You may be familiar with the 2007 science-fiction horror film, The Mist, based off Stephen King’s famous book, but this year, Spike TV has launched a new television series dedicated to the novel. This is new for the network since this will be its first scripted series, which may be a step into possibly launching more new shows to save onto your DVR.
With so many reincarnations today of historic cult classic films and books, it’s hard to know about every rising actor out there. Have no fear! We caught up with Luke Cosgrove, who stars in the new series as Jay Heisel, the son of the town sheriff, to hear how he got into acting, how he landed the role, and what are his career goals.
Cliché: When did you know you wanted to pursue a career as an actor?
Luke Cosgrove: I remember acting was the first thing I wanted to do in life. I started doing plays at the local town playhouse when I was 11, and I can vividly remember standing on stage and looking out into the crowd and seeing my parents with these huge smiles on their faces. I think that’s when I knew. I would always go to the movies as a kid, and every time I left, I’d say to myself, “One day I want to be able to do something that good.” So I think it’s that continual drive to want to achieve something close to what my heroes have accomplished that keeps me wanting to do this.
What has been the hardest thing you’ve learned so far?
The hardest thing I’ve learned is patience. There’s a very obvious trap of being discouraged when you’re not booking jobs and I still fall into it several times. Be patient, doubt your doubts, work on the craft, and just know that something will come that’s right for you. Those are key to surviving this industry. I’m not sure if I’ll ever master it, but I’m working on it!
What has to be the biggest difference between Australia’s entertainment industry and America’s?
There’s just simply a much larger work opportunity in the U.S. That said, I feel like the content in the U.S. is constantly pushing Australian content to become bigger and better in ways that were once unachievable. The Aussie film industry isn’t as segregated as it once was, and in fact, a lot of U.S. productions are now shooting in Australia and vice versa.
What has motivated you to move from working in independent Australian productions and taking your talent towards American productions?
I always knew that Australia was just a starting point for me. The moment I knew I wanted to be an actor was the same moment I wanted to take this as far as possible, and that meant not just stopping at Australian productions, but going the whole nine yards and doing American productions. I knew there was more opportunity in U.S.; it was obvious. Plus, I wanted to do the kind of roles my heroes were doing, and that just wasn’t possible in Australia.
How did your role as Jay Heisel in The Mist come about for you and how did you enter the audition?
Originally, casting didn’t ask me to tape for it. My manager found out about it and asked me to put myself on tape unsolicitedly from Australia. A month went by where I didn’t hear anything, so I just figured they went with someone else, and then all of a sudden, casting responded to the tape I sent. They then asked for another tape to be returned within a few hours for a different scene, so I basically had no time to prepare. I was then put on “hold” for a few days, which is this weird limbo phase where you and a few other actors are in contention for the role. Finally, my agent and manager called me with the good news.
