Credit: Farrah Aviva
Madison Smith stars as Martin Winters in the new SyFy original series Aftermath, acting alongside Anne Heche and James Tupper. Viewers watch Martin struggle for survival in the newly premiered series, set during apocalyptic times.
We spoke with Madison Smith about his new role, what it’s like working with the show’s all-star cast, how he would handle an apocalyptic situation, and what’s ahead on Aftermath.
Read on for our exclusive interview with Madison Smith below:
What inspired you to get into acting? Was there anyone who influenced you?
Madison Smith: I’m actually lucky enough to say that my mom was the one who got me into acting. I had just finished my first year of college and wasn’t happy with the path I was heading in. I had a discussion with my mom about what else I could do and she said, “Why don’t you try acting?” As soon as those words left her, I got a thump-thump feeling in my chest and within eight months, I uprooted to Vancouver and begin acting school.
You star in the new SyFy series Aftermath. Can you tell us a little about your character and what attracted you to the role?
My character’s name on Aftermath is Martin Winters, [and he’s] a former Army Ranger. The Copeland family first meets him at a small military community that brings them in for safety. He is capable, heroic and has a good heart. Without giving too much away, a romance between Martin and one of the established characters comes up. This dictates his path from the moment he meets her.
As soon as I got this audition request, I was extremely excited about playing this character. I related to Martin immediately. All the things Martin says in the show are exactly what I would say in those situations. This happily made memorizing lines a breeze. Also, who wouldn’t want to play a heroic Army Ranger? That’s a dream role.
Did you need to do anything special to prepare for your role? In a series that seems so action-packed, are there any challenges you face while filming?
Martin has a military background, so I made sure to learn as much as I could about the mannerisms military personnel have. I also learned how to handle a gun, since I carry one for almost the entire time.
Madison Smith stars in SyFy’s Aftermath
Can you preview what’s ahead for the series and what the viewers can expect from your character?
You can expect some pretty action-packed episodes coming up, all with hard choices and extreme heartbreak. As for my character, you’ll get to see that even in dire times, connections between two people can still form. The best thing about the show is it idolizes ideals like love and family.
The show features an apocalyptic end to civilization that triggers an intense – no pun intended – aftermath. How do you think you would react in a situation like that? Would you be able to keep your cool? Would you react like your character in the series?
In this sort of situation, the “fight or flight” mechanism gets triggered and there’s no way to know that part of yourself until it happens, to know if the deepest part of you is someone who puts others first or someone who thinks only of themselves. I hope when that moment comes, I’ll be the kind of hero Martin is.
How has it been working with the cast of Aftermath? Are there any memories that stick out for you so far?
The cast of Aftermath is phenomenal to work with. It actually felt like these five people were a real family, which is why we are seeing amazing chemistry from them on the show.
My favorite memory that sticks out comes from a scene I did with Anne Heche. Anne is such a sweet person, but in our scene, she (for reasons I won’t tell to avoid spoilers) isn’t happy with Martin. We came to set, rehearsed the scene and all felt fine. It had decent flow and we were ready to shoot.
Well, I had no idea director Kaare Andrews and Anne had other plans for the scene. As soon as the camera started rolling, Anne turned from unhappy to furious. All of a sudden, Anne is tearing my head off in the scene! Martin is supposed to be extremely nervous and scared during this conversation, and I’ll tell you, when Anne Heche starts yelling at you, there is no acting required to be scared.
What else are you working on? What can your fans look forward to from you next?
I’ve just recently finished a Lifetime movie called He Loves You Not. I play a high school track star who falls for the new girl in town. It was a blast to work on. I’m looking forward to people seeing it.
What do you enjoy most about your job? Is there anything you’d love to tackle that you haven’t yet? Anyone you would love to work with someday?
My job is amazing because it’s hard. I love struggling to be an actor, to finish your last job and not know when you’ll book your next one. If it wasn’t hard, if it just came easy, I wouldn’t be as over the moon as I am every time I book a role.
In terms of what I’d love to tackle that I haven’t, I’d love to play the villain that people love. The fun one who makes the audience laugh with how smart and arrogant he is. I want to play Tony Stark if he was the bad guy. It would be so much fun!
I’d love to get to work with Chris Pratt. That man is everything I want to be as an actor. Fun and goofy, but works hard and takes his job seriously. Plus, we’re both Seattle Seahawks fans, so we would have that to talk about.
We hear you’re a big fan of The Bachelor. What are some of your other favorite series to binge-watch on a night in?
Like the rest of the world, I watched Netflix’s Stranger Things in one sitting. I can’t wait for season two. I’m actually a huge fan of episodic TV. I love when all of my favorite shows come back in September for a new season and watching the new shows of the year. Right now I’m hooked on NBC’s Timeless, The CW’s No Tomorrow and, of course, Syfy’s Aftermath. I’ve also never missed an episode of The CW’s The Flash and Supernatural. Oh, and NBC’s Saturday Night Live, of course!
Thank you so much for chatting with us!
It’s been my pleasure! Can’t wait for everyone to see what Aftermath has in store.
Thanks so much to Madison Smith for taking the time to answer some questions for us!
Be sure to tune in to Aftermath on SyFy and keep up to date with Madison by following him on Twitter and Instagram.
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