Bring In The Funk

Working actor Nolan Gerard Funk (what a name right?) is on fire.

Nolan Gerard Funk has been on a wild ride lately, with no signs of stopping. Aside from turning heads as the devilish Hunter Clarington on Glee, the young actor scored considerable notice in another villainous role last year, in the terrifying House at the End of the Street opposite Jennifer Lawrence. Why all the villainy? “I’ve been playing a few villains lately,” Nolan allows. “Everybody has a dark side, and that one little moment of getting to imagine what it would be like if you didn’t have your morals…you kinda jump in and go for it!” In terms of working with Oscar darling JLaw, he gushes that “she “was amazing – she’s gotta be most confident woman I’ve ever met in my life. She definitely has a really fun edge about her.”

Looking forward to this year, Nolan has no less than four high-profile films in the works, including the latest Vin Diesel action sci-fi epic Riddick due out in the fall. But perhaps most intriguing is his involvement in The Canyons, a film that is already generating well more than its fair share of buzz. Starring the inimitable Lindsay Lohan, ex-porn star James Deen and gifted director Gus Van Sant in what is essentially his feature acting debut, the film’s synopsis on IMDB states simply, “Youth, glamor, sex and Los Angeles, circa 2012.” Written by Bret Easton Ellis and directed by Hollywood veteran Paul Schrader, Funk describes The Canyons as “a pretty racy and provocative film…Cruel Intentionsmeets [Ellis’s] American Psycho.”

And what about Hunter Clarington? Is he coming back? “Even if I did know the answer to that question, I probably wouldn’t be allowed to tell ya!” Nolan retorts. Having begun his association with the show years ago, Nolan in fact originally auditioned for the role of Blaine, which of course went to Darren Criss. But when the opportunity to play Hunter came up last minute, he grabbed it. He remembers thinking at the audition, “I can do this. This feels like the right role for me to do on Glee…and it was sort of funny that I should end up playing a Warbler after all.

Having started in the business back in 2001 and also pursuing a career on the stage, Nolan says that both talent and ambition are necessary to make it. “If you put your mind to it as well as your heart, then eventually it should lead you to something great.” As for a favorite book? The committed young actor cites The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. “Being able to be present can really help you in your work, and your life.”

—DH
—Stephen Busken (Photo Credit)

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