Pictured: Actor Craig Arnold. Photo Courtesy of Craig Arnold.

Pictured: Actor Craig Arnold. Photo Courtesy of Craig Arnold.

GALO:  You described the role of Lukas as a “darker” role, and your role as Luke on Degrassi has strayed into darker territory as well. What is it about playing morally ambiguous characters that appeals to you?

CA: I don’t know that the roles appeal to me so much, because they are all very far from [who I am]. But I am intrigued by them and kind of want to learn from them. It’s tough to portray people who do terrible things, but it’s interesting to try and play roles that are a stretch from myself and force me to have empathy for people who may otherwise get written off as a bad guy. So the appeal isn’t dark characters, I just want to seek to understand as many different kinds of people as I can. The challenge of trying to flesh these characters out and make them real is interesting.

GALO: Wet Bum is the feature debut for writer/director Lindsay McKay. What was it like working with her on set? Did your first impressions of her change over time?

CA: It was amazing working with her on set. I totally forgot that this was her first feature. She was so professional and she knew exactly what she wanted in every scene. She had a unique vision that she stuck to, and she didn’t let time constraints or issues that popped up get in the way of that. We had issues with underwater cameras, we had to re-shoot a bunch of scenes and deal with weather, but she never got flustered and held her head high and pushed through it. So, if anything, I gained respect for her as the shoot went on.

GALO: Wet Bum deals with a familiar genre — a coming-of-age story — but the early feedback gives off the sense that this film isn’t typical of that theme. What about Wet Bum separates and distinguishes it from other coming-of-age films?

CA: The character Sam is very real. You don’t feel sorry for her the whole time — she can be a little punk. So, she’s not a perfect kid. And the relationships she has with the older characters in the film, from the elders at the retirement home to Lukas, seem much more honest. You don’t see a lot of that in most of these movies, the older characters tend to be people who just offer up advice and disappear — [these movies] don’t always show the darker sides of their lives. Lindsay was never afraid to get gritty in the script and make audiences uncomfortable. I commend her for not shying away from those aspects, and presenting a more honest portrayal of growing up. Also, it has beautiful imagery and music throughout the film. I found that to be very unique as well.

GALO: Your co-star, Julia Sarah Stone, was named one of TIFF’s Rising Stars. What was it like sharing scenes with her? How did your approach to the script compare to hers?

CA: She is incredible. I kept forgetting she was only 15 when we were filming this. She was a pro. She showed up every day and got every scene exactly how Lindsay wanted it. She’s able to express so much just through her eyes, and acting alongside her was amazing. She was so open to collaboration and making changes on the day, and would kind of just jive with whatever happened during the take — if something went differently than we expected, she would just run with it and that’s where a lot of the good moments happen. I think she is going to do so well, and it was really great working with her.

GALO: As mentioned before, you’re best known for your role on Degrassi: The Next Generation. Does your approach to a character differ when you only have a couple of hours to flesh him out scene by scene instead of in dozens of episodes?

CA: Not really, no, because a lot of it is done with the writing. A lot of the time with TV, I only get the script two weeks before we film the episode, so you never really know what is going to come up five, or ten, or fifteen episodes from then. I wish I had all the scripts for the TV episodes, and I could know the character’s entire arc. That is one of the reasons I really like working on films, because I have the whole story in front of me, and I can see [the character’s] journey and kind of plan it out.

GALO: The response to the film has been overwhelmingly positive so far. What was it like watching the final product with an audience for the first time?

CA: It was amazing. I was really impressed by how it turned out. I think a lot of the people in the audience were kind of shocked by how deep and how dark it got in some moments. One of the things that I appreciated so much after seeing the finished product for the first time, was how the editing, music, and the underwater photography looked. The vibe of the movie, the tone, the color, and the music were just gorgeous. I was so happy with it. And seeing it with an audience was really great. There was a woman at the end of the first screening who stood up for the Q&A and told us that the story really mirrored her adolescence. It was really nice to get a response like that.

GALO: You’ve been to TIFF once before with Blackbird, a film where you had a smaller role. What has the experience been like this time around?

CA: I only had a supporting part [in Blackbird], so I didn’t get as much of the TIFF experience as I did this time, but it was a really great experience. This time, I’ve done a lot more press and I’ve been able to promote the movie a lot more. Plus, it has been fun going to a lot of these parties [laughs].

GALO: Do you have any projects scheduled now that Wet Bum is wrapping up in the festival circuit? And ideally, what kind of projects would you like to pursue going forward?

CA: I’m working on some TV that is coming up, but I can’t actually reveal what it is yet. But Degrassi season 14 is going to premiere in October.

Going forward, I just want to pursue whatever projects pique my interest and finding projects that push the envelope of what the medium can do, whether it’s TV or film, and that offer new perspectives and ideas — especially characters that are flawed, real and well-written. I don’t want to limit myself, so I’m staying open to anything that might be interesting.

The 14th season of “Degrassi: The Next Generation” is set to premiere October 28 on Teen Nick and MTV Canada.