BY IRVIN RIVERA

Australian actor COOPER VAN GROOTEL plays Nate Macauley in Peacock’s ONE OF US IS LYING, created by Erica Saleh based on the Young Adult suspense-mystery novel by Karen M. McManus. 

Cooper effectively played the complex and layered character of Nate as he navigates a complicated high school life with the unlikely group of people. Through this role, the actor was able to showcase range, and a lot of promise to a potentially fruitful career in entertainment. 

In this exclusive interview, COOPER VAN GROOTEL also spoke about the power of being present, evolving and taking risks, creating under the pressure of uncertainty during the pandemic, living in Perth, and his character Nate Macauley’s evolution throughout the show.

Hi Cooper. Great to speak with you today. You did great from our last shoot!

Thank you! Yes, I mean, we got it done with the time that we had so and, yes, thank you. I feel like the physicality is so important. Once you kind of get into the groove and moving, and that raincoat type of long jacket thing was just made to kind of move in and have fun with.

Absolutely.

Now that you mention it, the physicality of things, and all that, does that help you in acting as well? Because it's different from photoshoots. But with acting and with moving images, filming, does physicality of things help you in any way?

Yes, 100%. It definitely does help. I think with acting, it's almost like a dance and I think that as much as your voice and facial expressions are a huge conveyor of emotion and telling the scene, physicality is also a huge part of how you portray your character. And for me when we were shooting One of Us Is Lying, I definitely developed like a gate for Nate. And using my body as a tool, we would do exercises before shooting a scene where we would kind of -- I mean, it sounds kind of corny, but we would literally do push-ups before a scene in order to get our body, you would just like, do 10 push-ups to get into your body and out of your head. And so we kind of use that as a tool in order to become present, because with my acting, I love to use that as a tool as well to kind of just be present in the moment and to surrender to everything that is happening. Know that I've done the work for my character in the scene and just let everything kind of live and be as it is.

Very well said. I mean, it makes total sense. With push-ups, you feel your body more and then you become more present with the moment. That's a good one.

Exactly. I actually got a tattoo on my ankle of the symbol in the book, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. It kind of looks like a little music symbol, but I got it tattooed a few months back because it means a lot to me to always try and be present in the moment and use the power of now. So yes.

Wow. That’s great. How was it since you booked Nate's role in One of Us Is Lying?

It's crazy. It's a great question, because we shot the pilot two years ago. So I booked it in September of 2019. So we've been on this journey for over two years now. And we've been through hardships through pandemic and not knowing if the show was going to go ahead or if it was going to be greenlit. And during the pandemic I went back home to Australia and I got a job at a café so I was just working as a barista and I wasn't too sure how the acting career was going to pan out and when we finally got greenlit and we were given the opportunity to go shoot in beautiful New Zealand, I feel like it just had so much more weight and gravity to it that we had been through so much and I'm just so grateful to the producers and all the directors the writers the crew, my lovely cast that I got to work with every single day. I think it really makes you appreciate life and the work and living out your passion. And it's funny because I talked to Molly, Ali and a few other people about what it’s going to be like when the show comes out. And we're all talking about keeping expectations low because like the day to day doesn't really change. Although there's like all this cool press that we're doing, the day to day is still the same, I still go to my jobs every day. I meditate, I get the coffee, it just kind of you know, life keeps on going and it's amazing to have the show out and for everybody to see. And it's getting some good hype, which I'm so grateful about and hopefully fingers crossed for season two.

Can't wait for season two, like I really hope there's a season two.

Surely.

How was Nate's character development throughout this whole season?

Yes.  I feel like with Nate here's this great question, I think Nate.... I was talking to Erica, the producer on the show and John Scott, who's one of the producers too, and I was talking to him about how Nate is a weak person, but Nate's kind of like an onion. And at the start of the show, we wanted him to be like a full onion, and then by the end of it, we've peeled back all these layers, and although it may burn and sting, and hurt to pull back these layers, at the core of it, you have something beautiful and that's kind of how I would go about it. We've seen Nate strip back these layers and it's confronting and it's hard for him to deal with that sometimes. But at the core of it, we get to something so beautiful. And so I think for his character development, he begins as someone who's very cut off from the world. He's a closed book in a way. What's so beautiful about the relationship between Bronwyn and Nate is that Bronwyn kind of offers that, Bronwyn kind of pulls back his layers and makes him see himself for who he is. And at his core is, he's a really great guy with a golden heart. But through adversity and childhood trauma, he's had to put all this armor on. And so I think he's development through the show is about stripping back those layers and knowing that he has people that he can lean on, and people that he can trust. And that's what's so beautiful about the Bayview Four is that we see these friendships come together through very unusual circumstances, and heightened stakes, but I think that's what makes it so thrilling and a fun ride.

That's such a beautiful metaphor that you just gave in there- the onion, peeling of the layers, it's great because that's really how I saw Nate as well throughout the show. Slowly you see the inside of this character, which is amazing. Good job, man.

Yes, yes, thank you. But it kind of... actually I was going to say the ending, but I can't really spoil the ending. So I'll leave that out. I'll leave that. 

It's totally cool. Now, tell us a bit about yourself. How was it growing up in Perth and how and when did acting start for you?

Yes, it's a great question. I love this question as well. Because I feel like I love my hometown of Perth and I feel like Perth is one of the most isolated cities in the world. So growing up in Perth, it was a little kind of on its own and very chilled and laid back. And I grew up surfing with my dad and playing sports and it wasn't until I turned 11 that I kind of got the urge to start my acting career. I always loved to watch movies and TV shows and those sets with cameras. And I remember when I was 12 I got one of the first iPads and on iMovie I would always be making these little trailing clips and little videos and self-filming and getting creative. And so the burning passion kind of began when I was about 11 years old and I attended a film school in Perth called Film Bites run by Hallie Mckeig which is my beautiful Australian agent, shout out to her. And so I attended that for about seven years and it wasn't until I turned 17 that I met Carly, my beautiful agent, and she was like let's get you a visa and move you over to LA and start you auditioning. And so ever since then I kind of left high school and made the jump over to LA. But Perth is beautiful. I love Perth and I do miss it from time to time but LA is a wonderful city and if you ever get the chance to go out there I highly recommend Perth when it's not so locked down right now because Australia is just crazy with COVID. But Irvin, if you ever get the chance it's a beautiful little hidden gem over on that west side.

I would love to visit. I've never been to Australia. I have plenty of friends there. But hey, it's really in my bucket list

What's the most memorable moment for you throughout this whole entire process?

I feel like there were so many memorable moments that I shared with the cast and everybody working on this project. In terms of shooting the show, I think one of the most memorable moments or bits of time was shooting episode six of the show, which was like homecoming. We got the chance to work with Ben Siminoff, who's a wonderful director and we got to collaborate so closely with him. And I think the episode kind of speaks for itself. It's just a piece of art. So you know, you go on such a journey with all these characters. And one specific moment was the dancing scene in homecoming with the Bayview Four kind of walking through the crowd. And it's a big surrender to the moment, and we see them just kind of let loose and be themselves and be true to who they are, which is so important in today's age, I feel. Especially with social media misconstruing so many ideas and so much judgement today. And I think that's a great message to high school students today as well as that, like you're not alone... And high school can be tough and I think that's a great example of just being yourself, true to who you are and true to your core. And so I think, yes, I feel like that would be one of the most memorable moments and I think just in general, getting the opportunity to film in New Zealand, which is a beautiful country, and the opportunity to film a TV show out there. And the cast and crew were just so amazing. 

That's really great to have shows like these, like what you guys have. So like what you were saying, since high school is such a pivotal stage in people's lives. 

Yes

If the audience sees something, they can gravitate towards it.

Exactly, exactly. And I think that's what it's about. It's about taking what resonates with you and how you relate to the show. And I think there's a lot of parts of the show that people will relate and kind of find comfort in and will hopefully allow them to be more themselves and to know that everybody is different. And I think that's the whole idea of the Bayview Four, the Bayview four students are completely different coming together to bond over this bizarre circumstance, but at the end of the day they all become such close friends, and they're all working together to solve this mystery. And I think it kind of speaks for itself that in life, everybody is different, yet we can come together as a community and love each other. And I think the core of human beings is community-based and that's all that we want. And we want to have friends and we want to enjoy life. And so, amongst all the judgement and adversity, just I think a message I would put out to the world is— be who you are. And if that makes you content and happy, then that's all that matters.

I love that. I love that. You said the key words, just be content and happy and everything else will follow.

Right.

Out of all the roles that you played, is there a specific role that resonates with you the most?

I think it would have to be Nate Macauley. I think all of us kind of go through high school growing up, figuring out who we are. And I think in high school. That's exactly what I was trying to do, I was trying to figure out who I was and kind of bond and mesh with the people that I am closest to and just face trials and tribulations in high school. Because I feel like it can feel so big sometimes in high school, and you look back on it and it's like, ah, it wasn't so bad. But when you're in it, it's very intense and it's so scary. It can be a very scary time. And so I think for Nate, that's all he was trying to do. He was just trying to get by, day by day, make a living and kind of stay alive. And I feel like, for me, it wasn't to that extreme. But I do think on a smaller level, that's kind of what it was about for me in high school. Just day by day and trying to enjoy it and figuring out who I was. And I think it was a massive learning curve, it was a massive learning process. And when you're trying to dive in like that, you have to sink or swim. And so you learn a lot about yourself. And I think it's a great transformation. And I think Nate went through that as well. Like we spoke about the onion, he went through such a pivotal transformation and so did I in high school. And so I would say I'm most like Nate out of all my roles. I do hope that starts to change as well. Like, I would love to kind of play characters that, oh, maybe I resonate with this character more, but I also feel like it's also in terms of where you are in life as well. You know, where you are in life, you kind of resonate with characters that come along, and be like, oh yes, I understand that. I get that. So yes.

Is there a specific role or character that you really wanted to play at some point?

I actually asked people this as well because... I asked people and I'm like, what would be a dream role for you? And because I usually say I'm unsure of what my dream role would be and I think when it comes along, I'll know. I think at this point, I'm really open to a lot of different roles. And I think it just kind of depends on where I am at in life. How I relate to it, the sort of people that are attached to the project and if I enjoy the script, and it really hits home and resonates with me. So, I think -- but I've always wanted to play a superhero though. I think on top of it, a superhero will be pretty, pretty damn cool.

I can see you as a superhero man, you could totally pull that off.

Thank you, Irvin. 

If you were a book, what book would you be and why?

Oh, I think... Damn. I feel like I would have to say there's this beautiful book. I've just got a few books bubbling up right now in my mind that I could be. I think there was this beautiful book by Tim Winton, and actually made a film out of it called Breath. And it's about two young kids in a small town- a small coastal surfing town. And they meet this older guy who's like a mentor to them. And it's a beautiful coming of age story about a young kid, kind of just coming to terms with his masculinity and with himself, and his own life journey. And kind of embracing fear. And I think in terms of my life right now, I think embracing fear is such a huge part of where we grow, where growth happens. And in order to succeed in that growth, I think you do have to embrace fear because it's so natural. It's kind of like when you get to the top of a cliff and you jump off, before you jump it's scary but once you do it, it's like, oh, wow, that was amazing. And I think a big part of Breath, Tim Winston's novel is about these characters embracing fear, because they go off and they meet this mentor and he takes them out surfing and they surf these gigantic waves and in the middle of the ocean, and it's terrifying but we see this transformation of these young kids and who they start to become and it's very positive. And well, I mean, there's ups and downs to it. But for the most part it's like, whatever situation they're in you can make a positive out of it. And so it's a beautiful coming of age story. And it's kind of like a blossoming flower. And it really resonates with me. There are definitely some dark moments to the book. But I guess that that is life as well. We can't have the dark without the white, and you can’t have the white without the dark. You know, like Yin and Yang. So I would say for me at this point in my life, it's a beautiful book that I resonate with. And I guess I would be that book. Yes, I highly recommend it, too.

Now, you made me intrigued, and I'm going to look it up.

I'll send you the reference. 

Yes, yes please. Well, that's it for me. Thank you for the really insightful interview. I love this. I love speaking with you, man. Thank you so much.

Ah, I love speaking with you too. And I appreciate you taking the time. Thank you so much for the great, great questions.

Thank you very much.