Photo by Taseda Knight
We had the wonderful opportunity to speak with David Kaye about his role in “Siren.” Check out the interview below.
Hi, David! You have one amazing portfolio of work and we are excited to speak with you! Thank you for granting the interview. Congrats on your role in Freeform’s “Siren.” Tell us about your role and character. You play Jerry.
Well, thank you very much! And thanks for taking the time to chat with me. Jerry is an eternal optimist who loves his job feeding the sea lions at the Bristol Cove Marine Mammal Research Center. He also manages the Siren Song Motel on weekends. Though he does work with Ben and Maddie at the research center, he isn’t really on the same level as them in the ol’ brain department. And Jerry has been crushing on Ryn a bit, even though she is completely oblivious to it.
Currently, “Siren” has a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score. Awesome! The series has done so well that it was already renewed for season 2. The storyline is unique. A town that was once home to mermaids and the mermaids are attempting to reclaim their heritage. Did you have to do any aquatic training for your role?
Some of the actors definitely had some diving training. I heard Alex Roe (who plays Ben) can hold his breath for around 4 minutes! I haven’t had any aquatic training specifically for the role, but I do have my boating license, which came in handy when we were shooting some scenes from the pilot that got cut. Maybe Jerry will get to take the boat out again in Season two.
How do you feel being part of such as incredible production?
I gotta say, and I know it has been said before by a lot of the actors on the show, that working on “Siren” is a dream. Everyone is so wonderfully talented, excited to be there, and they are just honestly amazing people. The crew as well. I have learned so much by getting to work in this show. It’s been a fun-tastic experience.
We know what makes this series unique, but what makes it unique to you, in your own words?
I love that “Siren” is not just a show about mermaids. It has touched on some topics that rarely get talked about on TV. I think it’s important to have shows that present gender roles, sexuality, and relationship norms not as an issue, but as an inevitable fact of life. I think “Siren” has done it well.
We heard you can also add film production to your portfolio. Tell us more.
I took an introductory course to film production during my undergrad and I just didn’t stop after it ended. I got together with a bunch of friends and started producing music videos and commercials. Then I did some branded web content and a couple of short films. Before I knew it, I had more than 50 productions under my belt and I was producing my first feature film, “Prodigals”. I’m very excited about it. We start our theatrical release on June 8th in Toronto and will be hitting select cities after that, so keep your eyes peeled! We are also scheduled for a July 10th release on all the major digital and VOD platforms. It will be on Amazon, iTunes, DirecTV, Dish, Vubiquity, etc. I have a fun role in that one. I play Benny, a guy who is on trial for murder after a bar fight gone wrong.
To date, what has been your most challenging role?
On film, I’d say KC in “Cadence” (psychopaths are intense) but on stage, I would have to say Michael from “Creeps” by David Freeman takes the cake.
Is there a role you would love to really sink your teeth in?
I am currently writing a screenplay about a young guy who falls in love with an older woman with a child, a checkered past, and a violent ex. If I can get it up to snuff, I would love to play the lead.
If there was one thing in the world you could change, what would it be and why?
I would want publicly accessible teleportation technology. Does that really require an explanation? I mean, I could explain why, but it would take a really long time. Suffice it to say, there is a myriad of global benefits.
Are there any projects you would like to add that we haven’t mentioned?
One of the other projects I have produced is an animated web series called “White Ninja” starring Paul Scheer. We rebooted a defunct webcomic of the same name and created the first serialized animated series for Vine. In the first season, we garnered 70k followers and about 30 million views. But when Vine shut down in 2016, we decided “White Ninja” wouldn’t go down without a fight. So we reformatted it and continued to create. Now that we aren’t constrained by a 6-second timeframe, the show is getting better. Season two airs on the Toon Star app on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and we are gearing up to start production on Season three.
Complete this sentence:
If I had an opportunity to do anything I want, I would travel the world and take cooking classes in every place I visit.
About Author
