I recently had the opportunity to chat it up with Canadian actor Aren Buchholz, 
who just recently made guest appearances on Supernatural and Lost Girl. Currently you can catch his film When the Ocean Met the Sky, which is doing very well on the Indie circuit! Having a strong passion for the arts, along with being a charismatic actor, it’s no wonder that Aren is already very accomplished despite his young age. But I’ll let him tell you more about himself, his acting experiences, and a little bit of his geeky side.
DFAT: Why did you decide to pursue the arts? What movie or television shows did you watch when you were a kid that made you want to become an actor?
Aren: For as long as I can remember, I always loved performing, whether it was homemade skits, on stage, or filming short films with my best friends. I just plain loved it. My whole family was very supportive too; when it came time to decide which avenue to take in life, my parents told me to do what will make me feel happy and fulfilled in life. It can be such a hard industry at times, so having that support system means the world. Growing up my genre of choice was definitely comedy. I grew to appreciate other genres later in high school, but in my younger years my friends and I were addicted to SNL skits, Chris Farley, John Candy, Mike Myers, Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, and Jack Black movies. We were comedy movie buffs. One of my top five favorite movies of all time has to be ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ with John Candy and Steve Martin, such a classic! As for TV shows, I’d come home after school and watch The Simpsons and Seinfeld, rinse, repeat. 
These movies and shows really formed the comedic goofball side of me, and ignited my passion for acting and filmmaking at a young age.
DFAT: It’s clear that you’re a big fan of comedy, but that’s not a genre where your most recent acting has been in. I hope you don’t mind if we change gears and talk about the experiences you’ve had working on sci-fi/horror shows. With guest appearances on dark fantasy shows like Lost Girl and Supernatural, what is your favorite genre to act in?
Aren: Haha my last answer would have you thinking my favorite genre to act in is comedy, but as I’ve grown up and experienced acting in all sorts, it really is a tough choice. They’re all great for so many different reasons. Shows like Supernatural and Lost Girl are a blast because the storylines and characters are so fantastical; it’s the ultimate playground for an actor. But then the realism of acting in a drama, and being able to delve into more serious materials is also a delight. I’m going to have to say I love it all! Except for musicals, I love watching them, but I can’t sing for the life of me.
DFAT: It’s ok I won’t ask you to sing for me… well until the end of the interview that is. Tell us a bit about your experience on the set of Supernatural. Those guys always seem to be having a fun time on screen.
Aren: I’ve been lucky enough to be on the show and work with the group twice in my career! The first time was about 4 years ago, playing ‘Vampire Beiber,’ and it was actually the first role I booked in Vancouver so it still means a lot to this day. And then most recently I played ‘Deputy “douche” Graham’ in ‘Hibbing 911.’ Both characters were super fun to play; I was lucky to land two very different and unique characters that stir up a little trouble for Jensen’s character. And Jared and Jensen are such a blast to act with, such goofballs, it makes for a really fun and comfortable set to work on. I remember walking on set for my recent appearance and wondering if the boys would remember me from 4 years ago, since I’ve grown up quite a bit since then. And as soon as I told Jensen I worked with him before, his face lit up and he was like ‘I remember you!’ It was pretty funny, we had a good laugh.
DFAT: Ha, that’s gold! It must be nice to have that kind of camaraderie on set. Let me ask, what’s the difference between acting on a television show versus acting in a movie?
Aren: I think as an actor, it varies project-to-project, script-to-script. 
A big factor is budget and scheduling; the more time and money you have, the more freedom to play with the character and scenes on the day. And that goes for both film and TV. Sometimes you’ll be filming a TV show with a big budget and you’ll get ample time shooting a scene and get quite a few takes, whereas other times you’ll be shooting a scene in an indie film with a smaller budget and you’ll hear the director yell ‘okay moving on!’ And you’re like, what? Already!? Haha As for preference, as long as I can tell a great story truthfully and effect change in people, then the medium or platform doesn’t really matter to me.
DFAT: As long as we are still on the topic of TV, what current show would you love to be a part of?
Aren: Oh boy, Game of Thrones would be a dream come true, it’s like watching a movie every episode, I love it. Vikings is also a pretty rad show, I would love to be on that as well. Anything where I can wield a sword. Suits would be cool too, I love the cast on that show and hey, I wouldn’t mind rocking a perfectly tailored suit everyday!
DFAT: The only downside of that show is that it may be a short stint! What other projects can you tell our readers about, that you have coming down the pipeline?
Aren: Well I am actually currently shooting a movie for Lifetime starring Bella Thorne, Daniela Bobadilla and Israel Broussard called ‘Perfect High.’ I can’t say much about it at the moment, but I can tell you the movie is about teenage drug abuse, and I play the supporting character of Rick, who just happens to deal the drugs! Haha it’s been a really fun shoot so far, the cast is great.
I also shot an independent feature film last year named ‘When The Ocean Met The Sky’, which is currently in the festival circuit. It’s a beautiful story about three estranged brothers who must venture to a remote location to receive their inheritance, due to a stipulation written in their parents will. I play Jordan Holmes, the youngest of the three brothers. The film has been doing really well so far in the festival circuit, winning an award at every festival it’s competed in thus far. Even more importantly, the audience response has been great; people are genuinely touched by the story, and as an actor/filmmaker, that’s the best feeling in the world. 
In March, ‘When The Ocean Met The Sky’ will be playing in Green Bay, Green Mountain, Kamloops and Tampa Bay (Gasparilla International Film Festival), so go check it out!
DFAT: That’s great to hear! Maybe some of our readers will have the opportunity to check it out! Here’s kind of an off the wall question, if you had a magic wand and you were allowed to make any movie in the world, what would the movie be about and what would your role be?
Aren: Well a couple of my best buddies and I have some feature film scripts that we’ve written, so if I had a magic wand I would totally create the budgets for those! I can’t say what the movies are about unfortunately, but I can say in the script I wrote, I would play a young man who is fighting cancer and uses alternative medicines to combat the disease.If I could choose any other type of movie with my magic wand, it would probably be a Greek mythology film and I would play the Demi-god ‘Perseus’ and kick some monster butt. Or if they ever made a ‘God of War’ movie, playing Kratos would be a dream come true, I love those video games. I hope the wand could also make me super buff because Kratos is jacked.
DFAT: Amazing! God of War is one of our favorite video game series! I am really surprised we haven’t seen a feature film based on it yet! Now I’ve got a REALLY difficult question for you. If you could only pick between seeing either Avengers 2 or Star Wars Episode VII this year, which one would you pick and why?
Aren: Oh good gravy that is a tough question. I love the comic book worlds of Marvel (and DC), so I am super pumped on the new Avengers movie; I cannot wait to see Ultron on the big screen. But the little kid in me, who used to watch ‘Return of The Jedi’ over and over, and had Star Wars themed birthday parties and was truly convinced at one point he was a Jedi, 
is going to have to go with Star Wars Episode VII. Can I use the wand again? Because I would really love to play a Jedi one day, or perhaps, maybe even a Sith… muahaha
DFAT: I think I would have to TOTALLY agree with you. But as long as we are sort of on the subject of comics, if you could be any superhero who would you be and why?
Aren: Also an equally difficult question. I’m going to have to be patriotic here (I’m Canadian) and go with Marvel’s Guardian from the Alpha Flight team. If you don’t know who he is, Google him because he’s pretty awesome.
DFAT: That is a great answer, and very politically sound, haha. You are a very well-rounded individual who has many interests. What advice would you give youths out there who are interested in pursuing a career in acting? Or life in general?
Aren: If I could give any advice at all, I would say to be true to yourself, work hard, be humble and be a compassionate human being. Jim Carrey had a great quote last year during a commencement speech when he said ‘you can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.’
Photos of Aren Buchholz courtesy of Reyelle Photography
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