Photo Credit: Bobby Quillard

BERLIN STATION has been airing a fantastic second season Sunday nights on Epix. We had the chance to catch up with Brandon Spink, who portrays Robert’s son Noah, about season 2, working with his incredible TV fathers, why you should be watching BERLIN STATION, and what’s coming next!

What was it as a child that made you say “I want to be an actor?”
When I was 7, I would always do these little school plays so I would do these shows, so when I went on stage, I just fell in love with performing. It’s been a part of me since I was 7. 

Was it drama, comedy, or just the audience in general?  What was it that you fell in love with?
Getting the audience, I think. I love doing everything. I just enjoyed the audience.

Do you have favorite actors that you want to follow in their footsteps?
Definitely Leonardo DiCaprio, he’s one of my favorite.

So BERLIN STATION – incredible first season. Who is Noah and what should we know about this guy?
Noah is the son of Robert Kirsch. He just moved to Berlin to live with his dad.  He’s trying to establish this relationship with his dad that was broken. Noah’s kind of a smart aleck kid. He lives by his own rules and that’s one thing I really love about him, too.

What was it that drew you to BERLIN STATION and wanting to be a part of it?
This character (and also getting to film in Berlin. That was pretty cool too), but just this character, not the smart aleck but the living by his own rules thing, that’s a little bit like me in a way.  When I first auditioned, I just really felt connected to the role. 

I think sometimes it’s even harder to play a character that kind of something you relate to. Have you found that with him?
Definitely, yes! Plus there are a lot of differences, too.  HIs parents are divorced and he’s trying to repair this relationship with his dad; I’m really close with my dad and my mom, so here it’s having to play these feelings where I haven’t seen my dad in a while and it’s weird between us. 

You mentioned filming on location – what was it like to film in Berlin?
Filming in Berlin was really awesome.  It was as good as you can imagine. We got to film next to the Berlin Wall.  Every where we filmed, we got to sight-see. We took a lot of tours throughout the filming.  It was really awesome. 

It gives such authenticity to the show, too!
I know, we’re like, we’re really in Berlin, this is awesome!!

I think Leland Orser is such a great underrated actor. He’s so good. What is it like to work with him?
Leland is truly amazing.  He made me feel so comfortable. He gave me great advice about acting, he taught me life lessons. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to work with him.

Is there advice he gave you that you’ll carry forward and offer to other people?
He gave me great advice. He told me to stay humble.  One of the big ones is acting is reacting.  It’s not about learning your lines, it’s about creating the character and being the character. And whatever I felt, I could react, so I had fun with that.  He made me feel so comfortable that it was perfect how he did it.

It helps you have the on screen relationship.
While not filming, we had a really good bond, too.

Photo Credit: Bobby Quillard

What is it about BERLIN STATION that will draw people in?  Why should they be watching?
The storyline is just amazing. It deals with current events that are going on right now.  It has a little bit of comedy in it, and just wonderful actors.  There are some amazing actors, and it’s honestly just a great show.

Will we see you come back to ONCE UPON A TIME at all?
You know. I hope. So. At the end of my episode, I just kind of ran off, so we don’t know what happened to me!  I hope so!

What is it like to work with Robert Carlyle. That man just seems like such a gift.
Robert, oh I love Robert. He’s so funny, and so kind. He is awesome. He was exactly like Leland – he made me feel comfortable, he took me under his wing, and we had a good bond, too. It was amazing. 

What is next for you?
So far, just auditioning and hoping for a really big 2018.

What is daily life as an actor like, auditioning and all of that?
I always try to get scripts and see what’s going on, to see how the character is feeling about things. I try to get to know the character and I look the characters up, just in case anybody else has played it, see what they did with this character before.  Sometimes, I make up a backstory just so I can build the character.

You mentioned wanting to kind of do it all, but are you more drawn to dramatic or comedic roles?
Everything I’ve really done so far is mostly dramatic roles, so I guess I’m drawn to dramatic roles [laughs] but I like doing comedy now and then. That’s always fun!

Do you have advice for young actors that you yourself kind of take with you every day?
There’s always going to be a million nos, but keeping on going, keep on trying.  There will be more “nos” than yeses.  

Is that something you really have to repeat to yourself – I’d imagine, just the nature of the business, that there are a ton of nos.  Is that hard to deal with?
[laughs] Yes, and a lot of times, it’s not even the acting. Sometimes there are little things they don’t want – the hair, how tall you are, how skinny you are, you’re going to hear that kind of stuff.  You have to brush it off and move onto the next one!

What do you watch when you some free time?
Ooh you know STRANGER THINGS season 2 just came out, so I was watching that. BERLIN STATION of course, I love watching that. STRANGER THINGS is definitely the show I’m watching right now! 

BERLIN STATION airs at 9/8c on Epix.