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Interview: Maxwell Acee Donovan Chats About GABBY DURAN AND THE UNSITTABLES!
The young actor is a series regular on GABBY DURAN, which airs on Disney Channel.
By: Sarah Jae Leiber Jun. 17, 2021
"Gabby Duran and the Unsittables" star Maxwell Acee Donovan is taking the world by storm.
The young actor, who stars as a regular on the Disney Channel series, spoke to BroadwayWorld about his current roles, his dream roles, and what inspires him most as an actor.
Read the full interview below!
Tell me about your role on Gabby Duran and the Unsittables! What do you love about him?
Well, Wesley is - in my completely unbiased opinion! - one of my all-time favorite characters! I've had the opportunity to bring him to life the past few years on Gabby Duran, and I am so grateful for that. Wesley is, at his core, a true believer - earnest, loyal, and a total dreamer. And that's what makes him so incredible to play! I am immediately put into a good mood when I step on set as Wesley (even to me, he's infectiously positive)! And, even though he and I aren't exactly alike, I do love that I can bring pieces of myself to the role and see that reflected in this other person - we're both dreamers, and to be honest, I love being able to go all out with mine. Thank you, Wesley!!
What made you want to become an actor? If you weren't acting, what do you think you'd be doing?
My sister! As far back as I can remember, my sister and I have been performing. Well, I'd be her assistant for the performances! When we were little, we'd put on shows for our family at dinner, dance in front of the credits at the movies, and try to do the Winter Olympics on my grandparents' hardwood floors! So, when she said she wanted to act, my family was 100% on board. My parents are incredible, and they brought us out to LA to try our hand - and that's when I started! My first role was a sibling project with my sister, and once I stepped onto set for the first time, I realized what I wanted to do. Six years later, I love it more every day! I currently go to the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) in the filmmaking department, and I hope to work on both sides of the camera! I think that's a little more realistic than my childhood dream of being a professional Cheetah Rider... but if that's still available, I'd love to.
Who inspires you most as a performer and creator?
Other than my sister? Ryan Reynolds and Jensen Ackles! I'll start with Mr. Reynolds; I am always in awe of his immense talents in front of and behind the camera. I mean, writing and playing Deadpool?! SO COOL!! I am the biggest Ryan Reynolds superfan, and I hope to find myself following a similar path - one where I can end up filling the multiple roles in the filmmaking industry that brings me joy! The same goes for Mr. Ackles! My favorite shows are Supernatural and The Boys (honorable mention to the incredible creator of both - Eric Kripke!), which of course, both star Jensen Ackles! He is always so good! And I remember the first time I saw his name pop up with the directorial credit in Supernatural; it immediately became one of my favorite episodes. So, I guess my biggest inspirations have these things in common: 1) I'm their biggest fan, 2) they're both incredibly talented actors, and 3) they have both achieved that balance of in-front and behind the camera work that I aspire to have!
How has it been to balance working actor life with high school with a global pandemic?
In more normal times, I would have to exit my program at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) and swap to an online program when I headed off to set. This year, however, my school went online, which, weirdly, worked out for me. I got to stay enrolled at LACHSA and made arrangements with my teachers to let them know I would often be in crazy makeup or on strange alien sets when calling into their Zooms (plus a little extra time on significant assignments)! We are given three hours a day while on set to do our schoolwork - and this year certainly proved a bit tricky. There was a LOT of work for my school, and most of the time, I would be doing several things right up until my live Zoom call and had to swap my mindset on a dime from work to school. It was more challenging this year, but I honestly am so glad I got to stay at LACHSA and see my friends (albeit virtually) every day. That being said, I'm looking forward to in-person school starting up again!
Tell me about your dream role.
This is such a good question! I would welcome any TV or film role, but I think my dream would be a blockbuster-type film. I'm grappling with this question because I can't decide in that context whether it would be to work with one of the directorial greats or whether it would be about the role itself. Any chance I could be a darkly comedic action character in a Tarantino film?!
What are some exciting projects you have coming up?
At the moment, I'm knee-deep in promoting Season 2 of Gabby Duran, and I know a few fun promo bits are coming out soon! Spoiler alert - Kylie Cantrall, AKA Gabby Duran herself, and I got to go onboard a DISNEY CRUISE LINE Ship where she, Jack, Sally, and I had some Goofy adventures! I'm planning out my upcoming short film projects for next year at LACHSA! I've also been auditioning like crazy, so fingers crossed on those projects!! Other than that, my sister and I are working on some of our own content - we were recently incredibly inspired both by Hamilton and Lin Manuel Miranda's In The Heights and want to find a way to share our own families' proud immigrant stories!
Photo Credit: Noah Asanias
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