Recently, I got to have a chat with Ryan Hansen. Why should you care? Well, after Ryan’s memorable turn as on Veronica Mars, he’s kept busy with Films like Friday the 13th and Superhero Movie. He’s also one of the stars of Rockville, CA from Chuck and OC creator Josh Schwartz …
Um, the OC? Chuck? Unless you are literally living under a rock, you can’t have possibly missed both shows… Oh you were? Well, I’m sorry if I offended you.
Rockville is a web-series set at an indie music venue in Los Angeles. Each episode features a different, actual band performing at the fictional club. Oh, and there is a lot of post high school angst involved. Ryan had plenty to say about Rockville, his life after the UPN, and taking over the world…no, seriously.
Question: Alright Ryan, what exactly is this "new media" thing, and what can you tell me about Rockville, CA?
Ryan: It’s a new medium for entertainment via the web. RVCA is a web series on the WB.com, it’s a show about these kids that live in the LA rock scene and work in a club that has live musical performance such as The Duke Spirit, White Lies, The Kooks, Kaiser Chiefs, etc. It’s also a way for these bands to showcase themselves since outlets like MTV rarely feature smaller bands. It’s a way to introduce bands you may not have heard of within a new fun show. And it’s all done in a “Josh’s Schwartz” style, which is great.
From one someone who would remember tech before the interweb to another (Super NES, Sega) what was the first video/website you remember checking out on-line?
Ryan: I remember going to this site to see a photo of Carmen Electra in a bikini and the page took like an hour to load…
Are you a fan of Josh's other work (Chuck, The OC), and how did that influenceyour desire to get involved with Rockville?
Ryan: I’ve heard of this mythical character “Josh Schwartz” and have seen some of his shows (but try not to get too sucked in like the rest of America) and who doesn’t want to work with a mythical creature? So of course when I heard that RVCA was a Josh Schwartz creation, I did everything I could to be a part of it.
How much has life changed since Veronica Mars ... Friday the 13th, Superhero Movie... you've been keeping busy?
Ryan: My life has changed a lot since VM because everyone used to call me “Dick” and now, working on RVCA everyone calls me “The Douche” so any other job I get can only go up hill from here.
What are Ryan Hansen's plans for taking overAmerica next?
Ryan: To try to take over America, right now I’m working on the Untitled Gossip Girl Spin-off, whose storyline will be introduced on the season finale of “Gossip Girl” on May 18th. And I am also working on the Starz channel comedy “Party Down” written by Paul Rudd. To better America, I am working with InvisibleChildren.com which is an organization that that I’m very involved in and passionate about.
Be sure to check out Ryan on Rockville, CA on theWB.com. New episodes are up every Tuesday, but you can catch up on the old episodes as well. And, um, see about getting a new place to live… Rocks can’t be comfortable to live under in the summer time….