Jared's life is about to get a lot more complicated -- and that's saying something! In Trickster, a CBC original series that will re-air on The CW this winter, the Indigenous teen discovers there is much more to his past than his parents ever told him. As he struggles to take care of a family that is falling apart in front of him, he begins to experience more and more supernatural events that lead him into a mythical world like he never would have believed.
Speaking to CBR, Trickster star Joel Ouelette introduced his character Jared as an Indigenous teen who is "dealing with a lot right now." He teased the "thrilling" mystery at the core of the show, as well as Jared's difficult road to self-discovery. He also shared his experience working with journeyman actor Kalani Queypo, discussed the layers of Haisla mythology in the series, recalled his first work with CGI and more.
CBR: For many Americans, this will be the first time they've seen Trickster. What do you think viewers should know before they sit down to watch it for the first time?
Joel Ouelette: I think people should know that Trickster is from the Haisla mythology, which their trickster is based on the raven, and it's sort of a mischievous kind of person but also teaches you wise lessons. I feel like they should know that it's full of excitement, this TV show. I feel like they really don't know what they're getting themselves into! There's a lot of mystery, there's a lot of thrilling acts in it, thrilling scenes. It's amazing how it all comes together in such a beautiful way that shows Americans a little bit about Indigenous culture.
Needless to say, we unfortunately don't see very many Indigenous stories in mainstream media, especially not like this. What has this role meant to you, as someone playing such a visible, well-rounded character?
I mean, this role probably means everything to me. Just starting acting was really fun and really cool and entertaining, but as I grew more and more and found Trickster -- I mean, I feel like I resonated with Jared. I mean, I was fresh out of high school; I was 17. So I could really relate to a lot of the things he was going through and, a lot of things he put up with, I feel like everyone can. I feel like they should just realize that it's gonna be amazing.
How would you introduce Jared to your friends?
Jared is an Indigenous -- I don't know, I'd feel weird if I was saying that to my friends! But I mean, Jared, he's a cool kid, and he's dealing with a lot right now. I mean, he has a lot of family troubles going on, so watch out. He is growing, too, and he is kind also cooking some ecstasy on the side. So I mean, yeah, if you guys want some, then hit him up, I guess, for his extra salty fries! [laughs]
Jared has to come to terms with some difficult truths when the series picks up. Without giving too much away, how does his identity evolve over the course of Season 1?
I feel like Jared's identity, at the start, he's really trying to hold it all together. He's trying to hold his family together. He's trying to hold his relationships that he has, but it's super hard for him because he's paying the bills. He's feeding his parents. He's pretty much the parents of his parents, and that's really hard for him, but he's still trying to keep it stable, like the whole season. But when people start telling him and questioning his own morale and his own being willing and saying stuff that throws his mind in a loop, he just can't take it anymore, and he's just on this road to self-discovery.
Which aspect of Jared's character do you relate to the most and why?
I mean, Maggie calls him Jellybean. My nickname was Jellybean Joel when I was a kid, and I used to break dance and stuff. So that was pretty much spot-on at the start. I literally had -- my dad spray painted this shirt for me that said, "Jellybean Joel" and they put it in the TV show, which is really cool and it just made me feel more like him, I guess... It was just ironic! It just coincidentally just perfectly happened, I guess.
Which character would you say has the most interesting dynamic with Jared and why?
I would probably say, at the start, Richie. Richie is his mom's drug dealer, and then he's literally saying that his mom is in trouble, and Jared hates this guy, right? But then he, all of a sudden, happens to be staying with them, and that dynamic -- when I put myself in that situation, that would throw me in a loop and itself. So I feel like that very weird relationship.
I'd love to hear a little about your experience working with Kalani Queypo.
I feel like Kalani definitely helped me out the most. He was a mentor that was just there for me in those scenes, and even off set. We would just talk about it and in-depth-ly analyze it and me being a new newcomer, I wasn't really sure, like, actors' ways and how they prepare and how they're supposed to get into this character. He really taught me a lot. One of the things he said is, "It's all in the face. You gotta feel that character. You gotta feel it in the gut. You gotta visualize you being him." I think that just helped me out so much. He taught me ukulele too, which is just crazy and cool, and we jammed out like all the time in our trailers... singing these Hawaiian songs for, like, hours. So yeah, no, Kalani, definitely -- hands down -- just helped me out. So much respect for that guy.
What was your favorite memory from set?
I would say I can't pinpoint a specific memory. I mean, it was all just kind of like a magical experience. I had never really seen TV being filmed like that before. That was my first time. So all the memories were great, but I mean, I think we all went to Nuit Blanche in Toronto, so that was awesome. We were all friends, you know, so we all went there and had a blast and that was really fun, I'd say.
How does Jared's dynamic with Sara, his love interest and next door neighbor, continue to grow throughout the season?
Well, I mean, you see Jared really interested in this person who's carrying this huge thing of meat and throwing it in the trash can, which is just weird, but he definitely takes interest in the girl across the street and, you know, she's kind of standoffish. She kind of just throws him in like this weird trance, I guess, where you just follow these two characters, who just get closer and closer over time, and you see a lot of magic happen, I guess.
Since you're a newcomer to acting, what was it like for you to act opposite these magical, CGI creations?
I mean, I'd never really seen that stuff before or worked with it. You've got to pretend a lot in these scenes... They had this, like, mirror ball, I guess, and that was supposed to be the raven. At first, it was really weird to just visualize it as a raven, but that's what you've got to do in those situations, and seeing it come out as an end product, when Trickster fully came out -- I mean, it worked, and it's awesome to see just this tangible object turn into this cool CGI creature.
Magic is often a gateway for characters to discover something new about themselves. What did the supernatural elements of Trickster allow you to do with Jared's character that perhaps you couldn't have done in a straight drama?
I feel like it would definitely be less interesting if there wasn't a supernatural element in it, but when when you tie that that stuff in, it just makes it more magical and more interesting, because you don't really know what these beings are, you don't know where they come from, you don't know what they're about. I feel like that's a great journey for the viewer to just slowly learn more and more about these mythical creatures, and it's so cool when you tie in creatures and mythicalness. I feel like it's just so cool when you tie it all together.
What do you hope viewers take away from this series?
I hope viewers take away learning a little bit more about Indigenous culture. I feel like it's cool, because they're gonna search up these things, like, "Where's Kitimat? What's trickster?" That's one of the main points, is to get people more involved in Indigenous storytelling and seeing it as not necessarily like a less interesting thing than, you know, that Supernatural show. It has so much depth to to it, and I'm just so excited for people to tune in on The CW to watch it.
Trickster premiered in CBC in October 2020, and will be released in the US by The CW starting Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 9 pm ET/PT. Based on Eden Robinson's Trickster trilogy and directed by Michelle Latimer, Trickster stars Joel Oulette as Jared, Kalani Queypo as Wade, Crystle Lightning as Maggie, Georgina Lightning as Sophia, Anna Lambe as Sarah, Nathan Alexis as Crashpad, Craig Lauzon as Phil, Gail Maurice as Georgina, Joel Thomas Hynes as Richie and Jamie Spilchuk as Mr. Good.