What would Finding Carter be without its moral compass, Grant Wilson? The spunky kid is played by the uber talented Zac Pullam, and there’s no doubt about it… Grant definitely tells it like it is when it comes to his dysfunctional family on the hit MTV drama. Often overlooked, Pullam’s character comes from a home where his parents seem to always be on the fritz (keeping secrets and leading separate lives), plus a series of unfortunate events that lead to one of his twin sisters being kidnapped (for the second time)… I’m surprised he’s not fifty shades of messed up by now.
Pullam, who knew he was destined for a spot in the limelight ever since seeing Indiana Jones as a child, is perfect for this role. His delivery of sarcasm, heart and familiarity is not only refreshing but noteworthy. We chatted at length about Grant’s evolution through the seasons, the cast waiting for prank retribution from on-screen mom Cynthia Watros (Elizabeth) and Pullam’s plans to eventually go to college and become an archaeologist.
MCKENZIE MORRELL: Hey Zac, tell us about MTV’s Finding Carter and the role you play?
ZAC PULLMAN: Well, Grant is the younger brother of Carter (Kathryn Prescott) and Taylor (Anna Jacoby-Heron), who are the twins of the show, and Carter was obviously the one who was kidnapped at three and found at sixteen. Basically the show is about her coming back into the family, trying to go back to her kidnapper mom, and Grant– he’s just kind of the anchor of the family. He’s a forty year old in a thirteen year old’s body. He’s sort of the realist. He just says what everyones thinking and he calms everyone down. He always discovers everything last.
MM: Yeah. I think he’s the moral compass of the show. So now, from season one to season two, Grant has kind of developed a little attitude or maybe more of sarcastic tone, if you will. What do you think contributed to this change in his character? Do you think everything is overwhelming him and exploding at this point?
ZP: When we last saw Grant, he was in the hospital when Max got shot and that was one big, huge thing that happened. Then, the first episode of season two, we start seeing when Carter was re-kidnapped. That’s just two huge things that happened to him, and I think when Carter comes back, everything is just like, yeah okay, whatever. What’s new? Nothing is going to happen that hasn’t happened before, because he’s just over everything. He just wants it to be a normal family, and he just wants everyone to be happy and just be normal, I guess.
MM: At this point he’s probably like, okay, you’ve been kidnapped twice now. We’re over this! But who would you say Grant is closest with on the show, in terms of characters?
ZP: In season one he was definitely closer to Carter, because they understood each other. But in this season, I think he’s still close to Carter but he’s closer to Taylor, more so because she’s the one who is basically at the house all the time, and basically takes care of Grant this season. So that relationship with Carter last season still carries over into this season, but he also kind of grows on to Taylor also.
MM: In last weeks episode we see Grant’s grandmother kind of getting involved and tricking him into seeing a psychiatrist. Will we see more of Grant opening up about what’s going on and how he’s feeling, or can we expect him to act out more and be more out of character?
ZP: I’ll say both. I mean, I really don’t remember if he opens up. I can barely remember the past week of shooting! (laughs) But yeah, he definitely acts out. He’s definitely not himself. Nothing major happens, but he’s not himself.
MM: Definitely. So now, for you, at what age did you decide that you wanted to dive into acting and make it a career?
ZP: Well, when I was younger I used to always dress up, and I used to be the guy in the school plays who would over-do everything. I guess I really wanted to start acting when I saw the bonus features of Indiana Jones, where they made the movie and I’m like, “Yeah. I want to do that. I want to be Harrison Ford.” Harrison Ford is one of my idols, so that basically inspired me to start doing short films at Florida State University film school, down in Florida, obviously. I did those for two or three years, and then we went up to Atlanta and I did a couple workshops and I did a showcase, and then I signed with an agent. They wanted us to go out to L.A., so we waited a couple months and then went out there and I spent nine months in L.A. until I booked Finding Carter. That’s basically how it happened!
MM: Wow! I’m sure you plan on many more years of acting, you’re just getting started. What would be another career for you if you left the entertainment world.
ZP: If I go to college, which I probably will, I would go for an archaeology major because Indiana Jones influenced my life in so many ways– from acting to archaeology. I want to become an archaeologist, because who doesn’t want to go out into a lost civilization and be known for discovering that- a lost civilization.
MM: That’s so amazing that you’re still grounded and want to pursue your education as well. I think that’s wonderful. You don’t see that too much these days, so I commend you on that. Now, I chatted with Kathryn Prescott a few weeks ago, and she told me that you guys love pulling pranks on set. Has your on-screen mom gotten you back for the whoopie cushion incident yet?
ZP: No, she has not gotten us back yet and I don’t think she will. But I’m not counting on she won’t, because you never know. We still have one episode to film yet. She could pull something like we did on her last year. I’m pretty confident though, that I’m not going to get pranked… She seems like she’s forgotten about it, but I know that’s all an act because she’s an actress.
MM: Yes. (laughs) She’s got something up her sleeve, I’m sure. So now you already said that Harrison Ford is a big influence of yours– who would you like to see guest star on Finding Carter, if you got to choose who would come onto the show?
ZP: I guess, Ross Lynch, who is a Disney star and a musician. That would be pretty cool for him to come on the show as a love interest of Taylor or Carter or one of the other girls. I met him a couple of times and he’s pretty cool. It would be cool to be with him on set and work with him, because that’s one of my dreams, to work with him, as well.
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Former tech nerd and Producer at a Literary Publicity Firm. Just a gal with a B.S. in Journalism, who loves covering the Entertainment world. Credits include World Wrestling Entertainment as the Intern Online Content Editor, NBC Universal for both The Steve Wilkos and The Jerry Springer Show, and at Red 7 Media where I created content both online and in print for the company’s various publications.
In my spare time, I enjoy watching and reviewing my favorite T.V. shows, as well as interviewing some of my favorite celebs in the industry. I’m sarcastic, opinionated, and thrive off of technology and social media.