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Interview by: Orchee Sorker / Photos by: Austin Martinez / April 27, 2024
Joshua Colley chats with Hazze Media about his journey in acting, acting in theatre vs. film, latest role as Monty in Netflix's "Dead Boy Detectives", upcoming role as Young Hook in Disney+ "Descendants", and life when he is not acting.
If you want to start by introducing yourself and your journey. How did you get started in the industry?
Very nice to meet you. I'm Josh. I was born in Florida and started doing theater there. I did my first professional gig at like nine years old in a Christmas Carol. My mom kind of was like “Wait a minute, something good is happening here.” She found an audition online for Les Miserables national tour. I would go on tour and through all of America. I ended up getting it. My whole family went with me on tour. From there, I booked Newsies on Broadway. That took us all to New York, and then I just started my Broadway career. I did a couple more productions. I did Les Miserables on Broadway. Then, I started doing voiceovers and little TV gigs. I never really dipped my foot too far into the TV and film world until my voice changed. I ended up moving to LA. I started to do more things in TV and film. I did a movie called Senior Year. That was my first really big one. Then, I got really lucky, and I got these two projects just recently “Dead Boy Detectives” and Descendants: The Rise of Red. Those were filming at the exact same time. So I was going back and forth from Canada to Georgia.
You've had a diverse career, from theatre to film and television. How do you approach each medium differently, and what do you find most rewarding about each?
When I was younger, I loved theater. I was always a musical theater boy. That was really my forte. I'm a singer as well. So that really came into play with being on stage. That also came into play when I was doing Descendants too. That's why I was so excited to do that as well. Musical theater is where my heart really was for a long time.
I didn't really even know very much about film or TV. Once I started doing film and TV, I really enjoyed the fact that what I was doing was going to last beyond. In theater, you do a show and there's no trace of it. It's really just you and the audience for that one performance. That is incredible in itself. You share that moment with the audience. However, I can never look back at some of the things that I was doing when I was younger. It's really nice that with film and TV, I can look back and see the projects that I've done. I feel like it has such a wider reach with things on Netflix and Disney+, like it's so accessible for people.
I love Broadway though. I definitely am going to make a return soon. I miss it dearly. There's nothing like that instant gratification of an audience reacting. It's like the energy is so palpable in a theater. Behind a screen, you don't get to see the reactions of everybody until like months and months later when it's finally coming out. I would say musical theater is like instant gratification and then film and TV is delayed gratification. They're both very rewarding.
Could you share how you prepared for your role as Monty in "Dead Boy Detectives," considering his unique ability to see ghosts and his passion for astronomy?
I had been in the world of “Dead Boy Detectives” for a while - just auditioning. Before I even knew Monty existed, I was in the running for other characters in the show. I was very close to one of the characters in the show and felt like I was going to get it. My friend Abby Monterey, who was in Doom Patrol, sent me the script and said there's two boys in this series. I auditioned but didn’t hear back. When it was coming to series, it was my chance again. I've been preparing for this whole time. I put on that British accent and I got very far in the process. At the end of the day, it wasn't a right fit for me. I was like, “Darn, that sucks.” Then, I found out that Steve had written a part with me in mind for the show. When I found that out, I was like, “What are you talking about?” I only heard that in stories that writers had did that for actors.
He told me he wrote the part with me in mind, which is really wonderful. Monty came very naturally to me. The very big difference is that he's very naive in a lot of the things and he's experiencing in the world.
He starts out as a witch’s crow and turns into a human. That was really fun to play. The costume really got me in the spirit. The costume designer did an incredible job. The costumes in our show are so gorgeous, top tier. I don't know if anybody will be able to notice, but in my jacket, there's like little diamond cutouts with actual crow feathers in it. There's just so much detail put into it when you put the costume on. You're immediately transported into the world.
Did you know any of the cast prior to filming?
Yes, I knew Lucas Gage who plays the Cat King. We were talking about it before I even signed on. I knew Lucas, and then I also knew David Icono. David and I didn't even have any scenes together in the show because our characters are kind of in different plot lines of the show…but I hung out with him the most in Canada. That was really incredible because me and David were friends, but we weren't so close because we hadn't had the opportunity to hang out because he lives in New York. Us being thrown into Vancouver, Canada together and we were staying at the same hotel. We were like, “You're a bestie.” Then, suddenly our relationship just blossomed. He’s truly one of my best friends now.
Also, Monty is transformed into a boy by a witch named Esther. How did you navigate Monty's dual identity? What was your favorite scene to film?
When Monty's around Esther, he's scared of her most of the time. Anytime he's kind of like talking back to her, it's really scary. Those moments were exciting to play. Me and Jen had such a different dynamic off screen. I literally call her mother. She's just so kind, and we had this funny vibe off screen. Then, we'd have to get on screen and I'd have to be shaking and I'm so scared of her.
The whole point of my character is that he's spying on the dead boys to bring the information back to Esther. His intentions may be like not the best at the start, but he slowly grows to fall in love with George and really understands the group.
Now transitioning to your next film "Descendants: The Rise of Red," you play a young version of Hook. How did you get the opportunity to be a part of this film?
I did the audition for Monty and Hook on the same day. I found out I got them both the same day. I was like, “What is happening? This is crazy.” Hook came very easy to me. I'm a huge fan of the Descendants series. When I was auditioning for young Captain Hook, I knew exactly what to do. I put a fake slit in my eyebrow, and did my hair up. I tried to try to create a character that I envisioned would be cool for the next descendant. I did my British accent, which was always a dream. I may not have gotten to do it on “Dead Boy Detectives”, but I did in Descendants: The Rise of Red. Hook is so different from who I am as a person. That's what was so fun to play for me.
Outside of acting, what do you like spending your free time doing?
Music is really where I go when I am not doing theater every single day. I've been able to write my own music, and I'm writing my own musicals. It's definitely in the musical realm. I'm working on some music that I'm hopefully going to release pretty soon.
For those who want to pursue Broadway or Hollywood, what advice would you give them?
I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said before. It's a hard business. You really have to love it and be passionate about it. The right role will find you. Just be yourself, and bring yourself to every role that you're doing.
Thank you so much! I'm super excited for both of the projects.
It was so very nice to meet you.