Viggo Hanvelt is a rising young actor from Ontario, Canada, whose love for storytelling began at a very early age, sparked by watching his older siblings pursue their own acting careers. Inspired to follow in their footsteps, Viggo quickly embraced the world of auditions and landed his first role at just five years old in the holiday film Turkey Drop (Prime Video). It wasn’t long before his natural charm, talent, and enthusiasm for performing stood out. Coming up next, Viggo is set to take on his breakout role as Avery in the highly anticipated adaptation of Stephen King’s The Institute, where he tackles his most substantial and challenging role to date. The thriller series
makes its premiere on MGM+ this month. We had the pleasure of speaking with Viggo to discuss this project and more!
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Viggo, many thanks for taking the time to speak with Occhi Magazine! Your love for acting was sparked by watching your older siblings pursue their own careers—can you describe a specific moment when you realized you wanted to follow in their footsteps?
It’s great to speak with you as well! It was definitely when I went to Sudbury to watch my brother Gryffin act in a series called Amelie et Compagnie because I thought acting meant travelling to different cities.
Landing your first role at just five years old is remarkable. What do you remember most vividly from that experience, and how did it shape your early perception of the film and TV industry?
Honestly, it was just so much fun, and everyone was really great to work with. I remember dancing around a lot and having a lot of fun. I also remember getting a lot of candy! I only had positive experiences, so it definitely encouraged me to keep going.
You’ve had the unique opportunity to share the screen with both your brother and sister in ‘Single All The Way.’ How did working together as a family influence your approach to acting and your on-set dynamic?
I have had the awesome opportunity to play brothers with my older brother a few times and that is always fun and pretty easy to do. My sister has been on set with me too but because we don’t look alike, we’ve never had the chance to play family members. We are all very supportive of each other from audition to filming to celebrating afterwards!
Despite not following a traditional training path, you’ve benefited from hands-on mentorship and on-set experience. What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from a mentor or director so far, and how has it impacted your craft?
I got to work with Thor Bishopric on Woolly Woolly, an animated kids show where I played one of the main characters. I got to work with Thor on that project over about a year. He taught me a lot but most importantly to really listen to your director and to be ready to offer different options and of course to have fun.
Your mother’s background in theatre must have influenced your journey. Are there any lessons or advice from her that you carry with you into each new project?
Always be professional! I always have my lines memorized and we try never to be late. And of course, always listen to what the director says even if you practiced your scene differently.
You spent nearly a year working on an animated series under the guidance of Thor Bishopric. How did voice acting challenge you as a performer, and what skills did you develop that you now bring to your live-action roles?
I developed how to speak clearly and show different emotions with my voice. Voice acting is a lot like live action acting – you really have to get into character to do it well. Sometimes in live acting you have to do voice overs afterwards over top of what you already filmed. So, I am pretty comfortable doing that and working in front of a mic in a studio.
Your upcoming role as Avery in ‘The Institute’ is your most substantial project yet. What drew you to this character, and how did you prepare to tackle the challenges of such a complex role?
As soon as I got the part, I read the book. Well sort of – I listened to the audio book! I really loved how exciting the story is! I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare because we had to move to Halifax to film about two weeks after I got the part. So mostly I just listened to the story and when I got the scripts, I read those too. Avery is a great character to play, and I really connected with him because I am small like him and he goes through a lot at The Institute.
Having already worked on productions for major platforms like Netflix, Hallmark, and MGM+, how do you choose your projects, and what excites you most about the roles you take on?
I am interested in every audition I get because I don’t really get the chance to try out for that many parts. I am super thrilled every time I am offered a role. I love acting. I’m pretty much excited to try anything.
Looking ahead, are there particular genres, directors, or types of characters you’re eager to explore as your career develops?
There are a couple of actors that have played cool parts that I would love to work with, like Ben Schwartz and of course Viggo Mortenson. I would love to try doing some stunts. I would love to work on films that shoot far away in other counties just to see more of the world. I would love to be in another thriller or horror series. Basically working on The Institute was great and I would love to do more shows like that.
Balancing a busy acting career with competitive figure skating and soccer is no small feat. How do your athletic pursuits influence your work as an actor, and what do you hope to achieve both on and off the screen in the coming years?
What I love about figure skating is that it’s really intense and you have to practice almost every day. You also get to perform when you compete so that’s fun. For soccer, I like playing with teammates. Sports is a lot like acting. You have to try hard. But the other thing is that you can’t always count on having an acting part, so when I am not acting, I have these great sports to play, and I get to do them with my friends.
Off screen I would like to get to the provincial championships in figure skating.
On screen, I would like to keep challenging myself and hopefully get to act a lot more. I would be great to be in a movie that plays on the big screen or goes to a film festival!
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