Pop Culturalist Chats with Graeme McComb

At a young age, Graeme McComb knew he wanted to be an actor after watching the film, Ghostbusters. In high school, he caught the acting bug after being involved in several theatre productions. It was during that time he discovered his passion for embodying different characters and the magic of storytelling. Since then, he’s had guest starring roles on hit television programs including Supernatural, UnREAL, Bates Motel, iZombie, and The Magicians, and can currently be seen as Young Stein in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, as well as the soon-to-be holiday classic, Tiny Christmas, where he’ll step into the shoes of a tech elf. Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Graeme about both of his current projects, working with Victor Garber, and which DC character he’d love to play.

Tiny Christmas Questions

PC: Tell us about Tiny Christmas and your character in the film.
Graeme: My character is Elfonso. He’s the head tech elf of the North Pole. He invents shrinking goggles which help Santa carry more toys around the world. Then, he un-shrinks them when he gets to the house. The problem is, he accidentally shrinks down Lizzy Greene and Riele Downs’ characters and the film follows their journey to become big again before Christmas Day.

PC: What initially drew you to this project?
Graeme: I was drawn to this project because it seemed like a really fun role and right up my alley.

PC: What was the process like to become an elf?
Graeme: [laughs] Lots of early mornings! It took about two hours of makeup everyday. I had to put on a beard and a white wig, which I would have to have on for fourteen or fifteen hours a day.

PC: What do you hope fans take away from seeing this film?
Graeme: I know for me, when we saw it at the premiere, it gave me this warm Christmas feeling. You know that feeling when Christmas rolls around and you’re just watching all the holiday classics? I hope this movie can achieve that.

PC: What is your favorite Christmas movie?
Graeme: I love A Child’s Christmas in Wales and A Christmas Story.

PC: What’s your favorite part about the holidays?
Graeme: My favorite part is being with my family. I have such a big family and we all come together for the holidays. We play music and have tons of laughs.

Legends of Tomorrow Questions

PC: You play Young Stein on Legends of Tomorrow. Tell us about that experience and what it’s like playing a superhero.

Graeme: It’s really cool to play Young Stein because I got to work with Victor Garber, who is pretty iconic.

PC: Did he have any words of advice for you?
Graeme: He told me to have fun with it. I was pretty nervous and that really helped me settle into the character.

PC: What was your reaction when you learned his fate in the crossover episode?
Graeme: He’s such a beloved character and I’ve seen a lot of the fans’ reactions to it…it was really sad. Young Stein is still alive, but we’ll see how that goes.

PC: If you could play another character on the show or in the DC universe, who would it be and why?
Graeme: That’s a great question. I would have to say The Flash! I see myself in The Flash. I move quickly [laughs] and I think he’d be a fun character to play.

Career Questions

PC: How did you get your start in acting?
Graeme: When I was a young boy, I wanted to be an actor after I saw the film, Ghostbusters. Then, I started to do a lot of theatre in high school and went to a theatre school in Vancouver called Studio 58, and I’ve been at it ever since.

PC: What’s your dream role?
Graeme: I really love Game of Thrones and I know they’re doing some spinoff series. It would be cool to play any character in that world. I’m open to any and all characters. I just love transforming and really diving into the roles.

PC: Is there someone else you’d love to collaborate with?
Graeme: Neill Blomkamp, who did Chappy and District 9. I really love his work. He has a company called Oats Studio in Vancouver and they post independent projects on their YouTube channel. I would love to work with him in the future.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Graeme: [laughs] Not really. I don’t have cable so I watch a lot of Netflix. Actually, I watch Paranormal Survivor on Netflix. It has to be that!

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Graeme: Mean Girls

PC: Favorite book?
Graeme: One of my favorite books growing up was The Hobbit so I’m going to say that one.

PC: Favorite social media platform?
Graeme: Instagram

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

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Graeme: Book of Mormon

PC: Hidden talent?
Graeme: I can tap dance.

Make sure to follow Graeme on Twitter and Instagram, and catch new episodes of Legends of Tomorrow every Tuesday on The CW.

Photo Credit: Shimon Photography