Interview with Ryan Kennedy

Ryan Kennedy plays football player Jake Harrow in the CW show "Hellcats" that deals with the cheerleading squad of the same name. Ryan was also in "Smallville" and "Caprica". In this interview he talks about his experiences on these shows, what life in the 31st century might look like and which hobby he has in common with us Germans.

Foto: Copyright: Dennys Ilic Photography
© Dennys Ilic Photography

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1. You were born in Canada. How did you get started in acting? Did you move to the US?

I was born in Canada outside of Winnipeg in Manitoba. Very last minute I entered an acting competition in Vancouver for fun, (which some of my friends were doing), and won the competition. When I returned to Winnipeg, I was given an opportunity to audition for a movie for television. I went to the audition not expecting much, but I ended up getting the part. When I got on set, I fell in love with it. I decided I wanted to pursue it further.

I mainly live in Vancouver still but I go back and forth between the US and Canada. Most of the shows I do end up shooting in Vancouver anyway. :)

2. In "Hellcats" you play the football player Jake Harrow. Are there any similarities between you and the character?

Well I've never been to jail, I've never pawned drugs, and I'm a northern boy as opposed to a southern boy. Haha. There's not a lot we have in common, but I did play a lot of sports growing up, so we're both athletically inclined.

3. You have a lot of scences with Heather Hemmens, who plays the strong and self-confident character Alice Verdura. What is it like working with the team and especially Heather?

The team is great. Everyone works very hard and loves their jobs. Heather is a lot of fun to work with. Both she and I really enjoy playing around with Jake and Alice's not so typical relationship. We have a really good chemistry I think.

4. Jake committed a crime in his first year at the Lancer University. Now he has to pay for that with jail time. What is going to happen with him in there? Does he have a chance to change for the better?

Well Jake doesn't have too long of a sentence, so I think things should be back to normal soon. I certainly think he has a chance to change and I think that episodes 15 and 16 have already shown a change in his way of thinking and attitude.

5. Initially Jake wasn't a character you really cared for as a viewer but this changed in an instant when he let Alice talk himself into admitting to his crime. Is this an important point for an actor when you see how the audience responds to your portrayal of a character?

Well I disagree that the audience didn't care for Jake before hand. I think despite his cockiness, the audience had a connection with him. He was the bad boy that you couldn't help but like, and were drawn to the semi dysfunctional relationship between he and Alice because it was different and interesting. What did change was that the audience now feels badly for him, which was a difficult thing to accomplish, and yes, very satisfying for me as the actor who portrayed him. It was important for me to try to connect with the audience and make them feel sympathetic for him in a very short amount of time while throughout the show, there was no reason for sympathy. It was great to see the audience change that view of him during 15 & 16 as I hoped they would.

6. Tom Welling, who you worked with on "Smallville", is a producer of this show. What is his influence on "Hellcats"?

Tom's company created the show, so it exists because of him. During this season Tom was also shooting season 10 of Smallville so he's a busy guy! He didn't have a lot of time to come by set, but he did when he could.

7. In the "Smallville" universe you were Rokk Krinn / Cosmic Boy. Had you been a fan of the Superman mythology before you came to the show?

I was a huge DC fan when I was a kid. I was always Batman or Superman for halloween, and I still have big box of action figures at my family's place back home. :) I'm still and always will be a fan of Superman!

8. As a part of the Legion of Super-Heroes Rokk lives in the 31st century. He learns from Clark that killing is never an answer, which is a new concept to him. With that and alien super heroes in mind, do you have any idea what life could be like in the 31st century?

Well this can end up being a very deep and dark answer, so I'll try to stay on the lighter side and say what I "hope" life would be like in the 31st century. I would see a race of people that no longer solely live on planet earth. I would think that there will be colonies set up on different terrestrial bodies in our solar system. I would see the earth as a planet that runs completely on clean energy and transportation throughout the planet would be exceedingly fast. It's obvious that our knowledge of the universe, especially our own galaxy will be unimaginably advanced from what we know today, which is a very exciting idea.

9. Rokk's powers are magnetic manipulation. If you were a super hero what powers would you like to have and why?

The first choice would always be flight, and invisibility would be a close second. Why I would want to fly is obvious I think, but invisibility would be so much fun. You can be completely stealth and go almost anywhere you want without restriction. I wanted to be an investigator before I became an actor so the idea of being able to snoop without being seen sounds like a great time.

10. You had scenes with Tom Welling and Allison Mack who have been on the show for years. What was working with them like?

I had a blast on the show. They were both relaxed and fun to work with. It was a great time.

11. You play Odin Sinclair in "Caprica", the spin-off prequel of the highly acclaimed "Battlestar Galactica" which was a show that challenged its characters as well as its audience in their philosophy of life and moral beliefs. Does "Caprica" follow in these footsteps?

It certainly does, or rather it's footsteps lead up to those of "Battlestar". These shows are constantly trying to reveal the evils on every side of all situations that arise or are present in the show and relate them to life as we know it. The style and writing plays devil's advocate with every scenario and really gets the audience thinking.

12. Do you see your future in film or television? What genre do you prefer - comedy, crime, mystery or drama?

There is so much great tv out there right now, so i'd love to find some more work that I love on the small screen, but ultimately I would love to make great films. I love mystery and I love drama. Movies like "Inception", "Fight Club", "12 Monkeys", etc. are examples of films that I am really attracted to. I love a great dark, beautiful, atypical film.

13. What do you like to do in your spare time?

I have a lot of hobbies. I'm vey active. I play a lot of sports, and love staying fit. I love riding motorcycles, hiking, watching movies, and playing music. I'm also a big astronomy geek so I'm passionate about studying the understandings and concepts of the universe, and I love sitting outside with my telescope on a dark night. I'm also a big MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fan, so I watch a lot of UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). I know that myself and a lot of people in Cologne have this in common. :) There's a huge UFC fan base in Germany.

14. Since myFanbase is an online magazine about TV series, do you have a favorite show?

There are several comedies on TV I really like, such as "Entourage", "Community" and "The Office", but it's hard for me to find the time to keep up on great dramatic series. I do really like "Fringe", but I think BSG was one of my favorite shows. Of course I always watch the "Ultimate" Fighter as well. I'm not big on reality tv, but that's one that I do watch.

Nicole Oebel - myFanbase