Darcy Hinds
Darcy Hinds chats with us about returning to Riverdale to get back in the ring against K.J. Apa for a boxing rematch that is sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. We spoke with the actor about his upcoming appearance on the hit CW series, his experience as a stunt man, a boxer, and an actor, working with the cast of Riverdale and meeting Luke Perry, and what fans can expect from him next.
Read on for our exclusive interview with Darcy Hinds below:
What motivated you to initially pursue acting as your career? Was there anyone who influenced or inspired you?
I’ve always known that I wanted to be an actor since around age 8 while watching movies like Superman and seeing action actors like Bruce Lee and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Also, I remember back then seeing an ad in the paper of a film looking for young actors and asking my mom if I could do it but it wasn’t possible for some reason. Those are my first memories of wanting to be an actor.
Can you tell us about your character Randy Van Ronson on the hit CW series Riverdale and what viewers can expect from him as a character?
On the TV show Riverdale I have the amazing opportunity to be an action actor doing the three things that I love: acting, stunts and boxing. I play a cool character named Randy Van Ronson that Archie Andrews decides to box against. Randy wins the first match in episode 313 that you can find on Netflix now. The second episode 318 comes out this Wednesday, April 17th on CW and Thursday on Netflix. This episode you can find these two characters battling it out again, both doing whatever they can to win.
What originally attracted you to this role in particular? Were you a fan of the series or original comics before being cast in the role?
I’ve been in martial arts since age 8 and to this day have over 140 full contact fights mostly consisting of boxing, so to be able to showcase some of my skills and combos on such a great TV show like Riverdale is a blessing. There’s a scene in episode 313 that Archie and his trainer are doing boxing drills and they say and do a combo I made up called Spider. That was very cool seeing them use that.
Darcy Hinds and K.J. Apa
Your character Randy Van Ronson appears in an upcoming episode to face off against Archie Andrews in the boxing ring. What would you say viewers can expect from the episode? What are you most excited for them to see?
Not much I can say about the upcoming episode except it’ll be very entertaining with Archie and I facing off again in an epic boxing fight. We first faced off in the other episode a few months ago and I won the fight. Everyone will just have to tune in to see what happens in this episode.
Your talented background in stunts and boxing must certainly have come in handy when filming. How did you go about preparing for a role like this?
The preparation for a stunt role in comparison to an acting role is quite similar. Right before a stunt I’ll warm up my body doing some quick stretches so I don’t pull any muscles to reduce the possibility of injuries. For acting, I will warm up too but it’s my jaw, mouth, and tongue I’m warming up as well as my body in a different way by doing quick exercises I learned in acting classes. I’ll also go over my lines again and again so I can say them easily and fluently.
How has the experience been working alongside the cast? Are there any fun memories that stick out to you from filming?
I really like working with all the Riverdale cast. What sticks out is meeting Luke Perry from 90210. Not because of his unfortunate passing a few weeks ago but because I grew up watching him as a kid and then had the amazing opportunity to work with him. Although it was only for one day I remember talking with him in the cast holding and he was super cool, nice, and very encouraging. I was fortunate to have some great conversation with him and he even told me I should keep the boxing shorts from the show because they were so cool! Also, I remember after K.J. and I did a boxing take, Luke [said], “Darcy, that looks awesome! It’s going to be great!”
You also spend your free time as a volunteer firefighter for your community. Can you talk a bit about why that was important for you to get involved? Did you ever consider that as a career?
Yes, I used to be a volunteer firefighter for five years and it was a pleasure and honor serving the community, helping those in need. I went to many medical calls, car accidents and actually 3 big structure fires. It was dangerous putting them out but it’s reassuring knowing you have a skilled team of firefighters there with you. I must say being a volunteer firefighter did help me in my pursuit of stunts as being a firefighter involves being very fit and not afraid of heights. Yes, I did consider it as a career but I still felt something was missing until I followed my dream to be an actor and stunt performer.
What else are you working on? What can fans and viewers look forward to from you next.
I actually have a lot of TV shows and films that will be coming out in the future. I just finished a stunt/actor role on Supergirl. My role on the next episode of Riverdale coming up on April 17th on CW and 18th on Netflix is extra special to me because as I mentioned earlier I’m doing the three things I love, Acting, Stunts and Boxing. I recently found out my character Randy Van Ronson is a big character in the Katy Keen comic book series so that was cool learning that too. I have also a role in a feature film coming out called “Playing With Fire” that you may see me doing some light boxing.
Thanks so much to Darcy Hinds for taking the time to answer some questions for us. We really appreciate it!
Keep up to date with Darcy Hinds by following him on Instagram @DarcyHinds and Twitter @DarcyHinds007.
Connect with Pop City Life on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.