Nestor Carbonell – Bates Motel

By starrymag | March 20, 2017

By: Kelly Kearney

 

Q) Congrats on the final season of “Bates Motel,” like always it is riveting! Sheriff Romero was shot while trying to steal a getaway car. What can you tease, if anything, is in store for him this season?

Nestor: Oh, well thank you! It’s been a dream job in every aspect. Obviously, creatively it has been such a great ride, you just never know where the story is going to go. I think, at least I hope, it’s as engaging for the fans as it us who are a part of it.  You know, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on the next script and couldn’t wait to see where Kerry [Ehrin] and Carlton [Cuse] were going to take it. For my part, this season has been a lot of fun and yeah, very much like a roller-coaster. Its wild and intense and a lot of fun. For Alex, I think it’s safe to say there is nothing that is going to stop him in the least, as far as he’s concerned, in trying to get to Norman (Freddie Highmore). I think he will live to see another day and hopefully live to seek his revenge. Whether he does or not, it remains to be seen, but so far he’s survived the escape, being shot and now he’s seeking refuge with Maggie Summers (Jillian Fargey). I don’t know if the fans remember her, but she was awesome and Keith Summers (W. Earl Brown) from the first season’s sister. So, we will see if he survives, but yes she’s taken him in and that’s about all I can tease [laughing].

Q) I really love the character of Alex and you play him with such subtlety that I think my favorite moments aren’t so much what he says, but what he doesn’t say. Where or from whom do you draw your inspiration for such a multilayered character?

Nestor: Awe thank you so much Kelly, that is very kind of you to say. I had an old acting coach who use to say, “An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words.” With every role I do, I try to find something in the behavior of that character that says as much if not more than what he is saying. Having said that, the writing on the show is so good; you are only as good as the writing you’re given. It’s so rich and the characters are so flawed, which is an asset for an actor if they get to play that. We have phenomenal writing behind us and what I like that Kerry, Carlton and the writers did, with respect to my character, is that they wrote a lot of that subtext in scene directions. So, it was a lot of fun for me to play and not necessarily in dialogue. A lot of it was already on the page and some of it you discover when you’re there, with another actor, naturally of course. So much of that subtext was in the script so we were guided emotionally, even when we weren’t necessarily saying anything. There were many times where the director and I, with the permission of the writer on set, would trim down my dialogue. For Romero, it was often more impactful when he said what he meant with less – even with a look. This is not a guy who’s particularly expressive and that’s one of the things I liked about Alex, he’s the guy who struggles to express himself emotionally a lot of the times. So, the more he could say with his body, from the character’s standpoint, the more effective he was.

Q) The bulk of your scenes have been opposite Norma, who is a whirlwind of drama and comedy. What’s it like working alongside such a talented force like Vera Farmiga and what’s something the fans would be surprised to know about her?

Nestor: Yes, the character is unbelievable, she’s amazing. I should say it’s very believable because as fantastic the character is, Vera has grounded that role – even this year with Norma being dead and the Mother role, as much as any character could. Norma is a vision in Norman’s mind and, again, brilliant writing by Kerry Ehrin and Carlton Cuse and what Vera has added to that has been extraordinary. She’s brought that character to life, even when she’s dead, so exceptionally well. It’s a dream to get to work off someone like her, especially with a character like mine that is very much the opposite in the sense that he is not expressive. One of the things I loved about getting to work with Vera was we learned early on that our characters would eventually be paired up in some fashion. Given that Romero was so closed off and had his own turmoil and dark past, I enjoyed knowing that Norma would eventually draw him out of his shell and bring his guard down. That was always fun to work with her on that, in those scenes. As for Vera, to say something specific about her she’s an extremely hard worker, she’s extremely selfless. I’m sure it would be nice for her fans to know this.  She’s there to work, she’s with the crew the whole time, she’s rarely in her trailer and she’s always there on set. She’s always trying to make the scene stronger, better, more interesting. She’s incredibly giving as an actor. So, it’s been a gift these five years. We’ve all been really spoiled with her at the helm. I mean she’s really carried the show until this last season where Freddie’s taken the bulk of the reins. She’s made that character, that could be completely, unsympathetic on the page, highly sympathetic and highly lovable. That’s a testament to her as a talent and her as a person. There’s just something to be said about a tragic past and, man, does Norma have one. So above and beyond that, I think the charm and humor that Vera brought to Norma and Kerry wrote really it endeared us all to her that character.

Q) A lot of the scenes in “Bates Motel,” especially for your character last season, were heart wrenching and action packed. What would you say was the hardest scene you’ve had to film for the series and why?

Nestor: There’s always physically demanding scenes and we shot most of “Bates” during the winters of Vancouver. I’m not that great with the cold [laughs]. I’m ashamed to say it because I know you are in New York right now, in the middle of a blizzard, but I’m just not so good in the cold. And at four in the morning, out on a dock, with the wind blowing [pause]…I don’t know how Vera did it, honestly. She’s tough as nails and I just wasn’t as good as her in that aspect. We shot in the winter because of the aesthetic, with the dark grey skies and those were some early, tough, cold mornings. Ultimately, we don’t care. We love the show, we love working with each other and we have a blast. Emotionally, the toughest for me was shooting the scene where I try and resuscitate Norma, when Norman kills her. We all knew, emotionally, that was going to be a tough one and I knew that day was just going to be awful so I prepared myself. So, those were tough moments, but ultimately when you love a show as much as we did and the people and the material – those things are all just part of the journey. If it weren’t tough, it probably wouldn’t be as meaningful in the end.  We kind of look forward to those emotional scenes and yet somewhat dread them because we knew they were going to be brutal, but we also knew they would help to tell a story in a most profound way.

Q) Looking back over the past five seasons, were there things you learned from playing Alex that you will take with you to other roles?

Nestor: The things I learned about playing Alex was less can be more; not always but often it can and I think with him I was trying to find Alex’s presence and identity. That was something I did back in “Lost” was working with a character I didn’t fully know and was continuing to explore on my own and making up my own history. I didn’t always guess right, but tried to be in that character’s ball park. Those are things I picked up on “Lost.” Filing in the history of a character who’s a mystery, you don’t fully know who he is yet in terms of story and you discover much later on. So, I enjoyed the process of learning; that process of writing my own history and discovery. So, those are some of the things I have learned.

Q) Is there something that you will miss about playing Alex on “Bates Motel?”

Nestor: Yes, well one of the things I will miss from playing Romero is obviously the cast and the material, Kerry and Carlton and the crew. The crew was just phenomenal. Also, just by virtue of the fact Alex was written that way, getting to be a badass cop between action and cut. I knew before “action.” Certainly at home I was no Alex Romero [laughing]. After “action,” I could feel like a bad ass but at home? Yeah, not so much.

Q) Can you tease what maybe you kept as a souvenir from the set of “Bates Motel,” that belonged to Romero?

Nestor: So, funny, I wanted to get his sheriff’s belt, but all the stuff from last season had been packed away in storage already. So, I couldn’t get any mementos of his. The only thing I took were his socks. Now, whenever I want to feel like a badass I’ll just go throw on the Romero socks.

Q) You’ve acted in over seventy roles, what’s your secret to career longevity? What advice would you give to a young person looking to break into the business? Maybe something you wish someone would have told you?

Nestor: Sure, I’ve been very lucky as an actor over the years and it’s an unpredictable business. You just don’t know when you’re going to work next or for how long. So, If I could give any advice to an aspiring actor I guess I would say, study the craft. Go out and really learn it because while one may get lucky and get a big break, here and there, to have some kind of longevity, you have to have some kind of training behind you, so you can stretch and grow and do a number of roles outside your wheelhouse. I would encourage actors to always study. Another thing I’d say is try and stay mentally sound. That’s another battle with this crazy business because it is so unpredictable and it doesn’t lend itself too much stability.  You just have to be grounded in some way, completely outside of this business. Find something that will fill you so this business doesn’t consume you, because if you allow it to, it really will. Often these decisions are subjective. They’re on the whim of somebody else’s tastes and may not always be reflective of what you might be able to do, so you have to find some way to ground yourself. Find something where you can anchor yourself, where you don’t lose yourself and your identity.

Q) Following up on the last question, seventy plus roles is impressive. What’s your process on choosing which role is right for you?

Nestor: Oh, ok great question! I always try and look at the role and the story in trying to go after material or if it comes my way. I always look to see if the role is multi-dimensional and if there’s a good strong misbehavior in the role. If there is real flaw to the character…Because it’s hard to play just the nice guy, for me, to wrap my head around a character that’s just sweet and nice. Everyone has misbehavior and if it’s an interesting piece of misbehavior, if it’s something that’s active and continues to trip the character up, then its infinitely more interesting for an actor to play. So, I always look for a strong misbehavior, even if its nasty. Often the nastier the better because you can always find reason for a character to do awful things, not necessarily justified, but you can always find reasons. So, misbehavior and of course the story, where is it going and is it meaningful in any way? If it’s not meaningful, then how does it entertain? So, I try to look for those things in projects and sometimes it works when its opposite another great actor. If I can grow by working with this actor. That can sometimes be a draw, but typically its what’s on the page, the role and how multidimensional it is.

Q) Is there a role or genre you haven’t done that hope to do one day?

Nestor: I guess some cold argue Psycho is in the horror genre, but I would still classify it as more of a psychological thriller. So, horror isn’t something I have done and I think could be fun. I love comedy and I haven’t done it in a while so I wouldn’t mind going back to that. But action films…I’ve done a little on Smokin’ Aces and I did a little action this season on “Bates Motel.” But a strictly action film, that would be a lot of fun as well. I would absolutely love to do a superhero movie. I was blown to bits in [Christopher] Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, but if I could be resurrected I would love to come back as a superhero. That would be fantastic and I would absolutely love it. I had such a great time on The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, obviously working with Chris Nolan and that great cast and phenomenal material. So, I absolutely would and I am definitely open to it. I had a lot of fun playing Batmanuel (on “The Tick”) who wasn’t much of a superhero, but a hero none the less in my mind anyway.

Q) Like most people in your business you are on social media. What’s it like getting that instant fan feedback?

Nestor: I came to it during “Bates Motel.” It was something the publicity department asked me to join and Vera had just joined so we talked about it. Initially, I didn’t know much about it and Vera sort of guided me through it. It’s been a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it and it is a great way to interface with fans in real time while watching the show together, live tweeting and making jokes. It’s been a lot of fun doing it with Vera as Romero, too. I tweeted as the character and sort of silly stuff. Especially with the fans who branded our characters with the “Normero” tag, it’s been a lot of fun sending tweets in character. The fun part is hearing from the fans and what they respond to on the show, what makes them mad, what makes them cry and what makes them happy or angry. I would have never gotten that immediate feedback unless it was on the street. It’s phenomenal because we hear from fans all over the world and its really incredible how technology and social media has brought us together and closer in that way. The drawbacks of social media aren’t really drawbacks for me. I welcome comments from anyone. Look, once we finish shooting it’s in the hands of the fans and its truly up to them to respond to it as they see fit. Who am I to judge their response? That being said, the responses I’ve received have been really kind. The only tough thing about social media was we shot in Vancouver and I would fly back and forth from Los Angeles to see my family during those five months of filming. So, because I’m playing catch up with my family, I’m not on it as much as I probably should be. I try and check in when I can, but I’m usually with the kids trying to catch up on lost time.

 

 

Q) Is there anything else you are working on that the fans should look out for?

Nestor: That’s nice of you to ask, Kelly. Yes, I was in a film called Crown Heights that went to Sundance this year and it did well. It won the audience award and Amazon is picking it up. I think they will be releasing it this year. It’s based on a true story about Colin Warner’s incarceration in New York and he was not guilty and ultimately exonerated [pause] …and I just gave you a spoiler alert [laughs]…But it’s an incredible story of strong will and friendship. It’s extremely well done and Matt Ruskin directed it and Keith Stanfield stars in it. I play one of Colin’s attorneys and it’s a very powerful, meaningful and I think very important story. I’m prepping a movie to direct called The Locker Room. I’m working with Ted Nolte the author of the book that it’s based on so we are working on that. Beyond that, who knows! We will see where it takes me. I am grateful for the ride I have had so far and I’m hopeful and looking forward to where it leads next.