We're less than two weeks away from the start of Guillermo del Toro's The Strain, a new TV series based on del toro's novel and comic book series of the same name. We'll have a number of special features headed your way over the next month and we start things off with Drew Nelson, who plays Matt Sayles on the series. Continue reading to learn about Drew's experience working with Guillermo del Toro, his favorite moment on set, and what we can expect from his character:
Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Drew. Before joining The Strain in the role of Matt Sayles, what was your familiarity with the work of Guillermo del Toro?
My pleasure! Pans Labyrinth put Guillermo on the map for me. That film, hands down, blew me away. His ability to create such mystical, dark worlds and his attention to detail with the sets, costuming, and the story telling, was like nothing I'd seen before. He's a genius, and The Strain will be no different.
When you joined the cast of The Strain, did you dive into the novels / comic book series or did you not want to be influenced by them?
I immediately started the first book when I landed the role and over the course of shooting, read the other two. I thought it was important to know the entire trajectory of the story and how my character fit into it all.
When we first meet your character, you're not at the center of the viral outbreak, but you have a big role to play when it comes to Dr. Ephraim Goodweather's family. Can you give our readers a little tease of what they can expect from Matt?
I see Matt as an all-around good guy, he can be a know-it-all at times, but is very much a practical thinker and voice of reason for Kelly and her son, Zach. Eph is none too pleased that Matt is now living with his ex-wife and slowly becoming an influence in his son's life, but hopefully the audience can sympathize with my character's intentions, in that, he loves Kelly and wants to protect her and her son.
Can you tell us about your experience working with Guillermo del Toro?
One of the best I've had in this business. He and I got along really well over the course of filming the pilot. He's such an approachable, fun guy that it makes the working experience effortless. The fact that he's one of the leading filmmakers in the world is no fluke. He's one of the hardest working directors I've had the privilege of observing, and not only do the actors love him, so do the crew.
Do you have a favorite on-set memory that you can share with us?
I'd say the first night of shooting was the best memory for me. They chose to schedule a night scene between myself and Corey for the first day of production on the pilot. Just that one scene, all night. I vividly remember looking around the blocked off street in downtown Toronto filled to the brim with NY cabs, buses, and traffic, horns blaring, and the camera rigged on a giant crane swooping through the scene, and thinking to myself, wow, the 14 some odd years of toiling away at this business has led me here?! It was quite the surreal moment.
What other projects do you have coming up? Anything horror-related that would interest our readers?
I do actually! I have a horror/sci-fi feature in the can called "Man Vs". It's about a reality t.v. show crew that ventures out into the wilderness to fight a lot more than just the elements. It stars Chris Diamantopoulos as the show's charismatic host, Doug Woods, and I play his younger, tech genius brother, Terry Woods. The film is being submitted to festivals as we speak, so be on the lookout for that.
I've also been in development on an urban/fantasy feature called "Lost Ones". It's in the vein of Attack the Block meets Pans Labyrinth, so rest assured, it's got some horror elements to it.
Thanks again for taking the time to talk with us. Where can our readers follow you online?
You can follow me on Twitter @drewnelsonlive, Instagram @drewnelly, and on Facebook at OfficialDrewNelson
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