We recently spoke with Ryan Hansen (Veronica Mars), who plays Chambers, aka Douche, on theWB’s Rockville, CA.
Ryan was just coming back from an awesome week of hanging out and sunburn in San Diego.
What’s it like playing a character like the Douche?
Everyone has a little bit of douche in them at one point in their life. You can just douche all over everyone and be really weird and say whatever you want. It’s pretty fun.
How did you get this role, what was the audition process for this role?
I read for the lead guy, and they were like, “Nooo, there’s something Douchey about you. So, I’m like ok. [laughs] So, that’s how it went down.
In the last episode of Rockville, CA you offered to buy the lounge from Shawn. We don’t really get into your back history on the web series so what can you tell us about your background and how you can afford to just buy the club out from Shawn?
My father is this big record producer, so he’s been in the business forever. And, my mom is a superhot model – that’s where I get the looks from! That’s what I think [laughs]. I think my dad, to get me off his back, said take this son and whatever whatever with Shawn. He probably invested a little bit for me. So, that’s how I get to be a part of Rockville. I think I part own it, but I don’t. I want to own it because my dad can buy it for me.
Will we ever get into your parents or anything outside the club in the series?
I don’t know we haven’t really talked about that, but it would be cool. I’m thinking… who can play my dad? Hmmm. No, I don’t know anyone weird. James Wood?
What’s production like on Rockville, CA and how does that compare with Veronica Mars?
We shot twenty episodes in a little less than a month. “Veronica Mars” was like nine months to shoot a whole season. It’s more like shooting an Indie movie than an episodic. We always skip around episodes. Everyone’s involved in the mix. If they’re not working in that episode, that day, they’re still there hanging out. So, it was really cool. It was a fun vibe on set because everyone’s having a good time. Everyone’s being creative and creatively involved. They really let us do what we felt is right for the character. It was a cool vibe on set.
There was no studio breathing down your back either because it’s a web series. Josh was always there hanging out.
Any favorite bands you met during the course of production?
Yeah. Anya Marina – she’s a super bad-ass singer/songwriter and she’s from San Diego. She’s amazing so we got to hang out with her.
The Kooks were awesome. They invited us to the show after and we all went to the show at the Paladium that night. It was super cool. You felt like a little bit of a rock star because you get to hang out with them and see them play live. It was really bad-ass.
The White Lies. We’ve seen them a couple times since then, and they’ve invited us to a couple things. At South by Southwest, we all went out there and saw them.
It’s really cool to get to know the bands and see them play live.
I know there was a documentary called “Little Children” about Uganda, and after that your family became heavily involved over there. Can you tell us about the program and how you felt when you first went over there?
Yeah. Totally. My brother-in-law, Jason, actually started the program. He and his two buddies went to Uganda about four years ago now. They made this documentary on the child soldiers in Northern Uganda – the 20-year long genocide that’s been going on over there?
So, we went back a year later with them for a couple of months making these mini-documentaries.
It was cool to be behind the camera, just really getting to know these kids and families that have been affected by the war. It’s so heartbreaking. It really opened my eyes to see how much hurt and how much heartache these people are having. Knowing no one’s paying attention to it is crazy.
Invisible Children is building schools over there now. So many of their organizations are humungous. They have so many kids who are sponsored now because of Invisible Children. It’s amazing. And, the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) is dwindling down. It’s really cool to see. There’s actually a huge event coming up on April 25, called Rescue, and you can check it out at InvisibleChildren.com.
How often have you been back to Uganda?
We’ve been back about three times in the last three years. We have family over there now. We call them our family.
The word is there’s a new Gossip Girl spinoff coming out called “Lily” and you’ve got a role on it. Could you tell us about the show and your role?
I guess it’s officially Untitled. I think we’re just calling it that so we don’t have to go through calling it the Untitled Gossip Girl Prequel Spinoff Backdoor Pilot or something like that.
Blake Lively’s (Serena van der Woodsen) character’s mom, Lily van der Woodsen in the 80s growing up in Los Angeles. Lily and her sister try to hide that they’re super wealthy: living in the valley and all that good stuff.
I’m friends with her sister and kind of in love with her sister, which is played by Krysten Ritter. Brittany Snow is playing Lily. So I play this rocker kid in the 80s. Kind of a scenester kid. I have a dangly earring and my hair’s all back. No Doubt makes a cameo in it. They played at Stand and Deliver – it’s this club and it was bad-ass. Gwen Stefani -finally got to talk to her and we made out. Which was pretty cool. [joint laughter] She’s awesome. What else about the show [laughs]? It’s just super 80s, and it’s a 80s orgasm all in one bold show.
Give us the Low Down on your new STARZ series “Party Down?”
So, Rob Thomas, the guy who made Veronica Mars, and Paul Rudd they produced and wrote this as well as bunch of guys who were producers and writers on “Veronica Mars.” Party Down is a bunch of caterers/starving artists in Los Angeles. It’s really funny and has an amazing cast.
Does your character differ a lot from Douche or Dick Casablancas on Veronica Mars?
Oh my, this guy is like completely different [laughs]. Oh my gosh. He is a self-absorbed wannabe actor, rock star and model. Oh, so he’s totally different. No. He’s TOTALLY DIFFERENT. He’s not a douche. NO. NO WAY. Okay sure. He’s a little bit like that, but that’s fine [laughs].
Seemed to be a personal note in there.
[laughs]Yeah, he’s kind of a douche. But, he’s a little more naïve than those other two guys. He’s a naïve douche [sympathetic sarcasm].
Any future projects or things you’d love to do next?
I’d love to be on an animal show. With like dogs and cats surrounding me. Be able to ride elephants and play with lions… lion cubs. Maybe me and you should get together and write something?
That sounds like a plan to me.
[laughs] And we can cruise around New York on elephants.
It’s a year of change.
Who’s not gonna watch that? [joint laughter]
It’s the next travel channel hit. Everyone’s got a show there now.
Exactly! Me and Bridget.
[joint laughter]
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