Brother-Sister Acting Duo Max and Clare Donovan Talk That ’90s Show and Nature’s Negotiators
Brother-sister duo Max and Clare Donovan aren't just two of the industry's most promising up-and-coming actors—they're also using their platform to make some big changes to protect the world we all live in.
Max is probably best known for playing Nate in Netflix's new hit series, That '90s Show, a sequel of sorts to Fox's That '70s Show, while Clare's credits include roles in The Gifted and Solve. Of course, we're most impressed with their first non-profit, called Nature's Negotiators. The organization is all about funding grassroots solutions to today's most pressing environmental issues, and recruiting a bit of star power to help spread the word. We had the chance to chat with the two about their wonderful work, both onscreen and of it, and the causes that matter most to them, in the interview below.
Sweety High: When did you discover your passion for acting? Were there any specific a-ha moments that made you realize it was the path for you?
Max Donovan: Well, for me, I only discovered it because of my sister! She is the OG, for lack of a better term, who first discovered acting as a passion, and always roped me into the shows we would perform for our parents and grandparents at dinner! Eventually, she asked me to go to a summer camp in Colorado with her where we could act for a week and work with a Hollywood producer. After that, our parents took us out to L.A. to try our luck for a pilot season, and we never left! To be honest, I was happy just tagging along, but the minute I stepped onto a set, I knew it was where I wanted to stay for the rest of my career. I am really grateful, Sis—I don't think I ever would have found my passion otherwise!
(Photo credit: Ben Cope)
Clare Donovan: For me, I think that the constant need I felt to put on shows as a kid (dressing up and reenacting our favorite Disney Channel shows or the Olympics), forcing my little brother to participate as well, was a good indicator that acting was the path for me! Ha! In all seriousness, I am so blown away by the artistic mediums of acting and screenwriting, and I cherish every chance I get to step into a character's shoes, in whatever capacity that may be, and put forth a story that might mean something to someone. Not to mention, the industry allows creators such an incredible platform to advocate for causes they find important! For us, that's Nature's Negotiators!
(Photo credit: Jonny Marlow)
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SH: Were you a fan of That '70s Show before you auditioned for That '90s Show?
MD: I was a huge That '70s Show fan! It was always my go-to show, and I think, all in all, I had binged it three times before I got the audition! (Working on binge No. 4 right now!). It's actually pretty funny—whenever people used to ask me what my dream project would be, I would kind of sigh and say, "If it hadn't already happened, it would have been That '70s Show." I think I manifested '90s!
SH: How has it been to work with much of the cast from the original show?
MD: Everyone is so incredible, and it's been such an amazing experience working with them. They all immediately made us feel part of the family, and everyone gave us some incredibly valuable advice. Debra Jo and Kurtwood took us under their wing and brought us in on traditions from '70s. Topher came to lunch with us on day one and told us so many stories—he really helped ease my nerves! Wilmer brought everyone "Chez Fez" T-shirts, and made us feel so welcome. He also had me in literal stitches—so funny! Laura, of course, directed some episodes and acted at the same time (I aspire! I attend film school in the directing program at DePaul in hopes of one day trying my luck at doing both!), and Mila and Ashton were so warm and welcoming, and we bonded over cool hats and Nascar (oh, and also sick burns). And I could go and on about working with the iconic guest stars who came back too! Overall, I had to keep pinching myself because I didn't believe it was real!
SH: How would you describe your character, Nate? Would you say that you're like Nate in real life?
MD: I think the writers nailed it when they said, "Nate takes life as it comes, usually with a big open smile." Nate is very present in what he's doing, and he's extremely earnest, loyal and loving. He also may not be the brightest bulb in the tanning bed—but who am I to say? I think I try to be like Nate in a lot of ways—his first response tends to be something positive, and he always finds a silver lining. I try to do that, and I try to put that positive spin on things, but I don't know if that's always my first response. We differ in some ways, but I'll leave those to your imagination!
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SH: What is it like to basically time travel back to the '90s for the show? What's your favorite thing about that era?
MD: It's so much fun! I'm completely obsessed with the '90s, from the movies to the music to the fashion, and even just the pace of life. Everything on set feels authentically '90s, and we all seem to slip into that state of mind—so much so that some days I leave and have to remind myself that it's the 2020s! Being on set is a vibe. I think my favorite thing about that era has to be the music, from Nirvana to Tupac to Green Day, the '90s practically make up 90% of my playlists! Of course, I'm a huge fan of the style too.
SH: What's been your favorite moment from the set so far?
MD: That's such a tough question! It's so hard to pick just one, but the first live-taping night was pretty special. I was so nervous, but as soon as the curtains came up, it turned into adrenaline. It was so much fun performing alongside all of my amazing castmates and getting to watch the legacy cast give expert performances each and every take, and then get to hang out with them at video-village between takes?! Ahhh, so cool! That, and just recently walking back onto stage for Season 2, seeing all of the iconic sets back up and at 'em—definitely didn't tear up or anything!
SH: Can you tell us a little bit about your non-profit, Nature's Negotiators? What's the org's mission, and why is it so important to you?
MD and CD: Nature's Negotiators is all about funding grassroots, or local, solutions to modern issues, specifically those regarding, well, nature! It's also about spreading a message of hope to our generation and everyone on Earth that we can save the planet if we start by saving one ecosystem at a time—and do it together! Which sort of leads us to our three missions: No. 1 is, in any given situation, working to bring all disparate parties who hold a stake in the issue to a roundtable or summit where they are able to discuss and find sustainable solutions—solutions that manage to preserve the environment, but also don't put individuals at risk themselves (financially or otherwise). This sustainable compromise model is exactly why we find it vital to bring a variety of people in. For example, in our first campaign, we not only want to include biologists, policymakers and Indigenous peoples of the area, but also the commercial fishing companies. Subsequently, we will work on fundraising to implement those solutions!
No. 2 deals with "conservation easements," which are essentially tracts of land that are put into easements for two reasons—environmentally, it protects the land from development into perpetuity, and economically, it provides the landowner a tax break!
And No. 3 is supporting the incredible work already being done by our partner organizations like the Jane Goodall Institute, which we model our grassroots solutions off of! It's extremely important to us not only because our family has been actively involved in this sort of work for so long (our mom is an applied anthropologist, our grandfather sits on the board of Trout Unlimited in Colorado to advocate for sustainable fishing, etc.), but also because it can often feel overwhelming in our generation to see all of the news about the planet, and we are hoping to really help everyone feel a bit better about the big picture by focusing on some littler things, and actually finding that it is possible to save the planet—one small victory at a time.
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SH: Can you tell us about your upcoming campaign?
MD and CD: Our campaign is entitled "Fight the Current: Long Live the King (Salmon)" (we love a pun, of course!), and it's focused on one of the last wild ecosystems in the nation—the Pacific Northwest. The Wild King/Chinook Salmon in this part of the world are facing a lot of obstacles right now, but thankfully not all of them are insurmountable like climate change can be! A lot of factors stressing the Kings can be addressed, and the entire ecosystem they feed (including bears, eagles, commercial, sports and subsistence fishing, as well as Indigenous groups) can still be saved!
There's already a lot of great work being done by the incredible people of Alaska, whom we've had the pleasure to get to know and host our first think-tank with! Our social media campaign, which we've recently launched, is focused on spreading information and fundraising to support those groups. One specific examples for the funds raised would be to install selective fishing technology on boats that decrease the effects of bycatch fishing (when the wrong species is accidentally caught), an opportunity that many are willing to take on their own boats! A lot of our wonderful friends and peers have jumped on board and will be posting along with us throughout the next few months. Go check it out on our @naturesnegotiators Instagram account and on our website.
SH: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
MD and CD: We are so thankful to be getting the media coverage we are, as we are so passionate about this cause and want to emphasize how timely it is. Part of our Nature's Negotiators philosophy is that it is "Now or Never" to work together to make a change, so the sooner that people become involved with our missions, the better! We are also excited that we will be hosting monthly updates about our progress that donors can attend and actually give input and talk with us. With that said, again, we are so thankful for everyone who has donated, shared and joined our team as ambassadors!
For more insights from our favorite stars, click HERE to read our interview with Gabrielle Bourne on her work in Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's new movie, Air.