This year will see the release of Sloane Morgan Siegel’s recently-announced comic books, which are near completion, having been working on them over the past three to four years, which will feature two stand-alone stories. As a music artist, Sloane, with his band ICYDAY, released his debut album Clear Skies last year, with more music underway, with ICYDAY being made up of Sloane (singer/guitarist/bassist), David Bloom (singer/drummer) and Isaac Cohen (guitarist/pianist). Sloane also has a successful acting career, starring as Dwight in all five series of Dwight in Shining Armor and Gortimer Gibbon in Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, and he has worked on further projects including horror film The Call as Brett, and sci-fi film Portal Runner as Nolan, and he has played Jessie Wudders in episodes of ABC’s The Goldbergs. Alongside his live-screen roles, Sloane has worked on the video game Gotham Knights, where he took on the role of Tim Drake / Robin. Speaking to Sloane, we found out from him about his recently-announced upcoming comic books, releasing music with his band ICYDAY, playing Tim Drake / Robin in the video game Gotham Knights and starring in Dwight in Shining Armor and Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street.
You have just announced that you have been working on your own comic books, is there anything you can tell us about them?
I’m very excited to finally reveal the stories, but I’ll have to keep it vague for now. All I can say is, one is set VERY far in the future and the other is set VERY far in the past. They both have unique settings, themes, and their histories are filled with lore to get the reader to feel immersed in their worlds.
Where did the inspiration come from to start writing your own comic books and what have they been like to create?
I’ve always loved comics as a medium. It’s a perfect combination of visual and textual storytelling. I think both of those components, along with encouraging the reader to connect with their imagination, make comics unique. When you think about it, before language we had pictures and grand murals to tell our stories and spread our legends. It feels like a modernisation of that ancient storytelling with an even more wondrous twist, as now we can hold those murals in our hands and flip the pages to our hearts’ content. Ever since my sister bought me my first comic, I was hooked. I knew if I was going to tell stories someday, that it would be in the form of a comic. It’s been a dream making these worlds and characters come to life. It has taken a lot longer than I thought, but it’s all worth it in the end.
What are you looking forward to for releasing them and how does it feel now they’re near completion?
I’m mostly looking forward to people connecting with my characters the same way they do Spider-Man or Batman. Obviously, it’s a very high goal for them to be that beloved, but these characters are like my children and who wouldn’t want their children to be beloved and adored by all? I’m hoping people love them enough to draw them, dissect them, and see themselves in them. I want people to find a friend in my characters, I want people to feel seen and understood, and I want them to find heroes in my characters, someone to look up to or learn from. It’s almost four years of very hard work from a dedicated team of people, so it feels like crossing the finish line of a marathon to finally share the stories.
Do you have any favourite comic books/authors to read and did you have any favourites when growing up?
Jeff Lemire has always been my favorite comic book writer. He has a great way of writing characters who are lost and trying to find their way and characters burdened with responsibilities they didn’t expect. I could relate to both of those things very deeply growing up and I take a lot of my inspiration from his way of storytelling. My favorite comic of all-time is Mr. Lemire’s run of DC’s Animal Man that started in 2011. The world-building and character development in that book as well as it’s accompanying Swamp Thing run with the help of Scott Snyder (another favourite writer of mine) set the tone for when I decided to write comics myself.
As a music artist, you released your debut album Clear Skies with your band ICYDAY last year, what did you enjoy most about writing and recording the album?
The best part about it was I just spent all day in my friend’s studio making music we loved together. We just got to hang out and make things we were proud of. The best moments were when we could hear a song in full for the first time, or when we found a new lyric, or when Isaac (Cohen) would come up with an awesome guitar riff.
Can you tell us about Clear Skies and how long was the album in the making?
We had been working on the album for almost two years when it was ready for release. We actually ended up completely rerecording one song off the record about two weeks before release because we thought we could improve it. There were many stages to each song, many layers of harmonies recorded, lots of digital and live instruments. It was a very happy day when we finally released the songs we had been enjoying together with the whole world.
How did ICYDAY come together and how has it been seeing the fan response to the group and your music so far?
The three of us have been friends for almost a decade and we all loved music, but one day we tried it together and the rest is history. People have been very warm in the music’s reception. Lots of people made fun playlists with our songs, and we’re just happy to see everyone enjoying them.
You also have an extensive acting career on screen, and starred as Dwight across all five series of Dwight in Shining Armor, how did you find the experience on set of the show?
It was an experience that evolved over time. We filmed the first few seasons in Utah and then the latter half in Georgia. It was during my last years as a teenager as well, so I really got to grow up with the show and the cast. We even filmed during COVID, which was a bizarre experience. I’d honestly have to write a book to explain the entire process of getting that show made, but ultimately it was an experience we all loved despite its hardships. It’s one of my favourite projects I’ve ever worked on, and Dwight is one of my favourite characters.
How was it getting into character as Dwight and do you have any stand-out highlights from working on the series over the years?
I kind of became Dwight over time. I even did a voice for the character that’s not my own and it took me about a year after the show ended to shake it off. He was such a fun guy to become, I got to react to so many hilarious circumstances in his voice and I don’t think I would’ve chosen any other character on the show to be.
I have a thousand highlights, but if I could pick one on the front of my mind, I’d say the tavern brawl in Season 3’s episode Glimpse. We filmed it over three days with about 20 stunt performers and 20 background actors. We were having a blast with all the chaos.
What was it like being part of horror film The Call as Brett and sci-fi film Portal Runner as Nolan?
The Call was a last-minute film that a friend of mine asked if I would join the cast. On the same day, I drove up to the Hollywood Hills and we started filming. It was a BLAST. I got to work with really fun people and got to see myself on a silver screen for the first time when it was finished. Lots of cozy night shoots in the winter in spooky mansions and circuses. Portal Runner was also a really great experience. We filmed the movie for a couple of months in Seattle. I made some real lifelong friends on both projects.
How was your time filming for episodes of Nickelodeon’s Game Shakers as Glenn and ABC’s The Goldbergs as Jessie Wudders and how were your characters involved with the storylines?
I enjoyed filming The Goldbergs a lot, great crew and great cast. I got to work with long-term friends of mine, as well as make new friends. I will forever say Sean Giambrone is the nicest guy in the industry. I had a fun time getting to play somewhat of a villain and having all of it be about a Mel Brooks film made it even better. I was raised on his movies as a kid. Game Shakers, however, was a much less enjoyable experience. The cast is wonderful, and the crew is very nice, but I wasn’t treated very kindly by those in charge behind the scenes. It was one of my less favourable experiences working as an actor and contributed to my reasons for stepping away from the industry. There was a form of bullying I experienced on the set that was very immature and ill-fitting of a work environment. I was cast to be part of a boy band in the show, but when a certain individual took offense to my presence on set, they changed me to the “ugly one” and made me the butt of jokes. The makeup and hair process afterwards was rough and somewhat humiliating. They did give me a hysterical haircut though, so at least I can laugh at that.
Do you remember how you felt finding out you’d booked the starring role of Gortimer Gibbon in Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street and what was he like to play?
It was a dream come true. I came to LA from West Virginia for pilot season, so after a year of being here and working to finally achieve the dream, I felt on top of the world. The story and characters were so complex and interesting, and we were Amazon’s first attempt at kids’ programming. It meant more than just a pilot; we were pioneers in what streaming is today. We were also decided on by the public in a poll whether we would go to series or not, so it felt like our audience believed in us as well. I grew up with Gortimer, so getting to play him made me a better person, I think. He’s kind, gentle, patient, loyal, and always finds a way to help. Filling the shoes of such a good guy made me strive to be a better one as I got older. We had so many wonderful adventures on that show. Our episodes were always magical and interesting and the time we spent as a crew and a team is irreplaceable.
What are some of your favourite memories from playing Gortimer and being in the cast over the two series?
There were two weeks during the end of the second season that is my favourite period of time during the show. We were filming The Mystery of Marlow Mansion. My birthday had just passed, and everyone was bracing for the end of the show. We were celebrating our friendship as a cast and crew by going to basketball games and concerts on the weekends. We were filming in some of the coolest sets, doing night shoots, and getting ready to say goodbye to our characters. There was an abundant love shared by everyone involved on the show. It was this perfect time where it wasn’t over yet, but we could appreciate how far we had come. I’ll never forget the feeling of those two weeks before the end.
How was it taking on the role of Tim Drake / Robin in the Gotham Knights video game?
Now THAT was a dream come true. I never thought I’d get to play a superhero, let alone THE boy wonder. I got to do full body motion and facial capture for the first time, I got to work in another country, I got to interact with the characters I’ve loved since my childhood. There was no set or character I loved more than getting to play Robin. I hope someday I can do it again or even play another hero. If I could relive any experience I’ve had acting, it would be this one.
Where does your love of acting and music come from and how did you originally get into both?
I’ve always loved music. Life wouldn’t be the same without it. My dad would sing to me every night before bed, my mom would show me her favourite artists growing up. Music is just part of my life and blood. It’s a way to connect with anyone. I’d always loved singing and telling stories, it was only natural the two would collide eventually. As far as acting, it was something my parents introduced me to when I was young so I could express myself. I was always a very animated and outspoken kid. What better way for me to feel understood than on a stage? So, I started in theatre and then took all the steps from there. I got into a nice acting school, I went to showcases, I got reps and came out for pilot season, and then got a permanent room in Hotel California. It was a way for me to express myself for a very long time. Then, it was a way to tell stories. Now, I tell my own stories and I’ve said farewell to acting for now.
Do you have any favourite films and TV shows to watch, and music artists to listen to?
Over the last year I’ve gotten into One Piece and I believe it’s one of the greatest stories ever told. The anime has a difficult pacing to keep up with, but it’s very worth it to see the manga come to life. The score of that show is also absolutely iconic. It’s pretty much the only show I’ve watched for the last year. The other show that has enamored me lately is Scavenger’s Reign. As for movies, some of my favourites are: Interstellar, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Howl’s Moving Castle, Pulp Fiction, Alien, Hellboy I and II, and The Lord of the Rings films. For music, I love Palace, Still Woozy, JAWNY, Young the Giant, UMI, Berhana, Cosmo Pyke, Arlo Parks, and Beck to name a few.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I spend a lot of my free time writing; it’s my passion and it’s my work. I like trying new cafés to write at. I like to travel and explore and see beautiful things with my love. I mostly love spending time with the love of my life at home. We play video games together, or watch reality shows, or just talk about life. She truly is my world and my safe place and I love her very much. I’m a big poker player in my free time as well, I’m hoping I can make some televised final tables sometime.
What are you hoping this year brings for you and do you have any further upcoming career plans that you can share?
The biggest thing for this year is the release of my books. I’m very much looking forward to how they’re received and I’m excited to finally release what I’ve been working so hard on. So, stay tuned for more info on that.
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