Wolfgang Weber is an actor who is known for starring in the Lifetime TV series “Devious Nanny.” Wolfgang got his start on Canadian television where he co-starred in a miniseries titled “H2O.” He then moved to the American state of Florida, where he landed gigs in numerous acting roles in commercials, followed by short and feature-length films.
After a short stint as a corrections officer, Wolfgang eventually made his way to Los Angeles, California and became a cast member on Cartoon Networks “Incredible Crew” and the famed “CSI Miami.” He was later cast in a film called “Heatwave.”
Wolfgang has since starred in numerous indie films including “All American Zombie Drugs,” Resurgent,” “The Magicians Son” as well as appearing in many popular YouTube Channels.
The year 2017 was especially busy, he found work on Television Series and in the feature films “Interpreters,” “Cynthia,” and "Devious Nanny.”
Wolfgang recently discussed his career and more via an exclusive interview.
Acting, characters, and America
Meagan Meehan (MM): How did you know you wanted to become an actor and how did you break into the industry via Canadian television?
Wolfgang Weber (WW): I sort of had a late start; I was in limbo with what direction I should be going in life. My brother’s friend asked me at the time if I’d like to be an extra in a music video. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, I’ve never experienced this before, but she assured me that I’d have a blast. Well, she was correct, I had so much fun that day that I started craving more of that experience.
She then referred me to A.C.T. Ottawa a local acting/auditioning school. It was at this school where I started really falling in love with the art of acting. After about three months there were casting notices about the CTV four-hour mini-series H2O that starred Paul Gross and a whole slew of other actors. I showed up on set as an extra, and the director Charles Biname needed 2 RCMP officers to arrest actor Kenneth Welsh in a scene.
I quickly raised my hand, and I was immediately select and bumped to a Co-Star. I was so excited! It was at that moment I knew I wanted to pursue acting.
MM: What sorts of characters do you most enjoy portraying and which roles have been the most memorable to play?
WW: I feel like it changes with me at times. I tend to want to play characters that sort of fit what I’m going through at the moment in my life.
I think mainly because it helps in channeling certain emotions when you’re experiencing them in the now. I frequently get cast as a cop, and I think it may have to do with the fact that I was an Officer in Florida many years ago so when auditioning and playing these characters, I have a memory bank of experience that I can pull from. If that makes any sense at all, haha.
One the most memorable roles wasn’t in a film, it was in an audition. I was on my second or third callback, I can’t really remember, but we were doing chemistry reads, where they were pairing us with other actors. I went into the room with my scene partner, and we started our scene, but within the first few sentences, I realized I wasn’t reading the right scene!
Apparently, they sent out new scenes, and I somehow didn’t get the memo. Casting, was super cool and they said to just take five minutes on the new scene and when I’m ready to come back and perform it.
I stepped outside and was reading through the scene, and I was required to cry/ tear up. I’ve never done that before, and I was scared I didn’t get to prepare fully. I figured what the heck; let’s give this a try. I went back into the room, and during the scene where the characters were saying bye to each other at an airport, I don’t know what came over me, but I started crying like a baby, not sobbing but actually crying out of sadness. It was that moment I tapped into something in my brain that I could now access.
I was so excited when I left the audition room and headed back to my car and my wife was like, “why are you crying?” I said I don’t know! Let’s get sushi, haha. I never did book the role, but I definitely learned about myself!
MM: What were the challenges of moving to America and adjusting to the film industry here; is it much different from Canada?
WW: I mean it’s pretty similar to Canada. There’s a union you must work at to join, there are agents, managers, and publicist. I’d say my biggest challenge was leaving my family behind.
Films, TV shows, and new projects
MM: How did you find parts in short films and features, and what are that considerations of working on indie budgets?
WW: I typically find them either through referrals or just being sent out by an agent.
As for what to consider when working on indie budgets, I’d say from my experiences it is the work hours. On smaller scale films they typically don’t have the finances/resources to have a full thirty-day shoot, and they tend to reduce it to about 10 to 14 days to shoot a full feature, which can be very challenging on not just actors, but the whole crew. It’s definitely not unheard of to have a sixteen-hour plus day! For the most part, everyone loves what they’re doing, and we’re having a blast creating and making Movies as a team.
MM: How did you get roles on big TVshows like “CSI: Miami,” “Cynthia,” and “Devious Nanny”? Moreover, what characters do you play and how did you prepare to “get inside their minds”?
WW: Audition, Audition, Audition! Well for the most part at least. “CSI Miami” was one of my very first auditions when I arrived in Los Angeles. “Cynthia” and “Devious Nanny” were both my first offer only roles, which in the acting world felt really good. And it helps to have worked with directors Kenny Gage and Devon Downs in the past, so we’ve already had a history of working together.
When it comes to playing any character, preparation is key. Sometimes certain characters take less preparation than others. Typically, before I start the research of any character, I feel like for me personally, I need to know the dialogue and the breakdown of the whole scene. Learning the scene and your objectives make it easier to also retain the dialogue.
I also have this weird thing that I need to study right before bed and sleep on the scene. And for the most part, when I wake up in the morning, it’s just magically printed in my brain. When I become so familiar with a scene, that’s when the fun stuff comes into play such as the research, the playing with words, and bringing the character to life. Now what has helped me particularly with these characters is that I’ve been an Officer already in my life, so I’ve built up years of experience to pull from so I knew how to present myself as such on camera.
So, for the roles that I played on “CSI Miami” and “Devious Nanny,” I knew how to physically mold myself to those characters. As for “Cynthia,” the directors allowed me to have more freedom, so I was able to ham it up a little which brought the comedy to a very dramatic scene.
And when directors give you that freedom it allows for a different take on a character that maybe they never thought of, so it could be a win-win for everyone. So, yeah! I hope that wasn’t too confusing for everyone, haha.
MM: Have you any exciting new projects coming up and would you like to discuss anything else?
WW: Why, yes, I do! I have two features, a family drama “The Magician’s Son” and Sci-Fi thriller “Interpreters” that we’re still waiting on distributions dates. I’ll also be the in the TV series “In An Instant” which I believe is premiering its fourth season this summer on ABC. I’m also producing and starring in a whacky YouTube series called “Big Baby” which you can find on my website or YouTube.
