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Interview with Tony Babcock of Extreme Actor

Prepare… for the most dangerous route a person can take in acting…. EXTREME ACTING! Tony Babcock stars as himself in this upcoming series. Every actor has different methods for getting into character, myself included for those who know me well. But Babcock goes to new levels of getting into characters he acts and these methods are showcased in the upcoming tv show, Extreme Actor. I interviewed Babcock recently, asking him a couple questions. Let’s take a look into what goes into this new upcoming series that searches inside of an actor’s unique methods. It’s not weird.

HNMAG: Where did the amazing concept idea come from?

Tony Babcock: The original concept was born out of the fact that I have always been a little ‘method’ when it comes to my acting process. The original question was, how extreme could I be in order to embody a role and what would that entail? When I first pitched the idea to Bell, they were totally on board and from there it was months of fleshing things out.

HNMAG: What do you do to prepare yourself for an episode?
Tony Babcock: Because each episode revolved around a different role, and therefore very different subjects and locations etc., there had to be a huge element of spontaneity in my approach. However, I would try to do some meditation, listen to acting podcasts and do some improv warmups before each shoot day.
HNMAG: How is this different from anything you’ve done in the past?
Tony Babcock: This was very different! I am used to scripted or improvised acting in character. For this show, being a docu-series – I had the painful task of being myself. I think it illustrated the reality that many actors (including myself) are painfully insecure and vulnerable.
HNMAG: What was it like working with the other crew members? How do they feel about the experience?
Tony Babcock: I loved my crew! This show was really a labour of love and every single crew member was so pumped to be working on such an important piece. We were always moving to different locations and meeting so many different people along the way so the crew had to be extreme malleable – and they were.
HNMAG: How much preparation is put into one episode?
Tony Babcock: The amount of preparation to make a documentary series is enormous! When you watch a doc of someone moving around from location to location, you assume its quite simple but the reality is that each location needs to be cleared, insured and each guest needs to sign waivers etc. We’re talking months of preparation for a single six episode season, but it was well worth it!
Looking into what is going into this new and upcoming series, I would recommend any actors (whether you’re a beginner or experienced) to check it out and maybe you’ll find some episodes that will either give you ideas or even something you can relate to. Watch it on Bell Fibe TV starting this month on the 10th!

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