By Andrew Cristi
When “Tell Me A Story” premiered at the end of October, history repeated itself. And, just like other Kevin Williamson endeavors such as “Scream,” “Dawson’s Creek,” and “The Vampire Diaries,” which helped propel the likes of Katie Holmes, Matthew Lillard, and Nina Dobrev into super-stardom, the new CBS All Access series had its own impressive cast of future mega-stars- particularly bright newcomer; Davi Santos.
Fairly green to show business, Santos has been making his mark with guest spots on “Switched At Birth,” “Will & Grace,” and a phenomenally funny performance in “Don’t Trust The B* In Apartment 23,” (a great show gone way too soon,) and recurring as a regular on “Power Rangers Dino Charge.” But, in 2017, the talented actor broke out in a big way with the critically hailed “Law & Order True Crime,” cutting his teeth on some real drama as he took part in Dick Wolf’s new retelling of the Menendez brother murders, proving that he could hold his own against a shining cast lead by Edie Falco, and leading the way for him to be one of Hollywood’s most sought after young stars.
Cut to this year when the promising talent found himself cast in Williamson’s smart new show alongside some of today’s hottest young actors, such as Paul Wesley, Danielle Campbell, Austin Butler, and Sterling Knight. The innovative modern twist on fairytales has captivated audiences, and again, Santos not only proved that he could rise to the level that the other actors around him set, but also elevate the scene, cleverly understanding the unique tone of the material and Williamson’s trademark writing.
A writer himself, the multi-talented actor even has some of his own projects in the works, and has been honing his craft since high school where he penned work that shed light on The Dream Act long before it became today’s hot-button topic. Highly intelligent and severely passionate about what he does, Santos is establishing himself as not only one of the next great actors of the business, but also a thought-provoking artist with keen intelligence that will take him far as a performer, and as a role model.
With “Tell Me A Story” already a hit, and the series touted as an anthology with legs for a second season, Santos sat down with us to tell us all about the gripping new show, how it feels working with his fantastic cast, and what he is excited to do in the future. Read on to see what he had to say!
WINGMAN: So, first and foremost, “Tell Me A Story” premiered to great reviews. For viewers who haven’t seen it yet, tell us about it, and about your character Gabe.
DAVI SANTOS: The show is like a personally apocalyptic neo-noir nightmare of a rollercoaster. It’s very cinematic. And from a narrative perspective, the world is ours; unsettling, politically unavoidable, police brutality protests, War vets, detention centers, all while straddling that youthful New York underworld of clubs, drugs, and secret sexual encounters. Crisis ensues, and the characters have to navigate their own demons, while avoiding New York’s. Gabe is a party monster club dancer who lost his path. He lives for nightlife escapism and drugs until he is involved in manslaughter and has to team with the one person who will come to his side, his sister, a war vet, whom he simultaneously resents for wronging him over his adolescence.
WINGMAN: Is it true this show will be an anthology, and if so, will you be in the next season?
SANTOS: Rumors, my dear Watson, but let’s just say that signs certainly suggest its possibility.
WINGMAN: We’ve had Spencer Grammer in the magazine before- and she is seriously one of the best people ever. She is in your premiere, correct?
SANTOS: Spencer is in the premiere. She is a compelling actor. I hope our fairy tales cross…
WINGMAN: This show also features no shortage of talent; Paul Wesley, Kim Cattrall, Sterling Knight, Danielle Campbell, Dania Ramirez, Billy Magnussen, Dorian Missick, and of course, your amazing creator, Kevin Williamson. Talk about your great company.
SANTOS: I’m honored to be in their company! As a part of the Hansel and Gretel “fairytale” I primarily have scenes with Dania- who is a wonderful person and an intuitively electric actor. I love watching everyone on this, they each offer such a differentiated and compelling presence. Working on Kevin’s project is like the latest incarnation of the funhouse you weren’t allowed to attend as a kid but always snuck into, getting the thrill you desired, but not without a touch of trauma, and now you’re the one doing the scaring – there are certain motifs from “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Scream” in this show, and it’s amazing to see them intertwined with childhood fairytales, re-imagined, and reborn. The script was a page turner with loads of twists.
WINGMAN: What fairy tales do you hope they take on next time?
SANTOS: Rumpelstiltskin could be horribly dark, considering it is in itself so disturbing that Disney hasn’t been able to romanticize it. You can’t really sugarcoat stealing someone’s first born. Cinderella could go pretty political, dealing with class, material obsession, and could tackle reality television with the “royal” contest for the lady’s foot-size.
WINGMAN: Last year you worked on the critically hailed “Law & Order: True Crime” next to the incomparable Edie Falco. Talk about that experience and researching that history.
SANTOS: It was like an abridged version of what I imagine the public went through in terms of suspecting they were cold blooded killers, and then humanizing them with introduction about their family abuse, and then getting stuck between the two trying to decide what they were more of. Playing Andy Cano, the cousin that revealed the abuse, was a challenge when I watched actual footage of him in the trial; he just seemed so matter of fact. So I prepared two versions of the courtroom scene, one to simulate the Andy Cano caught on camera, and another with an interpretation that served the stakes and narrative, which is what the director went with. I mean at the end of the day, it wasn’t a documentary, it was a cinematic retelling. Edie, as well as Julianne Nicholson, and Constance Marie, were consummate professionals. Off camera we would sit and talk, meandering between the trial, its themes, and modern day controversies, and then they’d just slip right into the role upon landing on their marks, taking off the masks between takes. Working with them was great; relaxed and yet totally dedicated.
WINGMAN: You also have two movies on the way; “Come Home,” and “Polaroid.” What can fans expect there?
SANTOS: I suppose this has been a year of horror! “Tell me A Story,””Come Home,” and “Polaroid” are all thrillers, each quite different in the worlds they depict. “Come Home” is a family horror, and “Polaroid” is a group of young adults, although both involve ghosts. The ghost in “Polaroid” is an outside force that everyone involved can feel, whereas “Come Home” straddles metaphor – internal demons- the imagination of a child, and the possibility of a haunting. Both have exciting cinematographers and directors, perhaps fulfilling the Victorian juxtaposition of the horribly beautiful.
WINGMAN: You are also beginning to write your own content, such as “The Final Act.” Would you like to get more into writing?
SANTOS: There is an extraordinarily unique satisfaction in the writing of a world that is manifested on screen or stage. I look forward to exploring it further and also developing work as I have through Densely Hollow Films. In a sense, I’ve been writing and editing screenplays since I was in high school with the development of Lone Prophet, a guerilla docu-fiction to raise awareness about the Dream Act. When my first technically professional film was presented at Cannes I was encouraged to continue making and editing shorts and eventually features, whether mine or my colleagues.
WINGMAN: With a nice role in a new hot show, you’re surely on the rise. What other kinds of characters would you like to play, and who else would you love to work with?
SANTOS: I’d love to work with the surrealists Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry. I’m interested in dynamic characters, how Tilda Swinton or even Jake Gyllenhaal seem to incarnate entirely different personalities between roles, but I will say I’ve had sights on modern historical pieces. Something in the 50s, 30s, or turn of the century. And now that I think about it, any social commentary to move along society turns me on. It has definitely been a thrill with Gabe on “Tell Me A Story.”
Hopefully, the anthology series will provide Santos another juicy role next year. In the meantime, check out the bight new star on “Tell Me A Story,” only on CBS All Access.
Mike McCarthy