Brandon Jay McLaren has built one of the most versatile resumes in Hollywood.
You’ve seen the actor in countless television roles over the years, like Power Rangers S.P.D., The Best Years, Graceland, The Rookie, and The Cleaning Lady. And feature films like She’s The Man.
McLaren has amassed not only a long career but a diversified one, with various roles that have allowed him to flex his acting muscles and deliver nuanced and striking performances, regardless of the role.
Next up is Netflix‘s latest miniseries, Wayward, from the brilliant mind of Mae Martin.
Tall Pines is a picturesque little northeast town from the outside looking in, but the town houses some dark secrets, and a school for “troubled youth” from which the whole town circles.
With Martin in a starring role, the powerhouse cast also includes the magnetic Toni Collette. A perfectly cast ensemble helps bring this twisted tale to life in an incredibly captivating eight-episode journey.
McLaren’s turn in the series is outstanding, as one Tall Pines small-town cop whose quiet loyalty may be hiding something more complicated.
I was fortunate to speak with McLaren about stepping into this role, the show’s diverse themes, and what two decades in Hollywood have taught him.
We touched on a lot in this engrossing interview, so enjoy it, TV Fanatics.
How would you describe Wayward? If somebody’s going through Netflix and they’re like, ‘Why should I watch this show?’ How would you describe it to them?
I feel like it’s just entertaining. It’s genre-bending, it’s funny, it’s chilling. It makes you think. It makes you reflect. It’s born out of a real story because these schools really did exist.
And Toni Collette, there you go. And for nothing, watch Toni Collette work out on the screen. There’s nothing better than that.
Tell us a bit about your character, Dwayne. Tell us who he is, what he is, and what he means to the story.
Dwayne is an ex-Army vet who grew up in the area. And you know the through-line with everybody who lives and works in Tall Pines is that they all have a similar belief system.
So, Dwayne is of that belief system, and as loyal and affable as he is, he is also very myopic.
And anybody who strays from that belief in the shared belief of Tall Pines, he is not afraid to correct them, if you will.
What was your approach to playing him?
I think it’s important as actors to never judge your character, so I didn’t want to paint him as good or bad. He has a belief that he adheres to, and he defends it, and he thinks he’s doing the right thing.
He believes everybody in Tall Pines is doing the right thing and that they’ve figured out the best way to be in the world.
So, I just went into it with this earnest defense of the way that they live and protecting that. I think that was the foundation of the character.
When you were looking at the series overall outside of just your character, what was it about the series that connected you to it?
I remember when they had contacted me about potentially playing Dwayne, they sent me the first, I think four scripts. And I remember telling my agent, “This is one of the coolest things that I’ve read in a long time.”
It was just entertaining, and I don’t think I’d ever read anything quite like it. I also liked that it was the early 2000s, so there was some nostalgia there. It kind of had all the elements.
Then, when I was talking to Ryan Scott on Zoom about the show and when I’d signed on to do it, I was like, “Can you tell me who’s playing Evelyn?”
And he was like, “I think it might be Toni Collette.” And I was like, “Yeah, right. In my dreams.” And I think the next day it was announced, and I was like, “Oh, I’m so happy I signed on to do this.”
This series does deal with a lot of heavy themes, and you said it before, it’s entertaining, and you want to tell this entertaining story, but you also want to be authentic in the storytelling. So, how do you feel this show was able to find that balance?
I haven’t watched it yet. I haven’t. I’m going to wait to watch it. But in terms of just reading it, that’s a great question, and that’s something that we were aware of while shooting it.
Tonally, where does this sit? Is this too big? Is this too small? Is this too serious?
A lot of the time, that’s up to the editor, too. You give a bunch of different versions on the day, and then they can pick and choose and cherry-pick which fits into the story the best. But it was something we were aware of for sure.
Piggybacking off that last question. When the audience is watching the series, aside from being entertained, what do you hope they can take away from it?
Oh, man. I think it makes you think about, when you talk about themes like getting brainwashed and indoctrination and stuff like that, and people who are victims of that, and how much culpability do they have in terms of being responsible for their actions?
And so it deals with all these really large themes. Underneath the comedy and the chilling elements, there are these real, pertinent questions that are infused in the show. Hopefully, you come away with it and start thinking about these things.
Yeah, that’s a great answer. It also touches on trauma, parental relationships, and parenting. There are so many themes.
What I find fascinating is that even in the trailer, the problem of adolescence is a problem to be fixed. So, solution finding and antidote finding, all these kinds of things, I find interesting.
What was the filming experience like for you?
It was great, man. We shot in Toronto over the summertime, which was great. It was cool to work with Mae so closely while they were also running the show.
Mae would be writing the next episode and then rehearsing with me, and then doing a scene, and then doing rewrites in the trailer. It was wild, and it was really cool.
The whole experience was really cool and unique that way.
Switching over from Wayward, you have a very long history both in film and television.
There’s Graceland. The Best Years. The Killing. What’s a role of yours that you feel you’d love to revisit in a perfect world, or one that you wish you’d had more time with?
I think Graceland. I think we got canceled too soon. Because I shaved my head in the finale, and then there was supposed to be a whole other season of me with the shaved head, and it got cut short at the last minute.
That’s something that I always hold on to, like, man, what if? Also, because I loved working with all the people on that show.
That’s the one that got away. But at the same time, we did three seasons of television, which isn’t terrible. A lot of people would kill to get three seasons.
How long did it take you to grow your hair back to where you wanted it?
Oh, man. Right after I did that season, I went straight to do Slasher on Netflix. That was the first show I had ever done with no hair. And then I did a bunch of seasons of Ransom.
I did UnREAL with no hair. And I started to grow back in the last season of Ransom, so maybe another seven, eight years now it’s been.
Oh, wow. Wow!
Yeah!
Being in the industry for this long, how has your approach to choosing projects evolved over the years, from starting back to Power Rangers, to where you are now with Wayward?
I think that over time, you realize that you have to make space in a lot of different parts of the industry, whether that’s creating or developing — that kind of thing.
Over a 20-year sample size, you learn things along the way, and the friends that you meet and the relationships that you make.
I believe it is important to cultivate those and turn them into other opportunities for yourself and others. I think that’s what’s changed as I’m getting older.
Did you ever get a piece of good advice over the years from a fellow actor, director, or anyone in the industry?
Yeah, when I was doing She’s the Man, Andy Fickman, our beloved director, we were all very young and having a lot of fun. When you get a bunch of 20-year-olds together doing a DreamWorks movie, it’s fun.
I remember he said one day, “Guys, listen, I’m going to shoot way more than I need. So, every day, show up to work and give me a reason to cut to you in the final edit.” And that never left me.
I’m assuming that’s uncommon in film.
No, it’s a good piece of advice. He’s like, “Guys, a lot of this is going to be cut, so give me a reason to keep you.” I was like, “That’s some real talk.” But I appreciate it.
The larger point is just to come to work and be great. Don’t be blah, because you’re going to get cut out of the movie because I’ll cut away to something else.
What is something you haven’t yet tackled in your career that you’d like to?
I’ve never done a multi-camera sitcom before. I don’t know if I want to because it sounds terrifying. It sounds both fun and terrifying, which is probably a reason why I should do it. But yeah, that’s the only thing I haven’t done yet, I think.
Then this is something I always ask people that I am talking to for the very first time. What shows are you currently watching?
And what is your comfort show? You’re having a bad day, it’s raining outside, and you want to watch something to comfort you?
I don’t watch a ton of scripted stuff. I like Planet Earth. I love a good cooking show. You know what I mean? Because I like to eat a lot. Those are my wheelhouse shows, cooking shows, and shows about the world and nature.
Like Chopped, those kinds of cooking shows? Or Gordon Ramsay?
I love a little Beat Bobby Flay if it’s on.
Beat Bobby Flay, okay.
You know what I mean? That’s a nice cookie show that I watch. I was into Chef’s Kitchen for a minute. I found that really, really good. That was another Netflix show. So yeah, I bop around the cooking shows.
Would you ever do a celebrity cooking show?
I would love to do that. Or like Tucci’s Italy, but do it in the Caribbean, where my parents are from, and do it in that region. I think that would be cool.
Or would you ever do something where you travel? Almost like traveling vlogs?
Yeah, that would be great. Do you know someone or something?
I’m just putting it out there! I don’t have any connections. I have no connections, but I believe in putting stuff out into the universe. So, if we talk about it, you never know.
I appreciate that. Thank you.
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We broke down Wayward in our spoiler-free review right here, so make sure to check that out.
We’ve got tons of other reviews to check out on the site, as well as exclusive interviews you will only find here at TV Fanatic.
Wayward is scheduled to be released on Netflix on September 25th.
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