SPEED ROUND

Guilty-pleasure TV show
I have so many! I’m going to say The Voice.

Guilty-pleasure movie
Muriel’s Wedding

Favorite book
The complete works of William Shakespeare.

Favorite play or musical
Urinetown

Your go-to karaoke song
How many drinks have I had?
Several.
Several drinks—“Karma Chameleon.” A little 80s splash.

Hidden talent
I guess people don’t really know that I play piano.

If you could have dinner with five people alive or dead, who would they be?
Jesus. William Shakespeare. Maybe a founding father…George Washington. Lucille Ball. Who could we throw in there for a little fun? Beyoncé.
Make sure to follow Dan on Twitter and Instagram!

Photo Credit: Annie Shak