Written By: Jame Face
We loved Nicholas Coombe in Dora and the Lost City of Gold and now he can be seen in the widely anticipated Ron Howard series, 68 Whiskey!
Photo Credit: The Riker Brothers
upfrontNY: Can you tell us about 68 Whiskey and your character Anthony Petrocelli?
Nicholas Coombe: Yeah, of course! 68 Whiskey follows medical staff in the United States Army in Afghanistan and I play the character of Anthony Petrocelli. So, basically Anthony Petrocelli is just a kid who was thrown into a war zone. He’s only 17, he looks 16, and he acts 15. He’s been really fun to play around with, I think that they’ve really enjoyed the whole idea of putting this good-hearted kid into crazy situations. These are not usual situations for a teenager and to see how he reacts we’ve seen some really genuine scary and funny reactions. It’s been an absolute blast. Anthony is a nice kid and he wants to be the best soldier he can be because he’s brand new to the Army. He’s always following the rules and he’s just got out of combat school. It is really fun messing around with that. He’s like the little brother on the base that no one wanted.
upfrontNY: It follows Army Medics in Afghanistan, were you able to actually speak with those that have been in those positions and what other kinds of research did you do?
Nicholas Coombe: I did. It’s funny, originally, I thought Petrocelli was one of the combat medics, 68 Whiskey. It turns out he’s not because he’s just joined the army, he’s only a private, he’s basically unranked. He is on base watching the gate. So, I actually I didn’t have to do anything medical. In saying that, I get thrown into scenes where there is medical stuff happening because that’s kind of how Anthony joins the gang. Personally, I didn’t have to learn anything, but we had experts in every field on set. We still had a military advisor who was teaching me how to stand the correct way, to hold my weapon. We also let it slip with him with the idea that he’s a new recruit so sometimes he would hold the gun wrong. They found it quite amusing because he is a new soldier, but he has a good heart. I know for the other guys and gals they have military people who were actual 68 whiskeys telling them how to do the correct procedures. When jumping out of a Blackhawk helicopter there’s a right way to do it so every step of the way we’ve had real people teaching us how to do it, which has been so nice. Personally, I haven’t had any experience in the military so it’s really nice having people alongside us every day showing us how to do the correct way of things. We have a team doing everything they can to make it as realistic as possible while also being entertaining. You’ve got to walk that fine line between realistic and entertainment.
upfrontNY: What do you think people will be able to relate to in the show?
Nicholas Coombe: There’s so much to relate to. Honestly, there’s so many storylines happening; it’s really entertaining. I’ve already seen the first couple of episodes, it’s incredible. It feels like there’s ten different storylines going on at once, but they all meld so well together. Petrocelli’s storyline is this young kid who has been thrown into Afghanistan and taken out on missions that probably a normal seventeen-year-old wouldn’t be on. It’s been really entertaining, for example, watching a kid fall in love with a goat almost as if it was a dog. I think people will relate to Buff the goat because who doesn’t love animals? This kid is like “Oh, it’s a cute goat I want to hold it.” Then his friends are like “Don’t go near that thing, it could be a bomb.” It sounds ridiculous, but apparently sometimes over there the bad guys will put bombs inside of goats and then send them to the base. For me, it’s a lot to do with being young and naïve, having a good heart and also loving animals.
upfrontNY: What was it like working with Ron Howard?
Nicholas Coombe: Yes, Ron Howard is a legend. I haven’t personally had the chance to work with him yet. He hasn’t directed an episode that I have been in, but his team is producing the movie so he is behind everything. We’ve met everyone at Imagine Entertainment. Everybody has been absolutely incredible and all the directors that we’ve had have been so fun. I have been having an absolute blast on this show.
upfrontNY: Where did you shoot?
Nicholas Coombe: We filmed out in Los Angeles in Santa Clarita. It kind of looked like Afghanistan. It’s crazy. When you’re out there you don’t feel like you’re in L.A. You’re there at sunrise and you’re like “This is incredible!” There’s no buildings in sight, you feel like you’re in a totally different world. So, yeah, a really cool set.
upfrontNY: Can you tell us about your band, The Beanie Kids?
Nicholas Coombe: I love that band. We have such a blast playing music. We’ve been jamming out for a year and a half now, but every time we come close to putting something out I end up booking a role. We’ve managed to record an EP which is very exciting. We were hoping to release that a bit earlier this year, but I ended up booking 68 Whiskey and I then I had the premiere for Dora the Explorer so I had to leave Vancouver, unfortunately. So, we pushed that back to summer this year which works out better because the songs are like fast, fun, upbeat, indie rock kind of bops. Every time I go back to Vancouver I meet up with the band Avery O’Brien on bass and Jamison Ko on drums. They also play in another band called Harlequin Gold, which is like a full-time band, so it’s never like a super upsetting thing when I take off because they are so busy with that anyway. It’s like a fun passion project, but we are going to release some music and play some shows.
upfrontNY: Who inspires you musically?
Nicholas Coombe: I love The Wombats. I have loved them ever since I could hear. They’re a British pop/rock band. I also really like Paramore. They’re like old school, not really that old school, but I listened to them in high school growing up. They’re kind of more rock. Hayley Williams has one of the greatest voices in the world. If you ever talk to her let her know! I love Rex Orange County, he’s kind of a newer artist. I think his music is really cool too.
upfrontNY: Do you still dance at all?
Nicholas Coombe: I did dance as a kid for like 14 years or something growing up. The most recent thing I got to dance in was Dora and the Lost City of Gold. There was a huge dance number at the end of the movie so we had to learn a whole entire dance and film that over like 3 or 4 days, so that was pretty fun. It was definitely taking me back to my roots, but you can also just find me dancing out at the local jazz bar. Dancing is my favorite thing. I love to dance whenever I get the chance. I feel like I’ve still got it.
upfrontNY: You’ve been acting for a long time, what would be a dream role in the future for you?
Nicholas Coombe: Funny you say that because I was asked this question 6 months ago and every time someone asked me that I would say I really want to do a military role. It has always been my dream to be in a military show or movie and play a soldier. Now I’m doing that so I feel like I’m currently living the dream. Now I have to pick something else I want to do. I think it would be really cool to do like a pirate role like in that era, like on ships, like Master and Commander or Pirates of the Caribbean. I think something in that world would be fun I’ve always been intrigued by history and that time in history so maybe one day I can grow dreadlocks and hold a sword.
upfrontNY: Is there anything else you would like to let our readers know?
Nicholas Coombe: Definitely check out 68 Whiskey. I’ve had an absolute blast on the show and it is very genuine and funny and exciting and people won’t be disappointed! There are some other things coming up as well so keep a look out!
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