The West Australian recently published an article on Beauty & The Beast star, Austin Basis.
Austin Basis stars alongside Kristin Kreuk (Smallville’s Lana Lang) and the broody, explosive Vincent Keller played by Kiwi and adopted Aussie Jay Ryan in the new hit series, Beauty & The Beast.
Basis plays biochemistry professor J.T. Forbes, Vincent’s boyhood friend whom he keeps safe from prying eyes. A doctor, Vincent joined the army after 9/11 and through a series of government experiments was turned into a beastly super soldier who was supposedly killed in action. Trying to help those in danger, Vincent saves Detective Catherine Chandler (Kreuk) after her mother is murdered in front of her. Nine years later they cross paths and after some bumpy early meetings Vincent starts to covertly help Catherine .
Basis tells The West that what he loves most about the first season of Beauty & The Beast is that just about everything Vincent and J.T. do is life or death. They’ve been in a warehouse working on a cure for Vincent’s condition and suddenly a woman has inserted herself into their world.
“She has invaded their space and brought with her a lot of attention, which throws J.T. into a world of worry. He has enough to deal with, with his life at the university and at home.
“He’s juggling all the balls and now there are three of them who know the truth.”
The first season of Beauty & The Beast was filmed in Vancouver and with filming for the second season due to start up again next month, Basis is set to relocate from his home in Los Angeles to Toronto, giving him a whole new city to explore. “You try and find your spots,” Basis says about getting acquainted with a new city. “You find a gym, good places to eat and places to go when you have a day off.”
However, relocating and finding the right apartment might play a part in the way Basis delivers a scene. “I come from the school of acting where you can’t really deny what you are going through in your personal life, but as an actor you have to get in there and do the scene with the right emotion – even if you can’t find an apartment.” he says.
“Whatever is going on, you try and use that to deliver your scene in the right way. The hardest times are shooting happy scenes when you, for example, can’t find a place to live.”
Loosely based on the 1987 series of the same name, Beauty and the Beast mixes a police procedural with elements of the supernatural, and, of course, there’s plenty of moodiness and romance thrown in for good measure. Beauty & The Beast airs on Channel 11, Tuesday nights at 8.30pm.
