Moving from the theatre to the silver screen may not seem like a natural progression for those who grew up alongside the comfortable presence of numerous rehearsals and a stage. But for Canadian-Korean actor Andre Dae Kim, it was a chance opportunity that not just worked out, but led him to grow on TV sets while landing him in many springboard projects that foretold an exciting career ahead.

Hailing from Edmonton, Canada, the theatre-trained rising star has graced the sets of Toronto-based TV show Degrassi, sitcom Schitt’s Creek, American Gods and the Netflix fantasy series Locke and Key. In his latest project, Andre Dae Kim returns more mature, slated for the second TV adaptation of the popular Vampire Academy series as the dark yet lovable Christian Ozera — the titular character of the show that comes out this week.

We speak to Andre to catch up on how he’s been since the filming of the show, the difference between theatre and film, as well as the challenges faced in a second book-to-film adaptation attempt.

Hi Andre! How have you been?
I’ve been doing great! A little busy with the premier coming up, but otherwise enjoying a little time off with family and friends.

Before I begin the interview, are you a Miyazaki fan? I noticed your Twitter header features Kiki’s Delivery Service and that made me smile.
I’m a huge Miyazaki fan. I used to watch old Ghibli movies all the time as a kid. Totoro and Princess Mononoke were some of my favourites, but Kiki was up there too. Love to meet another Ghibli head though!

It’s hard enough to pull off a book-to-TV-show adaptation once, so I can’t imagine how daunting it must be for you to do a second adaptation, nearly a decade later. Is it stressful to comprise this role and if so, how are you managing it?
Oh yes, for sure. You have two different source materials that are already well appreciated by the fan base, and you want to find the balance between seeing what works without becoming a carbon copy of someone else’s vision.

There are some benefits to having a character that has already been developed before you. It’s like having a blueprint of how Christian should be. But you also want to add your own version and image as well.

I would say it was an incredibly rewarding journey taking this acting challenge on. There’s always more to learn and figure out but I am very proud of the work my cast and I have done.

Christian Ozera is a pretty dark but charming character. How much of yourself do you see in him, and what are some intentional decisions that you made in your portrayal of the character?
Everyone loves to use the word “dark” to describe Christian and it is very, very, fitting. As much as this is a vampire show, you always need to play the humanity in your character and that was my main focus for my prep with Christian. Christian is snarky and jaded, but he’s also really sweet and in general, quite misunderstood.

I tried to give moments of vulnerability to Christian wherever I could. I wanted people to have those moments of “who is this guy” but then also have that naturally progress into “what happened to this guy”? Those questions that you can get the audience to ask, I think bring a lot more life into your characters and your show in general.

I think Christian is that classic kid who uses the “I don’t care” attitude to protect himself from possible hurt, and I can definitely relate to that as I am sure many of us can.

Speaking of performances, let’s talk a bit about your experience in theatre and film. After doing films for the past 10 years, what is the biggest difference between acting for the two mediums? Will you ever go back to the theatre?
The biggest difference is the basic structure of both mediums. Theatre is rehearsing for months so you can deliver a certain number of performances, whereas with film and TV, you are barely rehearsing but getting out the performances much quicker and only the number of times you need it.

Film has the beauty of capturing all the subtleties in your performance, but there’s no adrenaline rush like a curtain call when you finish your show in the theatre. I think they’re both super fun and I would do either if the right project came along.

At the moment, I am more focused on film and television.

Most people know that in the trade of art, a lot of life-changing lessons come from beyond the classroom and from actual experience. What was one lesson that you took away from set that you could never learn about in school?
Coming from multiple different art schools, I had a lot of theories thrown at me. But some of the best acting lessons I have ever received were just from people-watching. A lot of people have an idea that acting is performing and it is, but a huge part of acting is just about being present and that can be the hardest thing to figure out.

People watching (in a non-creepy invasive way) has been really helpful. You can begin to notice the subtleties people bring into their everyday conversations that start to define characteristics about them, and this helps you create your own mental character for this person. The way someone scratches their nose or always looks down when they laugh.

These things come natural to us, but when you study them a little bit, you can begin to impart greater meaning. I’ve tried to bring those into my performances. The more I watch different people, the more I latch onto things that subconsciously will come out with my own character work that I do.

As an Asian-Canadian, what would you say is your ideal work to be a part of? This could be anything from any genre, and you can be as specific as you like in your depiction.
I’d like to work on a project that tells the story of an Asian person who is a second-generation immigrant living in a Western country. That’s something I relate to a lot.

I also think a big part of pushing the needle is putting Asian actors into roles that are more generic and can be filled by anybody. Allowing the normalcy of diversity to become an expected part of our media is a huge step forward in my opinion.

Finally, something fun to end this interview — what is your #1 most played song on Spotify last year?
It was “Slow Dancing In A Burning Room” by John Mayer. Classic.

Vampire Academy starring Andre Dae Kim is out on streaming service Peacock on 15th September. Click here to catch up with our September 2022 issue.