OFF THE CUFF. Nick Wechsler plays Jack Porter in the TV hit “Revenge,” a twist-filled show full of liars. He opens up to DA MAN about the show, “Roswell,” and the effect LA has had on his sunny New Mexican disposition
Shirt and jacket by Emporio Armani
Nick Wechsler was a fierce wrestler in high school, but after he graduated, he decided to channel his competitive energy in a very different direction – Los Angeles. After spending nine months trying to break into acting, he started to get some work, including a starring role on “Team Knight Rider,” a reboot of a classic 1980s TV show. After that, he spent four years playing Kyle Valenti on the alien teen drama “Roswell.” These days you are most likely to know Wechsler as Jack Porter, the charming and honest-to-a fault bar owner on the primetime drama Revenge, which is now in its second season and can be seen locally on Star World.
Shirt and pants by G-Star
DA MAN: How would you describe your character on Revenge in one sentence?
Nick Wechsler: Loyal and honest and loving and hard-working and too decent for his own good.
DA MAN: In what ways are you different from Jack Porter?
Nick Wechsler: I have a lot in common with him — for example, I’m fiercely loyal and have an overactive moral compass — but Jack’s probably a better guy than I am. I’m much more flawed. I’m filthy and I have a temper and I can be lazy and quiet and unromantic. And according to many fans, I’m shorter than he is. But I’m also less likely to put up with the stuff he has, so suck on that, Porter!
DA MAN: It’s no secret that “Revenge” has more female viewers than male ones, especially since lots of reviewers have referred to it as a “prime-time soap opera.” What would be your pitch to guys who haven’t seen the show yet?
Nick Wechsler: At its bones, it’s the story of a girl who, as a child, was deeply wronged by some rich assholes, so she decides, as an adult, to live amongst her enemies in order to systematically destroy their lives. How badass is that? If you refuse to watch the show because the lead is a girl or because the guys are good-looking, then just know that Emily Thorne is more of a man than you are.
Jacket by G-Star
DA MAN: What is filming “Revenge” like? In what ways is it different from filming “Roswell”?
Nick Wechsler: Filming Revenge is great fun. You get to go to work and play cowboys and Indians with your buddies. Only that’s racist or something, so maybe not that. But you get my point. Basically, you get to act like children. You get to pretend professionally and then make dick jokes in the downtime. I mean it’s difficult too, y’know. The hours are long and the sporadic and you have to be on all the time, but it’s what you sign up for. And it’s a small price to pay for doing what you want to do. Filming “Roswell” was similar in every way I just described, but it was a different experience working when I was younger. I was more carefree then, to be honest. I felt less pressure. Self-imposed pressure, to be clear. In that sense, it was easier to enjoy. But everyone gets along better on this set than they did on Roswell. So Revenge is a warmer and more inviting and supportive work environment.
DA MAN: Have you actually been to the Hamptons? Is it a place you would go to for your own vacation?
Nick Wechsler: I have never been to the Hamptons. I’d be curious to see it because it is apparently beautiful, but I’m not sure I like what it represents. I find that level of wealth kind of unnerving and offensive.
DA MAN: As a blue-collar guy, Jack Porter is, more often than not, seen in T-shirts or plaid shirts and jeans; a far cry from the high-end suits your co-stars Josh Bowman and Gabriel Mann usually get to wear. Do you ever feel left out or wishing you could also play “dress up” or do you always feel comfortable with Jack’s choice of style?
Nick Wechsler: Sure, a little. But mostly on a personal level. Mostly because I’m like, “Fuck, I want a suit that fits like that for my own stupid life.” Especially because everything is tailored, so it looks amazing. But I don’t think it would be appropriate for Jack to wear that kind of stuff. His style is very comfortable and lived-in and I love that. I get to play dress up at home with my dolls and the skeletons of dead animals I’ve found.
DA MAN: How would you describe your personal style then?
Nick Wechsler: I have zero style. I dressed like an eight-year-old until just a few years ago. All I know is I like slim fits and I wear a lot of black, which is probably cheating.
Shirt by Emporio Armani
DA MAN: Since you’re playing a bar owner, we have to ask you: what’s your favorite drink?
Nick Wechsler: I don’t really have a favorite. But I like really girly shit like mojitos and gin gimlets and Moscow mules. You know how you gotta trick kids into taking their vitamins by disguising them as gummy bears? That’s how I am about alcohol.
DA MAN: Unlike your character, you came from a big family. What was it like growing up with so many siblings?
Nick Wechsler: There was a lot of fighting because we’re all boys. We each picked on the one younger than us. I always felt bad for the last one in line. I think the youngest should get to beat up the oldest when he’s too old to defend himself, just to put a neat little bow on the whole thing. But we also had each other’s backs.
DA MAN: A study suggested that middle children are usually more successful because of the so-called “Middle Child Syndrome.” Do you feel that being a middle child actually help your career? Did you ‘suffer’ from the syndrome at all?
Nick Wechsler: I thought the older ones were supposed the be the successful ones, the youngest ones the spoiled ones, and the middle ones were supposed to have had the hardest time with motivation and junk. Oh well. My parents had four kids, separated, got back together years later, and had another set of four. I’m the oldest of the second set of four, so whatever success I’ve had is more likely because I was the oldest from my group. What’s crazy is how similar the oldest of each set is, and then how similar the second oldest of each set is, and so on. I think being part of a large family, you sometimes feel lost in the shuffle. For me, that resulted in becoming introverted and withdrawing into my own imagination. I guess I developed an odd sense of humor. I say this because I heard it a lot. But it was my humor that led me to want to act. Is that middle child-y?
Outfit by Emporio Armani
DA MAN: Did growing up in New Mexico contribute to your candor and laid-back attitude?
Nick Wechsler: It probably did in a way. Los Angeles is obsessed with money, fame, youth and beauty. You don’t have that luxury in Albuquerque. A lot of the shit that matters to people out here doesn’t matter to me. I don’t need to own the fanciest shit, I don’t need to go to clubs or restaurants to be seen, I don’t need to hang with celebrities. I just wanna sit somewhere quiet and joke around and talk about shit that matters. It has something to do with where I came from and something to do with my home life and the examples of healthy communication in my life.
DA MAN: How did a high school wrestler get interested in acting in the first place?
Nick Wechsler: I don’t know. I loved wrestling. I still miss it sometimes. I only stopped because the wrestling and acting schedules conflicted. But to answer your question, I think I decided to try acting after seeing a bad play in high school. There was something about seeing bad actors take smug bows that made me go, “Oh, shut up. I could do that better and I’m not even an actor!”
DA MAN: You moved to LA after high school to pursue your acting career. How hard was it to live away from home at such a young age?
Nick Wechsler: It was mostly scary. I gave myself 6 months. If I didn’t get something within 6 months, I was gonna move back. I slept on my friend’s floor with a blanket and a pillow. I only knew a couple people. I had no money. My parents were floating me. I felt like a burden to everybody. I was shy and I didn’t know how to meet new people. And I missed my family and friends in New Mexico. But I got something right at the end of six months, so I stayed.
Sweater by Ted Baker
DA MAN: Do you think living in LA has changed you in any way?
Nick Wechsler: Yes. I feel a little beat up by this place. I’ve become more insecure, a little quieter. And maybe that’s more the industry’s fault than LA’s. But LA – or rather the experience of moving here and staying, despite how hard it’s been – has taught me something about myself. That I’m stronger than I think.
DA MAN: Your co-star Emily VanCamp once described you as the “dirtiest” in an interview. Would you care to elaborate on that?
Nick Wechsler: She did? Ha. I just say awful things to her to try to get her to laugh. I don’t know. I’m just gross. I’m like a fart.
DA MAN: Any future projects, beside Revenge, you can tell us about?
Nick Wechsler: Nope. Masturbating isn’t really a “project.”
DA MAN: Any resolutions for 2013?
Nick Wechsler: Yes. To get better at interviews.
Photography Mitchell Nguyen McCormack
Styling Lindsay Zir