Nick Wolfhard interview: Hail the hero of The Last Kids on Earth
Meet the New Breakfast Club
1428 Elm: There is also a parallel to The Breakfast Club in a sense. You’ve got your character who is kind of like Anthony Michael Hall, you have Quint, who is a brainy kid that is always inventing things, then there’s Dirk who is basically like the reformed bully with a heart.
Of course, there is also Jack’s crush, June who is a tough girl. The way you all interact with one another is very real and believable. And I know sometimes when you do voice over acting, you aren’t often with the rest of the cast. How were you able to develop your relationships? Because they were extremely convincing.
Nick Wolfhard: Actually, we did get together. Half of us were in a room and the other half were in Los Angeles. Production used a Skype like program.
We would say our lines and then a signal went through to a studio in L.A. Then they would respond to us. For voiceover, it doesn’t usually work like that. Sometimes you have to record dialogue after the characters’ lips are moving and other times you are together in a room and its like acting in a play.
What’s great about the chemistry between the characters is they all have these layers. They have their exteriors but in reality, for example, Jack acts very cool but inwardly, he is dorky. Dirk has a tough exterior but he’s probably the nicest guy in the group with a heart of gold.
June likes to appear strong but she is probably the most vulnerable out of all of them. Of course, Quint is very smart himself but he’s not street smart so Jack is able to help him out in that sense.
What’s great is casting all these different actors to bring the characters to life. It was tough at first but in an entire year we were able to settle in and get into the swing of things.
The Road to Becoming Jack
1428 Elm: Do you remember your audition? Because I think people have this misconception about voice over acting. They think its probably easy, you just say your lines into a microphone and boom, done! But it doesn’t work like that.
Nick Wolfhard: I auditioned five times before I got the role. Its funny you mention that because The Last Kids on Earth was by far the longest audition process I have ever had. I want to say it took place over the course of three months.
Originally, I auditioned for both Dirk as well as Jack. I got the callback for both. And then I remember I was in Ireland and I had to record another MP3 for Jack. Then I think I came back one more time.
One day I got an email in the morning that said I got the part. I threw my fist up in the air and was like yes! I was so excited. It was the most satisfying thing ever. You know, it was a long process but it was so worth it.
1428 Elm: Looking back, do you know why casting took so long?
Nick Wolfhard: Not particularly. As far as I can tell and I can’t really say too much, they are trying to turn The Last Kids on Earth into a franchise type show. They wanted to make the best possible decisions in terms of who they wanted to work on it and find the right people to make everything come to life.