As Austin Welch on Awkward, Shane Harper gained considerable notice playing one of the kookier and weirder characters on an already kooky/weird show. Now, as the debonair Ian Chandler on Happyland, Shane’s doing a little bit of a 180 degree shift, which he shared about in the below interview.
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Taking place in a theme park known as Happyland, the new show is “all about these people’s lives. It’s a lot more than relationship drama or park drama,” Shane tells us. “It focuses on upper class and lower class and how they connect with each other in the park. On this show, everything isn’t quite as it appears at first glance,” he goes on.
The show starts off with a bit of a bang, when Shane’s character Ian gets mixed up with girl-from-wrong-side-of-tracks Lucy (Bianca A. Santos), who might in fact be his sister. (!!!) “It’s wild,” Shane said of this development. “When we read the pilot and I saw that ending, I was definitely on the edge of my seat. It’s a real fun twist!”
With the first eight episodes of the show soon coming to an end on MTV, Shane shared more with us about his character. “Ian comes into the story very entitled, very privileged…being the son of the president of Happyland,” he says. “Bianca’s character Lucy is from a poor town, not very well off. When they collide, we see a lot of different interesting stroylines take place. I’m really pleased I got the part and get to be a part of the show!”
And what about transitioning from Austin on Awkward, also on MTV, to this new project? “On Awkward I played a character with Asperger’s, and he was a little off, and obviously Sadie (Molly Tarlov) kind of falls for him. This is very different from Ian Chandler. Awkward is a high school comedy…Happyland is super unique in that it takes place in a theme park, not a high school – it’s a unique backdrop.”
In terms of Happyland’s takeaway and message to viewers, Shane has lots to say. “It’s a really smart show – aside from all the drama with these relationships, these characters are much deeper than just the comedy or the drama – Lucy wants to get out of the park, do something bigger with her life, while Ian’s struggling with an identity crisis: is he a nicer guy than just the million dollar playboy? Happyland has a lot of heart!”
To catch the last few episodes of Happyland’s first season, tune in to MTV on Tuesdays at 11 (and catch up on prior episodes at MTV.com). Be sure not to miss Shane’s big scene shot entirely on a rollercoaster as well!