Steve Lund as Nick Sorrentino in the Bitten episode "Prodigal." Photo copyright of Syfy.
There is no denying that werewolves have had a bad rep since the early days of black and white feature films. Hairy, howling and usually boasting a bad disposition, these creatures of the night hung out under the full moon just waiting to put the bite – no pun intended – on some innocent passerby. These nocturnal beasts have since been given quite a makeover, including in the TV series Bitten. Its werewolves are depicted as realistic wolves – beautiful animals that while just as dangerous as their fictional ancestors, manage to keep their killer instincts in-check, unless they are pushed to the edge. It took a bit of time, but actor Steve Lund finally succeeded in joining the Bitten pack when landing the role of Nick Sorrentino.
“I first heard about Bitten when I was down in Los Angeles for a couple of months last year,” recalls the Canadian-born Lund. “It was one of the first projects that I auditioned for when I got there, and I initially went in for the part of Clay. Several months later I discovered why I didn’t get the role as soon as I looked upon the man that is Greyston Holt. I completely understood why they [the show’s producers] didn’t go with me for that part, but I did get a callback for it, which was pretty cool. That’s when I started to do a lot of research into the entire Bitten storyline and kind of got hooked on all the material they had put together in a package for each of the auditions.
“Once I heard I didn’t get the job I moved on to other things. I had actually flown back to Toronto from Los Angeles to shoot an episode of [the TV series] Beauty and the Beast, and when I returned to LA, my agent called to tell me that I was being considered for another of the lead roles in Bitten. She asked me, ‘Can you drive to Toronto in three days?’ I said, ‘I guess crazier things have been done.’ I packed up the car and hit the road. I slept in my car for maybe a couple of hours a night, and the rest of the time was spent on Route 66. I made it to Toronto in time for the audition and read three times for the Nick role, each of which I had to take my shirt off for,” he jokes, “so in-between auditions I was pumping out pushups like a madman. A short time later, I got a call telling me I had the job, so I think it was all meant to be.”
(L-R): Jeremy Danvers (Greg Bryk), Nick Sorrentino (Steve Lund), Clayton Danvers (Greyston Holt) and Elena Michaels (Laura Vandervoort) in "Grief." Photo copyright of SPACE.
Based on a novel of the same name and the first in The Women of the Otherworld series by author Kelley Armstrong, Bitten stars Laura Vandevoort as Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf in existence. Having spent a year in Toronto trying to a make a new life for herself while also trying to repress her true animal nature, she receives a phone call from her pack leader, Jeremy Danvers (Greg Bryk). A rogue werewolf (or mutt) is murdering humans on land near the Danvers’ ancestral home of Stonehaven and needs to be found and stopped. In the series opener, (Summons), Jeremy calls the entire pack home to assist in the hunt, including their best tracker, Elena. When Nick Sorrentino (Lund) got his call, he was in the middle of doing something that he probably hated to leave.
“My first day on the Bitten set was quite a rewarding one for me as an actor and my character,” says Lund. “I just remember being very scantily clad in front of an entire crew of strangers that I knew I was going to spend the next five months with. I couldn’t have asked for a more ideal icebreaker than to be standing there in very limited clothing, shaking everyone’s hands and getting to know them. That was definitely a memorable first moment for me on-set.
“Brad Turner directed both episodes one and two [Prodigal] and we block-shot them, which means we jumped back and forth between filming those two episodes from day to day depending on locations and things like that. It’s funny looking back now and seeing moments onscreen where, for instance, I’m hugging Greg, who plays Jeremy, as if I hadn’t seen him in a very long time and he’s someone I’ve known my entire life. In reality I’d just met him two hours prior on-set. Looking back on scenes like that it’s pretty interesting to see where the friendships are now versus where they were at back then. It feels like such a long time ago, but at the same time it feels like yesterday. So the first two episodes have a very special place in my heart.”
Nick Sorrentino (Steve Lund) in "Grief." Photo copyright of SPACE.
Despite having to leave in the middle of what appeared to be for him something very pleasurable, Nick had no hesitation answering Jeremy’s request to return home. While he may like doing his own thing, he knows that his loyalties lie with his pack. “Nick has clearly grown up looking up to Jeremy,” notes Lund. “With Clay [Jeremy’s adopted son] running around and Nick’s father Antonio [Paulino Nunes] doing his own thing, Jeremy and Nick find themselves together quite a bit in the show’s first season. They share a very special bond and almost become like brothers, but there’s this Alpha and Beta sort of dynamic between them too. Jeremy takes my character under his wing in a really caring way, and Nick becomes much more involved in the day-to-day dealings of the pack than he ever was before.
“Nick actually has a very nice story arc in the first season,” continues the actor. “For those who aren’t familiar with the storyline, you’ll see him confronted with very impactful and monumental adversity and how he’s forced to sort of grow up in a very short time and assume a different responsibility than he’s ever had before. Nick is described as someone who’s not always taken so seriously, and I don’t think he has a problem with that so much until it comes time for him to step up to the plate. He really wants to prove himself as a reliable werewolf who will do anything to get the job done and fight to the death to preserve the pack. That’s a really neat journey to watch this man go on.”
In rejoining the pack, Nick gets to rekindle some old friendships. “He and Elena have a really good relationship,” says Lund. “They have sort of a brother/sister-type dynamic I guess you could say. There’s some playful teasing and a lot of fun back and forth banter. He’s very much there for Elena and kind of idolizes her in certain ways. So there’s a wonderful chemistry between the two of them, and Nick completely understands the importance of Elena’s role within the pack.
Nick Sorrentino (Steve Lund) and Antonio Sorrentino (Paulino Nunes) in "Prodigal." Photo copyright of SPACE.
“As far as Nick and Clay, in my character’s eyes, Clay can do no wrong. They’re best friends and nothing will ever change that. There’s an undying love for one another, and I can only empathize with his scenario in terms of the love that he has for Elena and how he can feel it slipping away at times and the guilt that he lives with.”
What types of acting challenges did Lund encounter when first stepping into his Bitten alter ego? “Well, we joke about the fact that Nick isn’t much of a stretch for me,” he says with a chuckle. “It felt like I was able to sink into the role fairly quickly. Nick is a fun guy and likes to have a lot of fun as well. He certainly enjoys the fruits of life and I think that’s something I would say about myself, too.
“In terms of specific challenges, playing a werewolf generally is tricky for an actor. There’s a unique intensity that you have to try to achieve, and any sort of supernatural storyline brings with it a variety of challenges. For me, this was my first time doing stunt work to any great degree. So that was difficult for me, trying to make that stuff look realistic when I’m this pretty lanky guy who only knows how to fight with hockey skates on.
Jeremy Danvers (Greg Bryk) and Nick Sorrentino (Steve Lund) in "Grief." Photo copyright of SPACE.
“There was a fight sequence I did with Laura in episode two that was the most fun I’d ever had on-set. It was pretty awesome and I’m really pleased with how it turned out. We worked very hard at it and used every spare moment we had to rehearse. This was my first fight, so I was really nervous. Of course I didn’t want to hurt Laura because I probably would have been fired on the spot, but I was also intimidated by her. She has a martial arts background and literally kicked my ass and sort of showed me up at first. So there was this healthy competition between the two of us for a while, but I really think she got the upper hand onscreen as well as during rehearsals. We had a ball doing that sequence, though, and all the action stuff we did throughout the first season was a big thrill for me. We were very lucky in that our fight coordinator, John Stead, is an amazing, generous, compassionate and extremely caring person. His attention to detail trickles down throughout the entire cast and crew. John taught me everything he could in a short period of time, and I still wear my scars and bruises with pride.”
In addition to exercising his physical prowess as Nick, the actor also had the opportunity to further tone his acting muscles. “Episode seven is a big one for me as an actor and the first time that I had to do something that intense in front of the camera,” explains Lund. “I’d done some work like that before back in theatre school, but this was a whole new stage for me. I was able to get the material in advance and set aside every spare moment possible to work towards getting to the emotional place that I needed to be for episode seven, and it even sort of carries on in episodes eight and nine. I worked tirelessly at it and I think we got some pretty nice moments.”
From the time he was a child, Lund dreamt of performing in front of a crowd, but his chosen performance platform changed when he grew older. “I wanted to be an actor since I was two years old,” he says. “Then I sprouted like a weed and my father put a hockey stick in my hand. That was that for many years, and it looked like professional hockey was the direction that my life was going to take. However, when I was 19 years old I suffered a few very serious concussions and was warned by doctors that I should never play hockey again. That dream of being an actor, which never really died but rather just sort of sat simmering on the backburner, suddenly came to the forefront. I jumped at the opportunity to go to school and I guess the rest is history.”
Actor Steve Lund.
Lund made his professional debut playing one of the leads in the 2011 web series Yukonic! In which his character is one of two friends and Vancouver film makers who trek to Canada’s Yukon in search of gold treasure to fund their next film project. While working on this series, the actor first crossed paths with someone who he would later be working with on Bitten.
“Daegen Fryklind, the creator of and an executive producer on Bitten, was also an executive producer as well as a head writer on Yukonic!,” says the actor. “When I walked into the audition room and found out she was involved with Bitten I got really excited. There were so many little things like that, though, with Bitten that clicked for me, and like I said earlier, I could almost tell that this was meant for me.
“Yukonic! was the highlight of my life at that point. It was my first acting gig ever, and an opportunity to travel as well as work on an independent-type of production. It was a passion project for so many people and it taught me a great deal about the industry and how soulful it can be. It was a really nice first impression and first glimpse into this business and I’m extremely thankful for that, not to mention all the camera time that I had and all the fun stuff that we did. I couldn’t have asked for a better first job.”
Steve Lund as Nick Sorrentino in Bitten. Photo copyright of SPACE.
Alphas, Being Erica, Blue Mountain State, Lost Girl, Hemlock Grove and Defiance are among the actor’s TV credits. He also played the role of James Cogan/The Colorado Kid in multiple episodes of the Syfy channel series Haven. “That was an amazing opportunity,” he enthuses. “Haven was my first recurring role and was sort of the next milestone to achieve on my resume. They filmed in my home province of Nova Scotia, and I got to travel home in the summertime, which, of course, is the most beautiful time of the year, and enjoy the coastal town of Chester. I worked with one of the friendliest casts and crews, including Laura Vandervoort, who played my onscreen wife. So that was quite the treat.”
There is no denying that the entertainment industry is a tough one to break into, and even once you get a proverbial foot in the door, you have to persevere, especially when jobs are scarce. “I’ve always maintained that finding the small victories along the way is how you progress and stay positive in this business,” muses Lund. “It’s also important to understand that if your journey hasn’t been as fruitful as you want it to be, that you need to stay the course. You need to be patient, stay active and continuing learning as well as progressing and absorbing as much as possible so you can be ready for the times when the phone does ring.
“Even the merit that can be found in delivering a good performance in the audition room can be fuel enough for me, at least, to want to keep going. Obviously it’s fantastic when you get a job; the paycheck is nice and so is the recognition and the fact that you get to work with other actors is wonderful as opposed to just driving yourself crazy acting opposite yourself in the mirror. This industry has a lot of benevolence to it. There are quite a few people who are willing to be there for you, coach you or lend you some advice. To be open and receptive to that is the only way to continue and learn, and I think I’ve been lucky enough to recognize and identify when those instances come for me.”
Steve Eramo
Bitten airs on Canada's SPACE Channel on Saturdays @ 9:00 p.m. EST/PST and in the States on Mondays @ 8:00 p.m. EST/PST. As noted above, all Bitten photos copyright of SPACE or Syfy, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
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