Recently, Nathan Blair has filmed for the upcoming horror film I Am Your Driver, which is directed by Kevin Lewis and stars Jeremy Piven as The Driver, and a further upcoming project for Nathan will see him play 16-Year-Old Dusty Boyd in comedy film The Dink, which stars and is produced by Ben Stiller and Jake Johnson. Last year, Nathan played 14-Year-Old Bruce (Joel Courtney) in Half Baked: Totally High – the sequel to the 1998 film Half Baked, and his previous work includes playing Wild Card in We Can Be Heroes alongside his on-screen father Christian Slater as Tech-No, which is a standalone and legacy sequel to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, and was released on Netflix in 2020, and he filmed for numerous episodes of Best. Worst. Weekend. Ever. Nathan also has stage experience, having played Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber, and alongside acting, Nathan is a filmmaker and director of short films, and has just finished writing his first two feature films. Answering our questions, we found out from Nathan about filming for his upcoming projects I Am Your Driver and The Dink, playing 14-Year-Old Bruce in Half Baked: Totally High and being in the cast of We Can Be Heroes as Wild Card.
You have recently filmed for the upcoming horror film I Am Your Driver as CJ, what can you tell us about the project and your character?
Well, one thing I can say for sure about I Am Your Driver is that it is an awesome project. It takes place in 1998, and as a huge 80s and 90s film lover, I knew this one was going to have a killer vibe.
As for my role as CJ, he’s so much fun. The classic hothead of the group, who is quick to get himself into danger to protect his friends. I look up to him in that way, how he’s pretty fearless given the circumstances.
How was it reading Michael Yocum’s script for the first time and being directed by Kevin Lewis?
When I first read Michael Yocum’s script, I was hooked. The fluid humour between the kids and the mystery of the driver was right up my alley. It was everything I loved about those classic 90s movies. Then, I got on set and immediately connected with Kevin. He had such a clear vision for this film. He talked to me about how he wanted it to have so much heart and depth. Making the horror part of it was more of a sad thing rather then a scare. And I loved that.
What are you looking forward to for the release of I Am Your Driver and who do you think the film will appeal to?
I can’t wait for I Am Your Driver to come out because, as I would tell everyone on set, it’s a great date night movie. A bunch of kids going to prom and things go terribly wrong. I know it’s going to appeal to a ton of young adults. Teenagers are going to have a great time watching it. Thrill lovers will love it, and given the aesthetic and 90s time period, it will be nostalgic to the Gen Xs, who grew up on those movies. Especially with Jeremy Piven’s performance, laughs, tears, and screams.
How was your time working on the upcoming comedy film The Dink as 16-Year-Old Dusty Boyd and what was it like being involved with a film starring and produced by Ben Stiller and Jake Johnson?
The Dink was a crazy good experience. We shot in LA on a massive tennis court with Josh Greenbaum and Jake Johnson at the Galaxy Stadium. Even had Ed Harris as my dad, which was awesome. As a younger version of Jake’s character, I got to have a lot of his backstory told through my scenes, so he was right there with me, coaching me through the beats to get the comedy and story out as authentically as we could. I will say though, at night, in shorts and drenched in fake sweat, it was freezing. It was one of the coldest LA nights I’d ever experienced.
Was there anything that drew you to The Dink and how did you feel when finding out you’d booked the role?
Just the fact that Ben Stiller was producing this film drew me in enough. I grew up on his movies and the chance to be in one was incredible. Especially one to this calibre. I remember I was in class in college, and my manager calls me saying I booked the role. This was after I hadn’t heard anything for like a month after I sent in my audition tape. I was overjoyed and shocked. But really excited.
In last year’s release of Half Baked: Totally High – the sequel to the 1998 film Half Baked, you could be seen as 14-Year-Old Bruce, how was it getting into character and sharing the role with Joel Courtney?
Getting into character for Half Baked: Totally High was quite the experience. I have never done any drugs, and when I got the role to have to smoke weed in the bathroom, I was honestly nervous. They sent us one of the fake joints that we would be using to film, and I got to practice with it, so that on the day it would look like I’ve been doing this for years. I can’t tell you how much I was coughing. I also watched the original Half Baked, to get in the mindset of this type of film. I never got to meet Joel Courtney, but when I finally watched the film, I was shocked to see how similar we were in the role, which was fun.
How did you find the experience playing Wild Card in We Can Be Heroes and do you have any stand-out memories from being on set that you can share?
Playing Wild Card in We Can Be Heroes was the craziest time ever. An entire summer on set was so much fun. All the rigs and just playing a superhero every day was a dream. Best part about it is that’s where I met my best friend, Lyon (Daniels). I remember we would all get together and draw dinosaurs with Robert Rodriguez, and put them up on the back of one of the set walls. It became a cool thing, every now and then, a new dinosaur drawing made it up there. The Dino Wall. Robert would always play guitar on set, and one day he found out I also played and let me play one of his guitars. We had a little jam together and it was really cool.
What did you enjoy most about filming with your on-screen father Christian Slater (Tech-No) and with the rest of the cast, and being part of the standalone and legacy sequel to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl?
Being on a set with 10 other kids, you can’t help but have a great time. But definitely one of the coolest moments was having a scene with Christian Slater. I’m a huge fan of his work, and the fact he played my dad in that movie is still mind-blowing to me. I was struck by how nice he was. He took the time to really get to know me. We even geeked out about Star Wars. I was tempted to say “greetings and salutations,” but I held back. I enjoyed shooting the scenes where we were in the hallways in the alien ship most. Being on those built sets made the whole expense feel that much more immersive. Especially when you’re flying around with lighting powers and turning into a toaster. I also remember watching Sharkboy and Lavagirl with my sister many times growing up, so it was pretty neat to now be in that universe with those two characters.
How would you describe Wild Card, and what was it like watching the completed film when it was released on Netflix in 2020?
Wild Card is actually a very complex character. He struggles with insecurities that he masks with this tough guy leader complex. He wants to be seen as something he doesn’t quite see himself as, and I think that is something a lot of people, including myself, can relate to.
Finally seeing the finished film on Netflix for the first time was crazy. It was the first film I had ever done, and to see it all together for the first time was so much fun. I couldn’t stop pausing and talking with my friends and family about little behind the scenes stories that took place during each scene.
How was it filming for an episode of Raven’s Home – Series 3 for Disney and playing Young Zed (Sam Ashe Arnold) in Best. Worst. Weekend. Ever. for Netflix?
Filming Raven’s Home was wild. As a kid, I grew up watching those Disney Channel shows, Raven’s Home was one of those, and when I was on set, walking around the sound stage to the different locations, I was like a kid in a candy store.
As for Young Zed in Best. Worst. Weekend. Ever., that was a role I really wanted. I loved the story of friendship and how it had this Ferris Bueller’s Day Off vibe. We shot most of my scenes on the Universal Studios backlot. My house at the time was right across the street from there, and I always remembered driving or walking past the lot entrance, wishing that one day I would be filming a movie there. And the next thing I knew, I was.
As a stage actor, you have worked on productions including The Hunchback of Notre Dame as Quasimodo last year and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as Sweeney Todd, how different do you find performing on stage opposed to screen acting and can you say about some of the shows you have performed in?
Stage and screen acting are very different. Internally they are the same – understanding the character, their intentions in the scene, developing how they walk, talk, ect… But the actual performance part of it is pretty different. First off, for stage you have to do the entire two hour show in one go, and you have to do it multiple times, for me it was three. And when on stage, you need to project enough for the people in the back of the house to hear you clearly. With a camera up close, you don’t have those requirements. You can whisper, and give all of the emotions of a moment with one look. I love them both, because they each have their own challenges.
As for playing Sweeney Todd and Quasimodo, they are both very different people. And both sing the entire show. Going from a bloodthirsty, deep-voiced, killer, to a lovable, high singing hunchback, it was a challenge. But I love both of those roles so much and, if given the chance to play them again, I’d take that in a heartbeat.
Where does your love of acting come from and how did you get into it?
My love for acting came at a very young age. I can’t pinpoint it for sure, but ever since I could walk, I was putting on shows in the living room, recreating my favourite scenes from How To Train Your Dragon (2010), which is where I fell in love with performing. I would know all of the lines in movies and refused to eat breakfast unless Cars or Finding Nemo was on so I could say the words along with them. If I had known that I could have a job doing that, I probably would’ve started a heck of a lot sooner.
What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?
I have many favourite movies and shows. The 1996 Romeo + Juliet, directed by Baz Luhrmann, is probably at the top of that list. How he took a story, that was always set way back when, and didn’t change a word, just gave them guns and cars, incredible. Other movies I love are Whiplash, Hacksaw Ridge, Back To The Future, and A Complete Unknown. I don’t watch many shows, and when I do, I rewatch them over and over again. Those would be The Big Bang Theory and Entourage.
We understand you are also a filmmaker and have written and directed short films, can you tell us about this side of your career?
Writing and directing is a huge way I keep active in film when I’m not working on someone else’s project. As an actor, I love character and story. Which means I’m always coming up with new stories in my head. I believe film is the best medium for storytelling, and that’s why I love understanding all aspects of it. I started when I was 10 years old in middle school in Sherman Oaks California, where I learned proper screenplay format and editing. From then on, I’ve been constantly working on my own projects.
I just finished writing my first two features. One about the famous outlaw Billy the Kid, and the other is Where No One Goes – an apocalypse, horror, drama about a boy looking for his mom during the end of the world. I can’t wait to see what I’m able to do with those next.
How do you like spending your time away from acting?
When I’m not working on a project, I love spending time with animals. My cat Toothless is always by my side, I have a bird named Luca who runs the house, and many more animals. I also just got into rock climbing, which has been so much fun and feels like a really healthy exercise to stay active. I love playing guitar and piano, fishing in the lake, go-kart racing, and, for sure, just spending time with friends and family, and of course I love making my own films.
Have you received any advice over your career so far that has stuck with you?
I’ve received a lot of advice from different people over my career. And it always seems to revolve around the same concept. Never give up. That’s the thing with this industry, there’s no guarantee when something is going to click and you’ll be working constantly. No matter how many times you feel like you’re not good enough, and you keep facing rejection, get up, and keep going. Almost everyone I have asked for advice from has said that to me. And, of course, have fun with it. Making movies is the best thing ever.
What are you hoping the rest of the year brings for your career and do you have any further projects coming up that you can talk about?
I’m constantly auditioning, and writing. I can’t wait to see what happens after I Am Your Driver and The Dink come out. I would love to be able to pitch one of my ideas and actually get the movies I wrote made. I can’t wait for people to see them.
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