Since Series 1 of The Hardy Boys released in 2020, Alexander Elliot has played lead character Joe Hardy alongside Rohan Campbell as Frank Hardy across all episodes released so far on YTV in Canada and Hulu in America, with the show being announced for an international release on Disney+, and Alexander is currently filming Series 3. Last year, Alexander played Buster Keaton in an episode of Murdoch Mysteries and he played Beckett in the multi-award-winning short film Being Brave. Having made his screen debut as Agent O’Que in Odd Squad in 2018, Alexander has since filmed a number of roles including Gordon in Detention Adventure, and he will be seen in the upcoming feature film Violent Night, which is releasing in December. Recently talking to Alexander, he spoke to us about filming for The Hardy Boys, playing lead character Joe Hardy and working on short film Being Brave as Beckett.

You play Joe Hardy in the TV series The Hardy Boys, what is the character like to play?

Joe is an absolute blast to play. I have never been part of a production where I’ve done as much as I’ve done on The Hardy Boys. It seems like every day on set I’m doing something new. Especially since Joe is always the one getting into trouble, which means I get to do all the fun stuff.

How much did you know about The Hardy Boys book series and franchise before booking your role and was there anything that drew you to the character?

Sadly, I had not even heard of The Hardy Boys books until I auditioned for the role. But I remember first reading the script and I could just tell that this would be something special. The energy, the dialogue, I had this feeling that it would be a really good time.

What’s it like on set of the series and working with the rest of the cast, which includes Rohan Campbell as Frank Hardy?

I remember first meeting Rohan, I was pretty nervous as I knew we would be working together for the next while. But he just walked up to me, gave me a hug, and said something like “We’re brothers now”. And it’s been a hell of a journey since then. The whole cast just feels like a big family at this point.

What do you enjoy most about being part of The Hardy Boys and how was it returning to set to film Series 2 and the upcoming Series 3?

My favourite part of The Hardy Boys is definitely the people on set. Every day feels like summer camp, just hanging out with friends every day. So coming back for Season 2 and for Season 3 was just fantastic.

Have you had any stand-out memories from playing Joe Hardy so far that you can tell us about?

If I had to pick one it would probably be the time that we all went to LA for the Season 2 premiere. It was just all of us in a hotel for a few days, having a great time. It was a lot of fun.

It’s been announced that the show will be released internationally through Disney+, what are you looking forward to for more countries seeing the series?

I love that people around the world are watching the show. It’s always very heartwarming when I get a message that says “I’m a fan from Brazil” or any other country. It just blows my mind that we’ve been able to reach that many people.

Last year, you played Buster Keaton in an episode of Murdoch Mysteries, what was it like filming your episode?

This was the first time I filmed anything during COVID, so it was very interesting to see what the filming process was like with a bunch of new regulations. I was only there for one day, but it was definitely one of my most interesting days on set.

Can you tell us about the short film Being Brave, in which you play lead character Beckett?

Being Brave is a short film in which a boy named Beckett deals with bullies at school and at home who antagonise him due to his father being gay. All the while, he’s just trying to show support and help his dad set up the perfect dinner date. I really like this story as it brings up the fact that homophobia doesn’t only affect those who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, but it also affects the people that they love.

How has it been seeing the huge success to the film and having it win numerous awards?

If I had to pick one word, it would be unexpected. Shooting this just felt like we were coming together to tell a small but important part of the story. But when I see these awards, I know that the film has been appreciated for what it truly is. Which is the most important thing.

What was it like working on an episode of Detention Adventure as Gordon?

Detention Adventure was very interesting. It was my first film job after I spent nine months performing on stage. So I spent a lot of time before we shot finding and understanding the difference between a theatre performance and a film performance. And that was a great learning experience.

You made your screen debut in 2018 as Agent O’Que in Odd Squad, what do you remember most from filming this role?

The thing that really surprised me on the set of Odd Squad was that people could get things for me. I found this out when one of the actors asked for water and they just brought it to him. It blew my little 11-year-old mind. I think it’s fair to say I drank a lot of water on set after that.

Having also performed on stage, what do you enjoy about working in theatre and can you tell us about your stage career?

Working in theatre is a whole different beast to film. Everything about it is different, from the way you perform, to how the show is made. It’s much more exhilarating. You only get one chance, it’s live. And anytime I heard the opening music from backstage, I got this rush of adrenaline that just can’t be replicated. I was part of a theatre production at the Stratford Festival for around nine months in 2018. And that was an experience. It became my whole life, I moved to Stratford, and we rehearsed and did shows every day. It was definitely an adventure.

Where does your love of acting come from and how did you get into it?

It started when I was seven years old. My mom put me in a theatre camp over the summer and it was my first time performing something in front of an audience. And it was kind of addicting. So I joined the full-year program and I kept coming back. Eventually, during our show in 2016, there was an agent in the audience who liked my performance. So I signed with her, and the rest is history.

What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?

My favourite movie right now would have to be Inglourious Basterds. And I’m currently watching The Midnight Club on Netflix.

How do you like to spend your time away from acting?

Other than hanging out with friends, I love skateboarding and snowboarding. I also play the guitar and dabble in making some songs.

What are you hoping the next few months bring for your career?

Well, we are currently shooting Season 3 of The Hardy Boys, which is fantastic. Also, a movie I’m in called Violent Night releases on December 2nd, and I’m very excited to see how it does. I hope people have as much fun watching it as we did making it.

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