Carson MacCormac Teases His New Character, Zach, in Season 2 of My Life With the Walter Boys
Season 2 of My Life With the Walter Boys has been one of our most anticipated TV releases of the year, and today, we can finally binge all of the new episodes on Netflix.
We've had so many questions about what happens next, starting with the return of Jackie Howard and her love triangle between brothers Alex and Cole Walter. Of course, it wouldn't be My Life With the Walter Boys without a few twists and unexpected dynamics thanks to Season 2's brand-new characters. Among them is Zach, played by actor Carson MacCormac, whose bold confidence and undeniable charisma promise to shake up the status quo for our main characters. Ahead of today's premiere, we had the pleasure of hopping on a Zoom call with Carson to learn more about his history with acting and his experience playing Zach in the show. Read our full interview below.
Sweety High: How did you discover your passion for performing?
Carson MacCormac: I started acting for fun when for the first time in a school play in grade four. It was the first organized production I was ever a part of. From there, I did theater for years. I transitioned into TV and film after I took an acting class specifically for them, and I realized how much fun I was having doing it.
I think when I was in high school, the love for acting came from it being almost a form of self-taught therapy, where you're kind of trying on different skins all the time. It was fun just being in a setting where it was safe and comfortable, and encouraged to express and explore your emotions. I feel like everyone in high school doesn't really know who they want to be, but they would love the chance to be 1,500 people before they have to decide. It felt like that for me. It was extremely explorative, and that was the first thing that I really fell in love with.
(Photo credit: Rowan Daly)
SH: Are there any actors who are some of your biggest inspirations at the moment?
CM: Absolutely. Someone who I've always loved, and who's really getting his flowers recently, is Cillian Murphy. Love him. He's fantastic.
And he's at the top of my mind because I just re-watched There Will Be Blood, but Daniel Day-Lewis is insanely talented. Watching him in scenes is like seeing someone take the craft to its absolute furthest extreme and it's beautiful every time. Paul Dano, I'm a big fan of as well. He plays opposite him in that film, and he's got such an interesting quality to him that I haven't really seen from any other actors.
Also read about: Isaac Arellanes Talks My Life With the Walter Boys and Teases Season 2
SH: Had you seen My Life With the Walter Boys before you became involved with the series?
CM: I hadn't seen it yet, but once I got the audition in my first callback for it, I did my research and binged the entire thing in a day. I was just going to watch a couple of episodes for research purposes, and then I genuinely loved it. Before then, I'd already heard about the show because it had such a widely popular release for Season 1, and the fan base is incredible. I wanted to make sure I understood everything before I hopped on board.
SH: What can you reveal about your new character, Zach, and where he fits into this narrative we've seen so far?
CM: I think he's a jolt to the system of the characters he interacts with. He brings a new quality to the show that hasn't necessarily not been explored, but is very fresh for the characters I'm playing opposite to. There's a lot of temptation and energy and fun and confidence in kind of having this mentality of "go with whatever you want." He's very gung ho about pursuing the things he enjoys.
(My Life With the Walter Boys via Netflix)
Also read about: 96 Memorable Quotes From Seasons 1 and 2 of My Life With the Walter Boys as Captions
SH: Are you allowed to say much about those relationships yet, or is that still secret for now?
CM: I shouldn't say who specifically, but I do interact with a lot of the cast throughout the show. There's a few people that I'm particularly close to. Nathan is someone who I have a lot of scenes with as well, but , they're all in there at certain points.
SH: Do you consider yourself to be much like Zach?
CM: I actually don't think I am. Zach has a level of confidence that I don't naturally bring, I don't think—at least not the way that he does. The way that Zach operates, its very loud, not in the actual physical volume of his confidence, but loud in the way he carries himself. There's a lot of pride in him. When I was in high school, I wasn't like that at all. I was just kind of gawky and weird and kind of stumbling through every social interaction I was a part of. He's got a lot of confidence.
Also read about: Everything You Wanted to Know About Prolific Voice Over Actor Aleks Le
SH: Is there a character we'd be familiar with that you do identify with more right now?
CM: I have a lot of empathy towards the character of Cole, because I think we have a lot of shared interests. I was an athlete growing up before I ever got into acting, and it's still and always was a big part of my life. Even when I used to watch Friday Night Lights growing up, I always had a lot of empathy for the character who's in the wheelchair at the beginning of the show—for characters who have to deal with sports injuries that then kind of derail their plans. It really is a thing for athletes where that becomes so much of your identity, especially at that young of an age. I empathize with him a lot.
(Photo credit: Rowan Daly)
SH: Were there any memorable, spoiler-free moments from filming Season 2 you can share with us?
CM: I won't talk about any of the actual scenes that we filmed in particular, but there were days on set where the entire cast did feel like a family when I was working with them. They're the loveliest humans, all of them. There were a few scenes where we were all on set for the same days, and those were always my favorite filming days, because it was just like one giant party in the green room all the time, where we had all 20 or 30 people just in there having the best time.
SH: What are you most excited for fans to see when they tune in to Season 2?
CM: The new characters on the show are very interesting, and they add a lot of spice to some pretty well-established relationships that are already in the show. Everyone's going to be tested this season, and there are a few new characters, as well as mine, that are going to be very important. It'll be cool to see some fresh faces.
SH: Where else can we see your work right now?
CM: A movie I worked on at the beginning of this year called Clown in a Cornfield just started streaming on Shudder, which is exciting. It's also available to rent and buy pretty much anywhere you can get new movies. There are also a few things coming up, but I can't talk about them yet.
(Clown in a Cornfield via RLJE Films)
Also read about: Jade LeMac Revisits Her Hit Song 'Constellations' and Its Continued Success
SH: What's something you're super proud of at the moment?
CM: I'm really proud of the fact that people really resonated with Clown in a Cornfield. That was really cool to see. It was one of the first times I was a heavily featured member of a horror film, and it was my first time interacting with the horror fan base as a whole. It's just the best community. Everyone is so invested and just willing to get crazy and weird with whatever topics horror films are touching on these days. It was cool having so many people resonate with the characters. It's the best fan base because everyone is so willing to just go for the genre and be surprised by whatever they find within that. There's a lot of freedom to become really creative in the space, and people are really capitalizing on it these days.
For even more on My Life With the Walter Boys and its second season, click HERE to read our interview with Alex Walter actor Ashby Gentry.