Photography by Jenna Berman
Mark Hildreth has excelled in multiple facets of the entertainment industry. He has been blessed with a thriving career both as a musician and actor.
Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, with two born-deaf grandparents, Mark was an unlikely musical prodigy. He taught himself to play piano at eight years old and appeared on stage in the opera “Madame Butterfly”. Mark has experienced success musically, winning the 2006 SingerSongwriter Award and the Billboard World Song Contest. He has performed at the world-renowned Viper Room, The Knitting Factory, and The House of Blues in Hollywood, and has worked with Warne Livesey, the prodigious producer of 5440 and the Matthew Good Band. His two albums, 2008’s “Complex State of Attachment” and 2012’s “Signs of Life” prove Mark is a true triple threat. An accomplished theatre actor as well, having trained at the National Theatre School of Canada, Mark played title roles in “Hamlet” and “Richard III” in Vancouver and Montreal respectively, and he also received the best actor award playing Marchbanks in George Bernard Shaw’s “Candida”. In 2014 he starred as Lorne Hanley in the world premiere of Bernie Weinraub’s “Above the Fold” in Los Angeles, starring alongside Taraji P.Henson.
Mark’s big break came when he was cast as a series lead on Ion’s “Young Blades.” This was only the beginning of his impressive resume, as he has had stand out recurring roles on Showtime’s “The Tudors” and ABC’s sci-drama
“V” and “Resurrection” which was produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment. He also had a slew of guest star appearances, namely on The CW’s “Supernatural”, CBC’s “Being Erica”, and SyFy’s “Eureka”. Mark has also appeared in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END starring Johnny Depp and AMERICAN PASTORAL which is based on the novel by Phillip Roth. Ewan McGregor directed and starred in alongside an all-star cast that includes Jennifer Connelly, Dakota Fanning, Uzo Aduba and Molly Parker. Mark plays FBI Agent Dolan.
Mark can be seen in the Lifetime TV movie “Nellie Bly”, a psychological thriller inspired by the groundbreaking 19th-century journalist who went undercover to expose abuses in the treatment of women at New York’s Blackwell Island Asylum. Mark plays Bartheloemew Driscoll, a hero and love interest of “Nellie Bly” played by Christina Ricci.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Mark. Check out the interview below.
Hi, Mark! Thank you for granting the interview. Congrats on your recurring role as The Weird Guy in Netflix’s The Hollow. The fans are thrilled to learn it was renewed for a second season. Is there anything you can tease about the second season?
Hi guys! The Hollow has found an amazing audience on Netflix and the fans are SO EXCITED about our second season! Needless to say, there will be lots more fun, adventure, and hi-jinx in season two. But also some interesting questions asked about the nature of reality, how do we know we’re not in a video game, and what if we really are!! Dun dun DUN!!
Tell us something about The Weird Guy that we don’t already know. Who is he, really? What is his personality like?
As a matter of act, you’re going to learn a lot more about Weirdy in season two of The Hollow, including his REAL NAME! You’re going to get to see him deal with an emergency like nothing else we’ve seen, and the kids find out who his real allegiance is to!
[su_pullquote]”Netflix is pushing boundaries with The Hollow.”[/su_pullquote]Is it a challenge to play The Weird Guy?
Playing The Weird Guy is one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had as an actor. It’s the first time I’ve ever combined voice-over acting with live-action acting! The Hollow is doing something very few other shows ever try that way and it’s brave of the creative team. Netflix is pushing boundaries with The Hollow and it makes playing the character of The Weird Guy a lot of fun because we’re always pushing to see what we can do that is new.
What is going to surprise people about The Weird Guy?
Well, there’s going to be a MUSICAL NUMBER for The Weird Guy…I can’t tell you when or what, but let’s just say it’s a HILARIOUS cover of one of the biggest songs from one of your favorite bands of all time!!
What do you enjoy most about your character and role?
It’s been a special treat to get to play such broad comedy. Having done so many dramas like The Tudors, V, Resurrection and Gundam Wing it’s a breath of fresh air for me to get to let loose and stretch my comedy chops.
How did you come about the project?
I just happened to be home for Christmas in my hometown of Vancouver, Canada when they were casting the show. They asked me to come in to read for it and BAM that was that! I felt like I “got” the character from the start so it was one of those special times where the shoe fit perfectly.
Do you have any favorite moments from working on the series so far that you can share?
I have worked in TV, film, theater, and voice-over for many years now, and getting to work with some of the wonderful actors in Vancouver that I hadn’t worked with in a while was so great. Vancouver has an incredible community of performers and actors and has done for some time. I’ve worked all over the world and some of the most experienced actors I know are in Vancouver!
Do you have anything else you would like to share about The Hollow?
It’s just incredible to work on the new TV platforms like Netflix. We can do things you never even dreamed about when I started on TV over 30 years ago. To have a serialized animated series that has drama and comedy, that also combines elements of live-action and now musical numbers? Nobody has done that like this. It’s a blast.
You also starred in Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story. Tell us about that and what it was like working with Christina Ricci.
Nellie Bly is based on an important true story about a female journalist at the turn of the 20th century who goes undercover in a women’s mental asylum to expose the abuses that occurred there. Christina Ricci plays the title role and also produced the film. It was a meaningful story to tell given its place in the history of journalism and because it features strong female characters with intelligence, grace, and determination.
Do you have any upcoming projects you can tell us about?
Right now I’m in the midst of developing a new sketch comedy TV series, a feature film drama and a stage play, as well as working on a new original album! You can hear my first two albums on iTunes and at markhildreth.com! And look out for Nellie Bly and The Hollow: Season 2 coming soon!
Featured Image Credit: Jenna Berman.
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