ith more than

two-dozen

titles to his

name, James

Tupper likely

knows quite

a bit about

the finer

details about

acting and being an actor. The

Canadian actor made his screen

debut with a small part in David

Spade’s comedy “Joe Dirt” before

establishing a successful television

career. He is known for his roles in

many television series, including

“Men in Trees”, “Mercy,” “Revenge”

and the post-apocalyptic thriller

“Aftermath” to name a few.

He now returns for season two

of HBO’s high-powered drama

“Big Little Lies” where he plays as

Nathan Carlson, the ex-husband

of Reese Witherspoon’s character

and the current husband of Zoe

Kravitz’s character. DA MAN talks

with the seasoned actor and,

naturally, he has quite a few stories

about his journey that has shaped

him into who he is today.

DAMAN: Hi James, awesome to

have you with us. What have you

been up to these days?

W

James Tupper: Swimming, running

with my dogs, picking up my sweet

boy from his tennis camp. Lucky!

DA: Congratulations on the

success of “Big Little Lies” and

the show’s upcoming second

season. So, first of all, how does it

feel shooting with an all-star cast?

JT: People always ask me if it’s

difficult working with strong

women. I love it. It’s a place I feel

I belong as a strong man. Working

beside great talent is affirming in a

myriad of ways.

DA: Tell us more about your

character, Nathan Carlson, and

what about him that you’ve come

to love and what you hate....

JT: I love that Nathan has to make

some really tough choices this

season. When women lose, their

men lose too.

DA: Did working on “Big Little

Lies” present any new challenges

for you as an actor?

JT: Yes it did, funnily. So much star

power! We did a read through and

I was looking at five or six—you

count them—of America’s greatest

actresses all sitting in a row. Made

me proud to be there.

DA: Who is your favorite character

on “Big Little Lies” and why?

JT: I enjoyed all of them. This

season though, Meryl Streep does

something close to a miracle

playing a mom looking for answers

and clues. She is vulnerable yet

totally unstoppable.

DA: You are not a stranger to the

camera. Do you still get nervous

on the first day of shoot?

JT: Yes, I suppose I do. Nerves

are good. Keeps you sharp and it

means you are doing what you are

supposed to be doing.

DA: How do you always manage to

bring your dynamic characters to

life in each and every role?

JT: Geez, thanks for calling me

dynamic. I guess I think of them

as a rhythm in some ways. Actors

are storytellers and I just want my

part of the story to be true and

unforgettable. Like this interview!

DA: Was there a role, a film

project or even a single moment

on set that made you go “yes, this

is what I’m going to be doing for

the rest of my life”?

JT: No, but whenever my life

steered me away from this choice

I was always filled with a profound

sadness. It gave my life purpose to

go after this dream.

DA: In your opinion, what does it

take for an actor to succeed in this

day and age?

JT: Vulnerability, smarts, curiosity,

tenacity, kindness and an

understanding that you can always

go deeper.

DA: What do you believe is the

key to your success?

JT: I trained hard in New York and

Montreal and then I forgave the

people that hurt me. The people

who betrayed me, I let it go. It

made me free and opened up a

space to grow. Then they couldn’t

stop me anymore.

“I FORGAVE THE

PEOPLE THAT HURT

ME. THE PEOPLE WHO

BETRAYED ME, I LET IT

GO. IT MADE ME FREE

AND OPENED UP A

SPACE TO GROW”