He’s extremely arrogant, but kind of has a heart of gold.
I think he’s a very good person underneath all of that cocky bravado.
And that rivalry is sort of ignited again with this story in this movie.
Would you say there are any similarities or big differences between you and your character?
Like anything, it’s like yes and no.
There’s a huge part of me that is Parker.
I was a class president.
I was a valedictorian of my elementary school.
I certainly have had moments where I think I’m a lot of talk.
I can play myself up in ways that are maybe not always true.
And then would you say there’s anything that’s a big difference between you and him?
I mean, Parker, he’s a principal of the school.
He’s a teacher.
I mean, that’s not a path that I’ve gone down.
I feel like I have an easier ability to speak my mind when it comes to my feelings.
I have to get it off my chest.
I think Parker has a hard time communicating what he is thinking.
It was honestly amazing, and I’m not just saying that as like an interview answer.
She’s so professional.
She’s so kind.
She’s such a great leader.
We had a great friendship throughout the movie and made each other laugh a lot.
Oh, that’s so fun.
Did you have any favorite scenes that you did?
There were a few favorite scenes.
I loved the mayor debate scene, which we actually shot on day one.
Like you know, “Let’s throw out the script.
Let’s do it totally different this time.
Let’s do it this way.”
And we all weren’t expecting it.
That was very ridiculous to film and super fun.
I also love the final one.
There’s the final sock hop, which is at the barn.
And that was just a big party.
Like you said, you and Jacky were kind of playing as these rivals.
Was it fun to [have that competitiveness] with each other?
Jacky will take a swing on camera.
She’ll go after me, and I have to respond.
I mean, it was very fun.
And again, our director gave us a lot of freedom to really play up the rivalry.
So I really felt proud to be part of a story like that.
What do you think viewers will be most excited about when they watch this movie?
So there’s a lot of love between the two of them.
There’s a lot of joking and laughing.
They’re kind of my favorite characters in the movie.
And I think it’s super refreshing, and people are going to like it.
And it’s sort of a joke in her family because I’m the most gung-ho about Christmas.
I love all the traditions.
I get to spend time with my nephews around this time of year.
But we do a Christmas where we’re hosting our family for Christmas Eve this year.
And there’s a drinking tradition.
There’s a ping-pong tournament tradition.
Everyone sleeps over; we get up and have a huge brunch in the morning.
And then have you also been able to introduce her to your Hanukkah traditions?
Yep, 100%.
There’s a Hanukah bingo tradition.
Again, it’s like all about the kids.
Can you tell us anything about your character (Alphonso) in the show?
You have no idea how much I’ve been sworn to secrecy about this.
I’m a huge comic book fan.
I was a huge fan of the show.
So that was a huge highlight for me, for sure.
Terrifying, absolutely terrifying.
So that made it easier.
I couldn’t believe it.
It was just a whole [lot] of excitement, really.
Of “Umbrella Academy”?
No, I can’t say anything.
Just know that I want to, but I can’t say anything.
I can’t say anything other than I think this season’s going to be amazing.
It really changes up the structure of the show.
Oh, that’s fun.
Are you going to get to see it ahead of everyone else, or are you waiting?
I saw a little bit of a preview of one episode.
I’m hoping I’m going to get to see a little bit before it airs.
His favorite memories from his Degrassi days
You also played Craig on “Degrassi.”
So I was very aware when the things started to become popular just because it was all around me.
But you could never predict anything like that and certainly not the popularity in the U.S.
It’s this little Canadian show, so we couldn’t really predict that kind of popularity.
Do you have any favorite memories from working on that show?
There’s a lot of great memories.
I was a huge fan of the actor who came into play my dad.
It’s really a serious storyline, but he was abusive to my character, Craig.
And I loved filming scenes with him.
I was obsessed with music I still am, but certainly when I was in high school.
And during lunchtime, I would jam with some of the other cast members who were musicians too.
Those were always crazy fun.
What can you tell us about your music?
I love music, I love singing.
And it was amazing.
It’s so much work.
But I digress; I feel like I’ve gone off on a huge tangent from your question.
I grew up loving theater, loving Broadway, and I studied at the National Theatre School of Canada.
I mean, it was just insane.
Would you ever want to play another character where music is incorporated into the storyline like that?
I’m searching for those roles just because I love it so much.
So I’m definitely attracted to those parts for sure.
Yeah, I haven’t been writing for a long time, to be honest.
It’s called “Boy Falls From The Sky.”
you could check it out online.
So that’s something that I’ve been working on.
It’s a series of stories and songs.
But I’ve played on a bunch of my friends' albums recently, and who knows?
I would definitely love to again, at some point get into that.
The proudest moment of my career …
I mean, certainly “Degrassi.”
I’m really proud of it and also just proud of the storylines that the show tackled.
There’s again this a large Asian representation in a movie.
There’s a gay love story that nobody protests to it; it’s absolutely accepted.
So getting to be part of those things are what I’m most proud of.
“Candy Cane Candidate” starring Jake Epstein airs December 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.
