Talk Nerdy With Us recently had the pleasure of chatting with Canadian actor Andre Kim. Kim is best known for his work on Degrassi: The Next Generation, Defiance and Dumb Luck. Keep reading to find out what’s in store for Andre’s Winston Chu when Degrassi: Next Class premieres in early 2016.
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Tell us a bit about your character in Dumb Luck and how would you describe the movie using five words or less?
I play a young boy named Bill, (laughs). It’s kind of a small part but basically he is a huge social media guy, I remember Jonathan my director telling me he is basically the guy everyone follows on Instagram. He sort of is trying to use Brandon’s (Dylan Everett) sudden popularity with the whole lottery winnings to his advantage by taking photos of him and such. His not really that nice of guy but he’s definitely not a bully or anything.
In five words or less…I’d say lottery, life, fame, youth and responsibility.
Did you read Lesley Choyce’s novel before getting the role or after?
I read it after and I have to say a great read! I would recommend it to everyone.
Tell us about your audition process for Degrassi?
I did a self tape! At the time I had no agent and it was an open call and I remember asking my stepmom to read the sides for me. (Laughs). It was so bad when I think about it, I shot it on my laptop’s webcam and I think I even flipped the laptop at one point.
Were you a fan of Degrassi before booking the role? What earlier seasons have you seen/if any?
No not really. I definitely knew about the show but back then I never watched much dramatic television. I think my favorite shows were like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Simpsons.
Can you tell us a bit about Winston’s storyline for Next Class? How is it different?
It’s a lot more dramatic for sure. Winston is usually seen as the funny guy but with the next season coming up we get to see him help people which I think is a crucial thing that Winston is really about. Helping people and being able to be empathetic towards people.
What is the status of Frankie and Winston? Are you personally team them?
Sara Waisglass is an actual joy to work with on set. All we do is whip and nae nae when were taking 5 (laughs), so yeah personally I’m definitely on team Frankston. But with the recent break up and everything, I think it might be best that they decided to split off, both characters are becoming really independent in their own way and I don’t think they need to rely on each other in that way. At the same time, you never know with Degrassi!
Besides acting, what are you passionate about?
I really like writing. I spend a lot of time writing poetry and short scripts and such. People already know I’m a big gamer, whether it’s Hearthstone, League of Legends or anything on my PS4. Especially with League of Legends I’m very keen on keeping up with the competitive E-sports scene. It’s a lot of fun if you play the game and it’s cool to root for your favorite team on the world stage. I also sometimes will rap or freestyle with my friends, but none of us are any really good (laughs).
What’s something your fans don’t know about you…until now?
I’m not sure. I don’t know if many people know this but I’ve been dealing with anxiety and other personal things for quite some time now. I know some of my supporters have openly told me about their experiences dealing with anxiety and depression and to that I wanna say that it’s very much ok to be experiencing these things, and that you are definitely not the only one in the world feeling this way. Other than that I’m a big fan of anime too, I guess? (Laughs).
Did you study acting in school prior to University?
I was in the theatre program at Cawthra Park for four years, and did some acting lessons with other venues for a bit as well, but my core acting training comes from high school as well as just being on Degrassi. I learn a lot from experiencing. I think a lot of people are like that.
When was the moment you realized acting was something you wanted to pursue?
There was this Joseph Gordon Levitt movie called 50/50 where he plays a man suffering from cancer. I remember this scene where he just met a woman at a club and there having sex on this bed and he is enjoying it but at the same time he is like dealing with all this pain he’s experiencing. The woman asks him if he is ok and he just tries to shrug it off, and it’s such a small insignificant scene but I was totally blown away by it! I remember thinking being an actor who could pull of stuff like that would be really cool.
What actor from Degrassi did you not get to work with you – that you would like to in the future?
Ehren’s character Jonah is really interesting, with his whole backstory and stuff. Ehren is such a fun guy to hang around with in general, I’d love to work on some scenes with him in the future!
Since our website is called Talk Nerdy With Us, would do you nerd-out over/about? What makes you nerdy?
I think everything makes me nerdy! Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Vikings, video games, board games, anime, cartoons (Rick and Morty especially), just like everything. I have to say I’m really into going to Cons now with my buddies, something I would encourage a lot of people to do. It’s just like a place for a lot of nerds to come nerd out. (Laughs). I love it.
Are there any other projects your currently working on?
Yes! There’s this short film called Quarter Life Crisis written by Andrew Musselman. It is an amazing script and I get the honor of playing the role of Daniel who is a young man who deals with the issues of bullying and not fitting in at school. The story is much more complex than that but I had a great time working on this short film. The final product is sure to be absolutely amazing.
Andre’s Favorites:
Computer/video game? League of Legends, Hearthstone, Dragon Age and Pokemon.
Game consolation? Wii is a lot of fun just because of super smash brawl.
Musical/play? My favorite musical is Book of Mormon for sure. My favorite play would be Taming of the Shrew at stratford. It’s a somewhat sexist play due to the era it was written in, but the acting was amazing and the staging was brilliant.
Animal? A coyote? I like things that howl, but a wolf seems too cliché.
Ice cream flavor? I’m lactose intolerant! (Laughs). But I love chocolate, plain and simple chocolate.
Degrassi Next Class character (excluding Winston)? Reiya’s character Shay is one of my favorite characters in this upcoming season. Her character is so cool now, I can’t wait for everyone to see this next season.
Episode of Degrassi (Next Generation) you filmed? So cliché but the pool scene, with Winston and Frankie is my favorite. Everytime I hear that song somewhere I snapchat it to Sara and vice versa. Plus it was my first on-screen kiss! Have to keep that one for the books.
Superhero for Marvel and Superhero for DC? Marvel is Amadeus Cho. First because he is Korean and he is going to be the new hulk! How cool is that? Or maybe Vision because the whole idea of a robot struggling with its own existence is interesting in itself. For DC it has to go to Rorschach from Watchmen, the anti-hero of the whole book. He is one of most well written characters I have ever read in general, and I guess The Comedian from Watchmen is a close runner-up.
Movie? Lord of the Rings, just because how can you not love Lord of the Rings?
TV Show? Degrassi! (Laughs). So shameless, but right now I’m really into this show called Vikings. Also this anime called One Punch Man, which is basically about this bald-headed super hero who kills everything in one punch. It’s deliciously hilarious.
Comic book? Watchmen, because who watches the watchmen?