Fresh takes and fun films
by Julie-Ann Sherlock
Ahead of the launch of the second season of hit show Virgin River, we speak to one of its stars, Grayson Maxwell Gurnsey, about his inspiration and ambitions for the future.
Grayson Maxwell Gurnsey, photo by J Benson.
Not many 20-year-olds can say that they have 10 years of work experience under their belt, but Canadian actor, director and producer Grayson Maxwell Gurnsey is not quite like his peers. Aged four, he told his parents he wanted to be an actor, and at eight, with the help of his mother, he created a monologue that gained him access to an adult acting class.
Acting coach Neil Schell was so impressed with young Grayson that he offered him his first job, based in Kenya. Schell directed the Nairobi-based medical drama Saints, with Grayson appearing in six episodes.
"He liked me and just asked me to be the kid of the main character in his show. I spent two and a half months in Kenya — it was such an interesting experience. Even though I was only 10, I remember it so vividly. We had enough time to get immersed in the culture, and every day we learned something completely new about the people of Kenya."
Grayson has pursued his dreams with the full support of his parents, landing various roles, including his latest part as Ricky on hit Netflix show Virgin River. Now a veteran of the world of acting, his eyes are open to that world's flaws.
"My industry is by no means perfect, that has been well established, but one thing that I think would make it better is more diversity in the stories we are telling. I want to see more diversity, so more people can relate and feel represented on screen. I think that's the main thing stopping our industry from feeling like a real community."
Grayson is now back at work in Vancouver, with added COVID-19 protections in place: "We have a private lab and we get about two Coronavirus tests a week. Thankfully, not the ones that go straight into your brain, just the ones that go into your nose and they swish it about! It makes you want to sneeze, it’s just a little uncomfortable."
Grayson has already worked with some exceptional talent, including Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson in Wonder (a 2017 American drama) and Milo Ventimiglia on The Art of Racing in the Rain (a 2019 American comedy), and has a penchant for the offbeat.
"I recently watched Enola Holmes and Millie Bobbie Brown did such a great job. I think that if she keeps making films like that she should absolutely be producing. We need more young people, fresh takes and quirky, fun films like that made by talented people. I hope she makes another one. I'm waiting for a sequel!"
Looking to the future, Grayson is eager to work on a wide range of projects. "I would eventually like to get into more genre-specific things. I would love to take my shot at doing really weird indie movies — like Robert Pattinson, he does lots of indies and then does a big movie.
"I would like to do interesting roles that allow me to grow not only as an artist but also as a person in insane roles that require a lot more out of you. Not that I wouldn't love to be in an action movie, I would but I would love to stretch and expand in indies."
His own young producer days "kind of happened as a necessity. We were having trouble funding a project so I stepped in as a producer as well as the director. I want to try my hand at it again with a serious project, not just a short film — maybe someday create a pilot or film a full feature. But there is a lot of work for me to do between then and now."
Season Two of Virgin River airs on 27 November on Netflix.
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