Following his 2015 Daytime Emmy nomination, 15-year-old Sean Kyer recently took home a big win at the Leo Awards for his role as Agent Oscar in the PBS series Odd Squad. The Vancouver-born actor has amassed over 22 credits, proving that those twice his age aren’t the only ones who can exhibit such a high caliber of talent when it comes to entertaining an audience. Focused, impressive and ridden with flair, there’s no denying that this young man has a knack for theatrics.
Kyer, who began acting at the age of 9, is well-known for his roles on When Calls the Heart, Continuum, and Supernatural. He has not only racked up a long list of credits at such a young age, but has received dozens of award nominations for his stellar performances. Talk about a star on the rise!
Kyer’s exceptional skills are not only apparent on screen, but being noticed by all the right people: fans and critics alike! And if I were a betting woman, I’d say that he has a long, prosperous career ahead of him. From working with iZombie and The 100 star Jessica Harmon, to hitting the red carpet with friend and fellow actor Katelyn Mager, Kyer had a lot to say about his recent win at the Leo Awards and working in the entertainment industry. He even had the best response to a question I had about describing himself to a stranger. Now, onto the interview!
MCKENZIE MORRELL: Hi Sean, thanks so much for joining us here at NoWhiteNoise, and taking the time to answer some questions! Let’s start with something easy, at what point in your life did you consider yourself an actor?
SEAN KYER: Probably around the age of 9 or 10 when I started booking my first real jobs did I start to consider myself an actor.
MM: Who in the business did you look up to, or idolize at that time?
SK: I always liked that Tom Cruise guy, really enjoy the Mission Impossible series.
MM: Would you consider yourself a method actor? What’s your process to get in the zone for playing a new character?
SK: I think that the energy from the set is a large factor in how I act. I like to feed off of the vibes that other actors are giving me and I also tend to generate some of my own. If I am acting in a dramatic role then most of the time the energy of the set is quite low compared to a comedic show where its very high and where everyone is super hyper!
MM: I’ll bet. Can you recall your favorite project to work on? What made it stand out so much to you?
SK: I loved the role of Agent Oscar on Odds Squad because I really got to let loose and just be super energetic for an entire year of shooting! It was a blast doing that project!
MM: What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened to you on set? Any funny moments?
SK: I think one of the funniest moments was when I was working on a little pilot called “Ferret Squad” and we were working with these adorable little animals called Ferrets! These things were the cutest animals I’ve ever seen and they are so weird because when you’re holding them they are like a little snake and they just always find a way to slither out of your grip!
MM: Such fun! Now, you recently won a Leo Award for your role as Agent Oscar in the PBS series “Odd Squad,” congratulations! What an awesome accomplishment. How was it attending the Leo Awards? Were you nervous? Excited?
SK:Thanks! It was an awesome time attending the Leo awards! I was of course just a little nervous about winning because then you know, I gotta go up on stage and say a speech or whatever, but once I found out I won that feeling of nervousness completely disappeared and was I very excited and happy!
MM: Your friend and partner in Leo Awards crime, Katelyn Mager, told us how much fun it was attending the event, and was so excited for your big win! Was there anyone in attendance that you were super stoked to see?
SK: Ya! I had a great time with Katelyn. It’s actually kind of funny because I was a presenter this year at the Leos and just by chance I had been paired with Jessica Harmon who I had worked on multiple projects with and whom I’m friends with! It was just by chance that we were paired together because as it turned out the people at the Leos weren’t even aware that we knew each other. I just thought that was sort of funny how that worked out.
MM: How awesome. I’m a huge fan of Jessica! But back to you, the role also landed you a Daytime Emmy nomination last year. As such a young actor, do you have to pinch yourself for all of this recognition you’re getting? You’ve accumulated quite the list of award nominations and wins!
SK: Oh thanks again! It is quite a treat to be able to experience all these cool events and it is always a ton of fun to attend all of these award shows.
Agent Oscar- ‘Odd Squad’
photo: Courtesy of Sinking Ship Entertainment
MM: Were you able to develop your character on Odd Squad at all? What is the work flow like?
SK: I definitely was able to develop my character a ton. The producers, writers, and directors on Odd Squad really let me go off and develop who Oscar was and that makes him one of my favorite characters to have acted out because I got to create him.
MM: That’s always so exciting. What are some other things you like to do in your spare time, I’m sure you have many hobbies… can you talk a little bit about them?
SK: I am really into photography at the moment. I enjoy being able to experiment with different techniques and styles of photography which means there’s always something new to explore with it.
MM: What is your dream role, and what do you feel you could bring to that role?
SK: Oh man, how fun would it be to be in a Mission Impossible type of role with all of those stunts and action scenes! Being in an action adventure movie or TV series would probably be one of my dream roles.
MM: I heard that if you weren’t an actor, you’d probably be a surgeon, or something equally involved and perhaps a tad bit challenging. What drives you to do something in that field alternatively?
SK: I don’t know what it is about me wanting to become a surgeon, maybe I find I perform well under pressure? I think I just want to do something with my life that helps people or saves someone’s life.
MM: Definitely admirable! Let’s say you had to concoct a donut based on Agent Oscar’s personality, what kind of donut would it be and what topics would be on it?
SK: A plain donut with green sprinkles
MM: Lastly, if you had to describe yourself to a stranger, what would you say to them?
SK: I wouldn’t say anything to the stranger, my parents always told me to stay away from strangers. Besides how come that stranger needs to know anything about me? I’m not sure about you but I wouldn’t just go up to some random dude in public and be like “Hi there, I’m a handsome, smart, good looking, smart, intelligent, smart person.” Don’t know about you but I think that would come off a little weird [laughs].
Catch up with Sean on social media!
https://www.imdb.me/seanmichaelkyer
https://www.instagram.com/seankyer/
https://www.facebook.com/Sean-Kyer-462311437310099/timeline
- Get more
- Acting
- Canada
- iZombie
- Jessica Harmon
- Katelyn Mager
- Leo Awards
- Mission Impossible
- Odd Squad
- PBS Kids
- Sean Kyer
- The 100
- Tom Cruise
- Vancouver
- Features
- Film
- Interviews
- Television
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.