Exclusive: ‘Teen Wolf’ star Froy Gutierrez teases Nolan’s role in 6B, reveals new details about ‘Teen Wolf’s’ new kid on the block
By Cody Schultz
Photo Credit: Froy Gutierrez/Logan Cole Photography Image Acquired from Portrait PR
‘Teen Wolf’s’ Froy Gutierrez joins us for an exclusive one-on-one interview to discuss Beacon Hills’ newest addition, Nolan, and the role in which he’ll play during the show’s farewell season!
In the Teen Wolf 6B premiere, fans received their first glimpses of the series’ newest additions including troubled Beacon Hills High School student Nolan), who is primed to play a major role in the show’s farewell arc. But just who is this troublesome young man, what, if any, threat does he pose to Scott and his pack and how exactly will he play into the narrative of 6B?
These were among some of the many questions weighing on our mind when we caught up with Nolan’s portrayer Froy Gutierrez for an exclusive one-on-one conversation!
Ahead of this week’s new episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Gutierrez about his exciting new role on MTV’s beloved supernatural drama to find out all about Beacon Hills’ new kid on the block, the role Nolan will play this season on the show, the work went into bringing Nolan to life and what it’s been like joining the Teen Wolf pack!
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Hidden Remote: So great to speak with you today! I’d like to begin by talking about the casing process. When you read for the role were you aware of the character’s identity or were you kept in the dark until after you were casted?
Froy Gutierrez: They definitely kept me in the dark at the beginning. The script that I got at the beginning when I was reading for the character was from about three seasons ago and I had no clue what they were going to go with for the character. In fact, even the name was different.
Hidden Remote: And were you familiar with the series when you went out for the role or did you have to do a little bit of homework after joining the cast?
Gutierrez: Well, I was very familiar with the series; however, I had never actually seen it myself. Teen Wolf has just been such a staple for my generation. Everyone talked about it when I was in high school and even middle school. It was sort of something everyone knew about, but I didn’t know anything about the lore or the storylines. So I had to do that research afterwards.
Hidden Remote: That in mind, do you remember your reaction when you got the call and found out you had gotten the role?
Gutierrez: I was half asleep because I got the call [really early in the morning] (Laughs). I was too tired to get super happy about it, but I was very adamant about finding out more. I was like, “Okay, what’s the character like? Where’s the script for it? Who is he?” because I only had the audition script. I [asked], “Okay can you send me the episode script before I go in tomorrow.” So I think that’s where I was coming from when I got the call.
Photo Credit: Teen Wolf/MTV Image Acquired from MTV Press
Hidden Remote: So tell us about Nolan. We got a few brief glimpses of him in the first episode of 6B and have seen him stirring up trouble in a few of the 6B teasers, but there isn’t too much we know about him just yet.
Gutierrez: Well, Nolan is a very sensitive, sweet young boy. He’s a sophomore at Beacon Hills High and I think he’s dealing with quite a few mental health issues recently in his life. I think with the recent, strange supernatural occurrings and happenings in he town, that’s really going to spike for him. You’re going to see him wrestling with his demons as the season goes on.
Hidden Remote: Can you tease us with any details regarding his role in the season and how his actions will affect Scott and his pack?
Gutierrez: I’m so bad at these because I either spoil things or I don’t say enough. (Laughs) Okay, I can’t say too much, but I can say the character is very open-minded to all walks of life in Beacon Hills.
Hidden Remote: I’m curious, as you received the scripts and read more about Nolan, were you surprised with where the writers took the character and were you pleased with the direction they chose?
Gutierrez: Everyone has seen [the first episode of] 6B, I presume, so you guys kind of know what I saw the first couple of weeks of shooting. They very much designed the character after my portrayal of him after that. Originally, they were going to take Nolan in a much stronger, more masculine and stable direction. I remember when I got the breakdown, he was much more brash and bold and, I think, after they saw my portrayal of Nolan in the first episode they liked the weaker, more sensitive, more vulnerable yet frightening take that I had with him.
I think you’ll definitely see that aspect of him pan out throughout the season. They very much emphasize on the scared, childish and frightened aspects of the character, rather than the more bold aspects that happen – as you saw in the trailer with the pen.
Teen Wolf 6B Teaser from Cody Schultz on Vimeo.
Hidden Remote: Judging by what we have seen so far, it seems likely that fans will perceive him to be a villain. However, as we’ve learned from over the years, things are never as cut and dry on Teen Wolf. How do you interpret his actions and the emotions that drive him?
Gutierrez: I definitely think his driving [force] behind his motive is that he wants to be safe. I don’t think he’s a fan of conflict. When he first comes into contact with the wolf on the lacrosse field, he’s pretty scared and anybody would be scared in that situation. Naturally, you’re going to think, “Is there more of that? What steps can I take to protect myself from that?” So I think his driving motive is just about keeping himself safe, keeping his family safe, keeping the school safe.
I wouldn’t want to label him as a villain. I don’t think his motive comes from any kind of malice and I don’t think he has anything personally against any of the supernatural creatures. It’s just a scary thing. I can’t really talk about a real life situation where you’d see a bloody werewolf on the lacrosse field (Laughs), but if you put yourself in his shoes I think everyone would be reacting in a similar fashion.
Photo Credit: Teen Wolf/MTV Image Acquired from MTV Press
Hidden Remote: Did knowing that you only had a limited amount of time to dive into this character and explore his story alter the way you approached the role?
Gutierrez: When I got the script for the first episode, I was like, “Okay, I see where they’re going with it, but I think I can do a stronger version of him if I took it more in this direction.” In the writing, there was a lot of vindictiveness, brashness and a bit of anger that was hidden in him. I said, “That’s great, but I wondered if we could do some takes making him more of a character who just hurts.”
I remember when I was a kid and would go up to a spiderweb, my parents would say, “Remember, they’re just as scared of you as you are of them. As long as you don’t egg on or hurt them, they’re not going to hurt you.” That’s the direction I saw Nolan coming from and where I wanted to take it. I think [creator] Jeff [Davis], the writers, the producers and I worked together and Nolan was very much a character that we discovered together as the season went on. We were like, “Oh wow, here is this moment that I didn’t know existed before we actually shot it. Why don’t we expand on that in the next episode? Why don’t we talk about this history and background?”
I know when I first got the audition for the role, Nolan was only supposed to be in two episodes and they ended up expanding it to be the full [arc of 6B]. I definitely think that we found the character and kept peeling the layers back [as the season went by.] We opened the box and found these cute little gemstones that we could really bring to light. I think that was really run to dive into because it was a discovering process for everybody involved.
Hidden Remote: It definitely sounds like you had a lot of input in the Nolan we’re going to get to see this season. Was that something that you appreciated from the writers, that they were so open to your suggestions and incorporated them into forming this character?
Gutierrez: As an actor, you’re kind of like the department head of your character. I take a very personal approach to my work. Whenever I have a character, they’re like my little baby. I just want to protect them and make sure they’re honest and real and that everyone is getting to see them to their core. Getting to work with people who are so open and really trusted my instincts as an actor, was really amazing. I think that makes it more fun too when everyone puts their heads together.
Photo Credit: Teen Wolf/MTV Image Acquired from MTV Press
Hidden Remote: If given the chance, was there anything you would have changed about your time on the show or anything you wish you had been able to achieve during the arc?
Gutierrez: If there was one thing I really wanted to explore that we didn’t get to see a lot of was Nolan in his own element, like in his house with his family. [I would have liked to have seen] what Nolan is like apart from the supernatural endeavors because the aspects that we see of Nolan are all very much the frightened kid version. I think it would be a cool take to show him in a comfortable setting where he’s happy. I definitely had to concoct his own backstory and it would have been cool to elaborate on that in the future.
Hidden Remote: You, of course, came into the cast very late in the game joining the cast in what will be the show’s final ten episodes. How was it for you to join this established cast – did you hit it off immediately with anyone in particular?
Gutierrez: Before I went on set I was like, “This is Teen Wolf. This is a huge show. They’re all going to be super ego-heavy, monsters and I just need to hide in the corner and make sure I don’t talk to them.” (Laughs) That was my thought process going into. Don’t bother anybody, just do your thing. Show up to work and do your job. Thankfully it was quite the opposite. They were all so friendly and very much took me under their wing and guided me through everything.
Tyler Posey hung out with my dad on the set all the time. They played basketball together, it was just ridiculous. (Laughs) They were always hanging out and I [told my dad], “Dad, I think you’re closer to Tyler than I am” and he responds, “Probably buddy.”(Laughs)
Holland [Roden] and I are from the same High School and the same town. We had the same theater teacher, so we had lots to talk about. Charlie Carver was so gracious the entire time. He very much took me under his wing, explained the show to me and just really talked me through everything when he didn’t have to at all. He was very much like a big brother to me on set.
So yeah, they were nicer than I could have ever dreamed of. I’m very thankful to have had that kind of family, communal aspect on the set. I’m not related to any of them from prior seasons so I felt like I was crashing a funeral. (Laughs) It was the last season so everyone was so emotional and here is this dorky teenager in the background like, “Hey, I’m going to come do some work with you too.” Instead of setting me to the side, they put me under their wings. It was great.
https://twitter.com/froynextdoor/status/892595486720278529
Hidden Remote: Was there anyone that you didn’t get the chance to work with on the show that you would have loved to have been able to appear opposite of?
Gutierrez: Honestly, I think I got to act a fair amount with everybody this season. I’m very grateful. I had a slight moment with every actor that I wanted to work with, even the actors I didn’t think I’d get to work with because they’d left in a prior season. Those actors came back and I got to have some moments with them. I don’t have any scenes that I was like, “Dang, I wish I had this moment with this actor or got to work with that actor’”
Hidden Remote: You’ve also had the chance to join some of your co-stars at a few of the show’s con appearances, what has it been like hearing from and getting the chance to interact with the fans?
Gutierrez: I think it was the same experience with the TV show because I walked into it with the idea that they might be a little bit cold towards me because I’m the new kid on the block. They hadn’t even seen my character yet, so what reason do they have to like me, much less embrace me.
The crazy, cool thing about the Teen Wolf fandom is that everyone is so passionate and loving that there’s room in everybody’s heart for another person. All my photo ops and meet-and-greets this past weekend at WolfCon all sold out and they had to create new tickets for them and I’m just the new kid. There’s no reason for me to be in demand. So I thought that was so cool to see how embracing they were and how loving the [Teen Wolf] family, the Pack, is.
Next: ‘Teen Wolf’ Season 6: 10 Things We Need in the Final 10 Episodes
Hidden Remote: To say that the Teen Wolf fans are among the most passionate fans around might be an understatement. So I have to ask, what has been the craziest or most memorable moment thus far in interacting with the fans?
Gutierrez: I remember when I first arrived there was one girl who walked up to me and asked for a picture and I thought that was so sweet and, “Ah, isn’t that great.” Then as I was getting in the van with Charlie, there were all these people taking pictures from the side and I thought, “Huh, that’s weird.” It didn’t really connect in that moment that they were trying to take pictures of us. (Laughs).
When I left the hotel the next morning, there was a group of French girls who had been camping outside of the hotel and asked to take pictures. That’s never happened to me before. And then when I was at the airport at my gate, people were taking pictures with their iPhones. So, yeah. It was just a new experience for me. It’s always great getting to meet people who you might have been talking to on Twitter or Instagram and getting to put a face to the name. I’ll have to get back with you because I’m still pretty new at this. I’ll call you in a few months with some crazier stories, I’m sure.
Hidden Remote: As we wrap things up, what’s next for you? Do you have any new projects you’re excited about or that you can share with fans hoping to follow you post-Teen Wolf ?
Gutierrez: I have three things right now that I’m on hold for so I can’t talk about them because I’m testing for them. Hopefully, it will be soon when I can announce that. Aside from those little testing deals, I do have an EP coming out; it’s a conceptual EP. There’s going to be scenes, characters and music videos that’s definitely going to be like a little chapter book with music to go along with it. I’m very much excited to put that out in the world. It’s been a big part of me for the past three years. It’s cool to have your baby out in the world, so that will be coming soon.
Be sure to follow Gutierrez on Twitter (@froynextdoor) and Instagram (@froy) for updates on his upcoming projects and be sure to catch him as Nolan in MTV’s hit series Teen Wolf Sundays at 8/7c!