I was able to catch a quick interview with the cast of the new MacGyver series on the last night of aTVFest:
Tristin Mays (as Riley Davis)
Lucas Till (Angus “Mac” MacGyver)
Justin Hires (Wilt Bozer)
Watching the show, a light-hearted new creation of the 1980’s television hit series, MacGyver, you are put at the scene where MacGyver improvises to save lives, one case at a time. Since the show is primarily about the role of improvisation in solving crime, saving lives and getting out of impossible situations, and SCAD is the University for Creative Careers, I felt it only appropriate to ask what the cast thought was the role of improvisation in the creative industry. Their answer was a unanimous everything.
HCSCADATL: What is the Role of improvisation and problem-solving in the creative industry?
Lucas Till: “We have to do it on a daily basis,” Lucas Till, of the X-Men series and heartthrob of Taylor Swift video, You Belong with Me emphasized, “I mean, our stunt coordinator [Jeff Wolf], when I would do movies and have to do action scenes, you would choreograph that stuff and rehearse it over and over and over again, and our stunt coordinator had us doing some of the bigger fight scenes I’ve done in my whole life. One day, he came in and has a new location for us, and says, ‘so, anyways, we’re going to do this, this, and this’; He made it all up, which is the reason he won an Emmy.
Justin Hires: “Even problem-solving; when it comes to scene, making sure certain scenes work. Just what would your character really do. Is this realistic in a scene.”
Lucas Till: “Which is the usual problem we run into because it makes sense on paper, but then you get there and you have to consider…”
Tristin Mays: “…how are we going to make it look fun and natural.”
Justin Hires: “And then, your career, it’s all about improvising. Coming up with different strategies and things that take your career to the next level. But it’s all about kind of changing directions and routes that you may have taken or not taken. Taking more of the road less traveled sometimes, to get to where you’re trying to get to.
HCSCADATL: What’s an example of that?
Justin Hires: Personally, when I was in college, I wnet to college out here (Clark University), I got offered a full-time job to work for MTV as a video jockey and I was in college still, and I turned down that contract to move to LA to pursue my acting career because I believed in myself (I wanted to do acting, I wanted to do standup). I turned down that job with MTV in New York, flew out here and it just so happened that on my second audition, I booked an MTV show out in LA anyways. Now, I’m here on MacGyver, I’m acting, so it all worked out.”
HCSCADATL: I know that you guys do use your skills to save lives; so, what would be your advice to upcoming artists on how to use their own talent, skill and background to be engaged civically and in the world?
Tristin Mays: Use your skill that you know you have for better. Be creative and don’t be shy, don’t be scared, don’t hold back. Just give it your all. Just go for it.
Justin Hires: Don’t let fear hold you back from trying to pursue your dreams. I think that’s the biggest thing.
Ultimately, problem-solving and improvisation are going to come into play with anything you do in your career; so, take stock from the cast of MacGyver. Develop those skills and go for it.