With his timeless charm and ever-evolving talent, Nick Wechsler remains one of Hollywood’s most compelling actors
Beyond his striking on-screen presence, Nick Wechsler has built a compelling career in Hollywood. Widely recognized for his role as Kyle Valenti in the popular teen series “Roswell” and Jack Porter in the gripping drama “Revenge,” Wechsler has proven himself to be a versatile actor capable of bringing a variety of characters to life. Now, he takes on a new challenge in NBC’s latest series, “The Hunting Party,” portraying Oliver Odell, a skilled operative on a high-stakes mission to track down escaped convicts from a secretive prison.
Hailing from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Wechsler discovered his passion for acting at a young age and pursued it wholeheartedly. Over the course of the years, his natural talent and undeniable charisma have earned him a loyal fan base and critical recognition.
In this edition, he opens up with DA MAN to share insights into his personal life, career evolution and latest role.
DAMAN: Let’s start from the beginning—what first sparked your interest in acting?
Nick Wechsler: I remember seeing a production of “Tartuffe” at my high school as a freshman. Watching the performers take what I perceived as smug bows during the curtain call made me think, “Give me a break—I can do that better, and I’m not even an actor!” I guess I’ve always been more cynical than my peers. However, a part of me wanted to perform and share some of my thoughts that made me laugh, and that moment inspired me to give it a shot.
DA: Looking back, can you share what life was like before acting and how stepping into the industry changed things for you?
NW: I have seven brothers. I think it wasn’t my parents’ fault. But sometimes, I felt sort of drowned out in the cacophony of it all. I was very quiet, insecure and sensitive. I often escaped into my mind to cope, coming up with things that made me laugh. Initially, I only shared this side of myself with close friends but eventually, I started performing in high school plays as an outlet for my strange little impulses.
Though the entertainment industry can be harsh, I’ve come to see that the qualities I once viewed as weaknesses—my unique sensibilities and sensitivities—are actually strengths. One of my best friends, Glenn, paraphrased a quote he loved, saying, “There’s a hole in the market in the shape of you and the only one who can fill it is you.”
DA: Let’s talk about “The Hunting Party.” What drew you to this project and what was it like stepping into the role of Oliver Odell?
NW: The truth is, unless you’re a well-known name, you don’t get to pick your projects based on what you are or are not drawn to. You have to hope that something is drawn to you. I was very lucky that “The Hunting Party” chose me. For those who may not know, the show revolves around a classified underground prison that held—and experimented on—serial killers until an explosion caused its collapse, leading to the escape of most prisoners.
What intrigued me most was the central mystery—who caused the explosion and why? Second, the fact that my character has a fraught relationship with lead profiler Bex Henderson damages trust in a situation where trust is essential. Stepping into the role of Odell was a little intimidating for me because I don’t think I’ve ever had this type of role before. I’ve never played the guy who commands attention and runs the room, and it was a totally different muscle.
DA: Oliver is an interesting character—part of the investigative team but also under suspicion. What were the biggest challenges in portraying him and how did you approach the complexities of the role? NW: In each episode, my character was either holding court to educate the team about a particular killer or he was urgently delivering new developments to the team while they were in the field. The biggest challenges were practical—learning large monologues efficiently and keeping scenes engaging, despite being in the same location with a similar emotional tone. So, I guess my approach was to try to find moments to bring a little humor or humanity to an otherwise informational moment or to try to find ways, in the midst of all this dire stuff, when we aren’t even in the same room, to somehow connect Oliver and Bex.
DA: In addition to “The Hunting Party,” you also star in “Primitive War,” which is set to release this year. Can you tell us a bit about your role in this movie and what will make it stand out?
NW: “Primitive War” takes place during the Vietnam War, and it’s about a squad of seven soldiers who are sent on a recon mission to locate some missing green berets. Instead, they encounter dinosaurs and have to fight to survive. I think the insane premise will make the movie itself stand out. If my character stands out at all—which I honestly doubt will happen because it’s an amazing ensemble of talented men and women, all of whom deserve to work way more than they do—it will just be because of the freedom writer/director Luke Sparke gave me to change things or add things here and there and bring humor to moments where it perhaps wasn’t originally intended. He kind of just let me be me; he let me try things. He gave us all such a long leash, and I think a more lived-in and authentic team dynamic resulted from that. Everyone played to their strengths, and I think they will all shine.
DA: What do you hope audiences take away from both “The Hunting Party” and “Primitive War”?
NW: Honestly, the world feels pretty bleak right now, so I hope audiences can find some escape in these stories—whether it’s a high-stakes thriller or a wild dinosaur adventure. Hopefully, these stories offer a much-needed escape—we could all use one.
DA: Being part of TV series and movies like these must have been quite an adventure. Can you share any particularly memorable moments from the set with us?
NW: Oh, man, I have a terrible memory for this stuff. I wouldn’t remember my own name if I didn’t have it tattooed all over myself, “Memento”-style. But the casts, crews and locations were incredible. We filmed “Primitive War” on Australia’s Gold Coast, which is absolutely stunning with diverse landscapes and wildlife. And since our squad of soldiers was together for most of the movie, we spent a lot of time on set and off, forming a close bond as a cast and crew.
Our military tech advisor, Freddie Joe Farnsworth, whipped us into shape in just a few days. By the end, I dare say we were actually behaving like actual soldiers. It was worth getting bitten to hell while lying prone in that ant nest.
“The Hunting Party” was shot in Vancouver, BC, which is gorgeous—especially in the summer and fall when I was there. I loved walking through Stanley Park while running lines. Nature makes my eyeballs go awooga. Both projects had incredibly kind, hardworking and funny people. I got very lucky.
DA: Throughout your career, you’ve played a wide variety of characters. How do you prepare for a new role, and what’s your process for bringing a character to life?
NW: I start by reading the script multiple times to gather information about my character from stage directions, his self-descriptions and others’ comments. I also try to understand the overall story and its central theme to serve it effectively. But sometimes, I happen upon something that unlocks my character for me—suddenly, all my choices flow naturally and I just know who he is and what to do with him.
In “Primitive War,” there’s a scene where my character asks the sergeant who the strange woman he showed up with is. The sergeant doesn’t answer me, but a couple of lines later, he answers someone else who asked the same question. I don’t even think it was intended the way I took it, but that moment felt like the key to my character. He’s such a mood-killing pain in the ass who says such unhelpful things most of the time that everyone just learns to tune him out.
DA: Out of all the roles you’ve played, which has been the most challenging for you, and why?
NW: Honestly, the most challenging was playing Odell in “The Hunting Party” because I was pretty separate from everyone else the whole time. My character rarely left the command center, which meant I had the opposite schedule from the field team—which were the only other people I knew in Vancouver. It wasn’t anyone’s fault; it was just the nature of the role and the story’s needs. But it was pretty lonely.
DA: The entertainment industry can be tough. How do you handle rejection and the constant stream of criticism, and how do you stay grounded amidst the ups and downs of your career?
NW: Rejection in this industry is awful because it’s constant, compassionless and silent. Unless you’re a finalist, you never hear people tell you “Thank you,” “Good job” or “We’re sorry, but we’re going in another direction.” It’s easy to tell yourself it’s not personal, but after nearly 30 years of it, you start to wonder if you’re delusional for still trying.
There’s a brilliantly tragic Connor Roy line in “Succession”: “The good thing about having a family that doesn’t love you is you learn to live without it… I don’t need love. It’s like a superpower.” It’s like that. Except it did affect Connor, and it definitely affects actors.
Once you get work, though, the compliments are frequent and effusive, and I feel weirdly distrustful of it. I’ve been too insecure my whole life and rejected too many times to suddenly believe every nice thing being said to my face. So I can only take a fraction of the compliments to heart. I also avoid looking myself up because I know there are unkind things said about me that I’d rather not see. I just want to keep my head down and make a living acting for as long as I can.
I also avoid looking myself up because I know there are unkind things said about me … I just want to keep my head down and make a living acting for as long as I can
DA: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?
NW: Work hard and be easy to work with. Acting is a team sport and you owe it to your team to give it your all. Nobody wants to work with someone who’s unpleasant.
Photography Tim Coto
Styling Kimberly Yvette Goodnight & Jack Spencer
Grooming Sonia Lee for Exclusive Artists using Dr. Barbara Sturm