Photo by Lane Dorsey
Born and raised in Ottawa, Chad Connell’s charisma shines through in all of his onscreen roles. With his diversely skilled background in the performing arts, Chad is a multi-talented actor whose personality charms audiences across the platforms of theatre, television, and film.
Chad has had a love for the performing arts since he was three years old. His animated personality translated well into his dancing and singing lessons throughout his childhood. He played Hercules in his first recital and had a lead part in the Tin Soldier at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre in the same year. Chad was hooked on acting and began to take it more seriously into his teenage years.
When Chad was fourteen years old, he snagged a role in THE PACT, starring Ryder Strong. He then decided to put film and television on pause, attending Ryerson Theatre School. Upon graduating in 2006, Chad returned to television where he amassed a multitude of credits in television series such as CBC comedy “Rumours”, USA Network’s “Suits”, alongside Kim Cattrall in HBO Canada’s “Sensitive Skin”, Global’s “Mary Kills People”, CBC’s “Murdoch Mysteries”, Freeform’s “Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments”, Hallmark’s “Good Witch”, The CW’s “Nikita”, and MTV Canada’s “Degrassi”.
Chad can also be seen in many notable films, including DOUBLE WEDDING, STEEL, ANXIETYVILLE, GONE TOMORROW, THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES, WHITE HOUSE DOWN, PROM WARS: LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD, ABANDON, and POSERS. He has also appeared in short films DRIVER IS ARRIVING NOW and STREET MEET.
Chad currently resides in Toronto, Ontario. Catch him as Bryce in CBC’s “Crawford” every Thursday night which premiered on June 14th.
We had the amazing opportunity to speak with Chad. Check out the interview below.
Hi, Chad! Thank you for granting the interview. It is a pleasure to speak with you about your career. Congratulations on your role in the highly-anticipated new comedy series “Crawford.” We are thrilled for you. Tell us about your role and character.
Hey, happy to talk with you, too. I’ve been talking everyone’s ear off about “Crawford,” so I’m just as thrilled to have someone new to talk about it!
How did you prepare for the role of Bryce?
Firstly, I read the script for the first episode, realized I had to have my shirt off, and did a shitload of sit-ups.
After I had the abs taken care of, I started thinking about Bryce’s relationships. The best way to describe a person is how they treat other people and how they react to the way they are treated. Bryce’s most important relationship in the show, aside from his dogs, is with Cynthia, whom other people in the show called ‘mom’ (mum if you’re reading this in Canada). It’s how he connects with the characters in the show and the things he’s willing to put up with, like being the side piece to a happily married, middle-aged couple with kids. It’s the things he just couldn’t tolerate, like anyone disrespecting U2, that really gives you insight into who this guy is.
What should the audience expect from the series?
A peek into the brain of its creators, the two Mikes: Mike Clattenburg & Mike O’Neill. Mike Clattenburg is someone who takes comedy very seriously. This is the show for someone who is over the whole set-up/punchline format of ‘sitcoms’. We’re dealing with a family who loves and supports each other so deeply. However, the mother has (ahem, an exceedingly attractive and charming) boyfriend, the dad is mute from his stroke and has to communicate through an automated voice on his phone, the eldest son, a failed musician, connects a little too deeply with raccoons, the daughter’s dating a dirtbag, and the youngest son is 18 and bald. Just settle into the insanity and enjoy how these intensely lovable people navigate their lives: i.e. questionably.
The performances are stellar as well, with legends like John Carroll Lynch, Jill Hennessy, and Alex Lifeson from “Rush.”
You also appeared on USA Network’s “Suits.” We can’t imagine your surprise to learn you appeared on a series with the Duchess of Sussex! Tell us about your role and character on the show. I still find it hard to believe that after briefly meeting me in the lunch room, she chose to marry some unemployed ginger over me.
I genuinely loved my time on “Suits.” It was back in its first season and I got to be on set when everyone found out it would be coming back for a second season.
My character, Jason Black, was everything we love to hate. He’s privileged, cocky, and willing to do whatever it takes to look out for number one, including letting the wrong man go to jail to protect himself. Most of us spend a lot of our time ignoring the devil on our shoulders, hopefully aiming to be a better person. That’s really the biggest treat as an actor: to be able to safely step into a role who is everything you try to avoid, see how that feels, and then step out of it at the end of the day. You learn a lot about people and about yourself.
[su_pullquote]”Vampires are sexy. I think that’s why they keep coming back to TV.” [/su_pullquote]
You appeared as Quinn in “Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments”. Tell us about your role and character?
Vampires are sexy. I think that’s why they keep coming back to TV. Quinn really inhabited that world. He spent most of his time at a nightclub-type bleeder den, sucking blood from women’s necks, ankles, and wherever else he could. Nothing was ever enough for Quinn and the thing he wanted more than anything to become a ‘Daylighter’ – a vampire who could walk in sunlight. In the end, his desire for more is what did him in. It’s a pretty on-point example of what happens when we let things get out of control, and we get burned by the very thing we think is going to save us.
You also play Dr. Bobby Dunn on “Mary Kills People.” According to IMDb, “single mother Mary Harris is an ER doctor by day, but by night she and her partner, a former plastic surgeon, moonlight as underground angels of death who help terminally ill patients slip away on their own terms.” Tell us about your role and character.
For people who haven’t seen it, yet, I’ll stay away from spoilers. The show tackles a really tough subject: should people lose control over their own lives and how they end? We have all these life support machines designed to keep someone breathing but who are we doing this for, the person in the hospital bed or their loved ones? There’s a lot of pain and suffering at the end of life and Mary has enough compassion to enter into that dark place.
In season two, Dr. Dunn is the new head of the ER, which gives Mary something to contend with that is different from season one. To her, Dunn is an unknown variable and in her line of work, an unknown can be a scary thing. I think Dr. Dunn struggles with Mary. She challenges his authority and he’s the type who prefers his authority to go unchallenged.
Thus far, what has been your favorite or best experience working in the industry?
I’d have to say Crawford is up there. I’m an actor who tends to play dramatic parts. It was this experience as a dramatic actor that made working on Crawford so much fun because the characters all take themselves so seriously and aren’t ever playing for a joke. Mike (Clattenburg) also gives his actors so much agency. He allows us room to come up with stuff on the spot or explore different ways a scene might go, which my dogs on the show, Tulip, and Molly, took a little too far from time to time. But smoking a joint with Kim Cattrall’s character on Sensitive Skin is definitely an honorable mention.
Do you have any upcoming projects that we haven’t mentioned?
I just shot a Christmas movie. Needless to say, it’ll be out next December. I’m kind of a Christmas freak and my family still has all our Christmas traditions we stick to every year, including making sure we see all the same movies we’ve been watching since we were kids. So getting to be in one myself was awesome. Maybe I’ll start making them watch this new one every year. Other than wearing parkas and pretending to be cold while in subtropical weather, it was a great time.
Complete this sentence, if I had an opportunity to do anything I want, I would ___________.
Open a wine bar. I am a big wine lover and I want to share that with as many people as I can. I’d love just a little hole in the wall where people can become regulars. Also, I figure the more people I can lure in with a good glass of wine, the more people I can force to hang out with me and listen to me gab!
Connect with Chad:
Instagram: @chadjc
Twitter: @chadjc
Facebook: OfficialChadConnell
Featured Image Credit: Lane Dorsey.
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