Jared Turner as Ty Johnson. Photo copyright of South Pacific Pictures.
Please note - some spoilers ahead for those who have not seen seasons two and three of The Almighty Johnsons.
Among many peoples’ goals in life is to find someone to love, and, of course, someone who loves them back. That holds true in the real and fictional worlds, including for Ty Johnson of The Almighty Johnsons. You would think that being a reincarnated Norse god – yes, you read correctly – that he would have women throwing themselves at him. Sadly, it is not that easy for a guy like him to find true happiness. There are all sorts of provisos that go along with leading such a divine earthbound existence. Happily for actor Jared Turner, booking the role of Ty on the popular New Zealand TV dramedy was much less complicated than his character’s day-to-day life.
“I first became involved with The Almighty Johnsons when its creators, Rachel Lang and James Griffin, asked me to participate in a workshop along with several other actors, including Tim Balme [Mike Johnson] and Dean O’Gorman [Anders Johnson], to read the pilot episode in front of a panel of television executives,” says Turner. “I read the role of Ty, and then months later, I was asked to audition for the character. It was actually quite nerve-wracking as I felt enormous pressure to get the part after having already connected with the character during the workshop. Fortunately, I was recalled for a second audition and, eventually, offered the part.”
Like his two brothers Mike and Anders as well as their grandfather Olaf (Ben Barrington), Ty made the leap into godhood on his 21st birthday. However, as with his fellow male family members, it turned out to be more of a small step. If they hope to eventually gain their full god powers, their youngest brother Axl (Emmett Skilton), who is the reincarnated god Odin, must find and make love to the goddess Frigg. If he is killed before doing so, then all the other Johnsons die as well. In The Almighty Johnsons series opener It’s a Kind of a Birthday Present, Axl’s 21st birthday celebrations include being initiated into his new role as a god. It was a “far out” concept, but one quickly embraced by Turner and the rest of the show’s cast and crew.
Ty (Jared Turner) in "It's a Kind of a Birthday Present." Photo copyright of South Pacific Pictures.
“The first day on The Almighty Johnsons set was all about trial by fire,” recalls the actor, “especially for Emmett Skilton, who, after only just finishing acting school, was with a group of experienced, well-established actors and had to perform his first scene in the nude. In hindsight, I can see that it was brilliant planning by the director, Mark Beesley, as it created a fun atmosphere and definitely broke the ice amongst the cast and crew. It set the tone not only for the first episode, but the entire series as a whole, which was like hanging out with your best mates every day.”
Ty is the reincarnated god Hoor and has the ability to generate cold. He is unable to feel warmth and is unaffected by below-freezing temperatures, which suits not only his job of selling and repairing refrigerators, but also his hobby of carving ice. It is, however, a hindrance to say the least when trying to develop and maintain a relationship with a member of the opposite sex. Ty longs to give himself heart and soul to the right woman, but he must always be mindful of the fact that his touch can literally freeze someone to death. He faces this seemingly insurmountable hurdle in season one of The Almighty Johnsons when falling in love with Anders’ assistant Dawn (Fern Sutherland). Some mortals would give anything to be a god, but to Ty it feels like a proverbial albatross around his neck. For Turner, it posed a series of interesting acting maneuvers throughout the show’s three seasons.
“One of the initial [acting] challenges I faced when stepping into the role of Ty was trying to see the world with a very cynical, pessimistic view,” he explains. “Ty sees his god powers as a curse and, essentially, takes on these traits within his person – cold and dark. I, on the other hand, am quite a gregarious, optimistic person who enjoys a good laugh.
Ty (Jared Turner) and Dawn (Fern Sutherland) in "Every Good Quest Has a Sacrifice." Photo copyright of South Pacific Pictures.
“When I was on-set with the bros, it was really difficult to suppress the fun and enjoyment I had within a scene and try to act pissed off all the time. In the second season, Ty went to an even darker place and was almost pushed to the very edge. This became a real difficulty for me, as, by this point, Ty was part of me. I found myself quite withdrawn, discontent and would struggle to deal with my emotions. Though I would do my best not to bring Ty’s feelings and personality home with me at the end of the day, it was a struggle to let go of the darkness within.
“By season three, things changed once again. Ty was without his god powers and so, without his curse of being cold and dark, I had the best time shooting this season. The bros were all back together again, Ty found his happy place (but let’s face it, nothing ever really works out for Ty), and I, too, was feeling a great sense of relief. There was still a slight struggle in trying to find a sense of normality in Ty, who had to learn to be mortal again, but, at the same time, was feeling left out of the ‘family business.’”
Like most families, there is plenty of love as well as the occasional feeling of disgruntlement between and amongst the Johnson brothers. Unable to share their family secret of being reincarnated Norse gods with any mortals, they have only each other to rely on. That support system experiences its fair share of ups and downs and is put to the test more than once during The Almighty Johnsons’ three seasons, as is Ty’s and Dawn’s relationship.
Ty (Jared Turner) and Anders (Dean O'Gorman) in "This is Not Washing Powder, My Friend." Photo copyright of South Pacific Pictures.
“In the first two seasons, Ty’s relationship with his family is based around loyalty and responsibility,” says Turner. “Consequently, the one he gets on with the least is Anders, who seems to lack these important qualities. Meanwhile, it’s Mike who Ty has the closest relationship with, as Mike seems to be the embodiment of no fun. Then there’s Grandpa Olaf, who’s all about fun and, well, not much else, really,” jokes the actor. “So with Axl, my character feels that he needs to back Mike up in making sure that Axl learns to deal with and use his newfound powers appropriately.
“Throughout the seasons, these relationships change dramatically, especially between Ty and Mike as they no longer see eye to eye about loyalty and responsibility. For Ty, his loyalty shifts between his heart and his head. His head knows that he has a responsibility to help his younger brother to succeed in his quest, yet his heart longs to be with Dawn, and Ty will do anything to be with her, even if it means to die for her.”
Does the actor have a favorite episode or even scene from The Almighty Johnsons? “It’s hard to single out just one favorite episode of the show, but I can certainly say that I had the most fun in the third season,” he enthuses. “Having said that, one of the most memorable scenes was from the first season when, in the forest, Axl becomes the incarnation of Odin. It’s a great exposition of each character’s personality and relationship with one another – it defines the show. On the other hand, the most challenging scene comes from season two, whereupon Ty must deal with the consequences of his mother’s unforgivable and heinous crime.”
Ty (Jared Turner) in "Goddesses, Axl, Come in All Forms." Photo copyright of South Pacific Pictures.
Born in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand, Turner later moved with his family to the suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Growing up, he loved going to the movies, but originally had his sights set on a career very different from acting.
“I’ve always been a huge film fan,” notes Turner. “Movies like E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Goonies and Star Wars had me mesmerized, and I’d imagine myself actually being Indiana Jones, a Goonie or Han Solo. After stepping out of the movie theatre, I would remain lost in the world I just experienced until I was fast asleep in bed dreaming about it. When I woke up in the morning, I’d replay scenes in front of the mirror, doing my best character impersonations while getting ready for school. However, in high school, my dream became all about football. I was selected as part of a junior coaching squad for a professional Rugby League football team and had my sights set on playing in the big leagues. Later in high school, I needed to choose an elective subject to make up my final credits. My best friend and teammate, Stu, suggested I do drama because, ‘it’s easy.’ It sounded perfect to me – an easy subject that allowed me to focus more on football as well as other subjects that could lead me into a sports science career.
“As it turned out, I loved drama class and, eventually, I got my first break – a broken nose,” says the actor with a chuckle. “During a difficult game against another school, the coach put me and Stu, a halfback and a fullback respectively (linebackers) in the forwards (defensive line), as our bigger players were failing in defense. Unfortunately, when Stu and I tackled the biggest player on the field together, we wrapped around him and our heads collided. Stu’s head was down, mine was up, and my nose went sideways. Several other injuries followed in subsequent games as I found myself fast becoming one of the smaller players on the field. I started to enjoy playing football less and less and enjoying drama class more and more, which eventuated in the head of the drama department asking me to be the lead in the high school musical.
Jared Turner as Ty Johnson in The Almighty Johnsons. Photo copyright of South Pacific Pictures.
“After finishing high school and with little interest in a sports science career, I auditioned for an acting school called Theatre Nepean [University of Western Sydney]. I spent three years at theatre school before landing my first job as a guest in a TV show called All Saints. Several theatre performances followed before scoring a lead role [as Brent Rosser] in my first feature film, Fracture. Playing Brent in Fracture was my true initiation in performing in front of the camera. Despite a few guest roles in television, this was my chance to really learn how to act for the screen. I had the opportunity to work alongside some of New Zealand’s top actors, and each day I would watch them at work and pick up different techniques to utilize in my own performance. I also discovered that despite three years of training, acting for theatre was very different to acting for film. For example, one of the first scenes I shot involved me simply taking off a backpack. We did several takes before the director finally said, ‘You’re doing too much. Just take off the bloody backpack!’ Less is more, I guess. That was one of the best acting lessons I’d ever been given!”
30 Days of Night and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans are among the actor’s other big screen credits. On TV, Turner has also guest-starred on Outrageous Fortune and Spartacus: War of the Damned as well as played the regular role of Ben Maddox in Go Girls. Since The Almighty Johnsons wrapped production, Turner has been hard at work on a variety of other projects.
“My first role after finishing The Almighty Johnsons was to finally play a bad guy in a gritty film about the drug scene in Auckland called The Last Saint, which is currently screening throughout New Zealand,” he says. “Since watching Band of Brothers, I’d always been keen to be part of a war movie or series, and early this year I was honored to be in a war series about New Zealand soldiers during World War I called When We Go To War, which will air in 2015 to commemorate that 100 year anniversary of ANZACS (Australian and New Zealand soldiers) landing at Gallipoli. Since then, I’ve worked on a TV murder mystery [miniseries] called The Brokenwood Mysteries, and a true story film about a policeman who faked a satanic attack on himself called Venus and Mars. There are several other projects in the pipeline, but it’s a little too early to talk about those. I’m always ever hopeful that, one day, the Johnson boys will be back together to shoot a feature film. Who knows, if enough people wish for it, the gods might just answer our prayers.”
In acting, a good review always trumps a not-so-good one, but even when someone is singing your praises, it is important not to rest on your laurels, especially if you hope to make your career a long-lasting one.
“When I first started acting, the most rewarding thing for me was to hear others say how much they liked my work and how good an actor I was,” says Turner. “Unfortunately, this is a dangerous thing for young actors to get themselves into. It’s very self-centered and naïve. I became too reliant on listening to what other people thought of me, and when I didn’t get the reactions I’d hoped for, I began to lose the enjoyment that I had initially found in acting.
“Thankfully, as I got older, I stopped relying on what other people thought. That’s not to say I wasn’t interested in hearing any constructive criticism, ideas or opinions, but I began to trust myself as an actor and believe in the choices I’d made, be they good or bad ones. This was even more evident when I became a father. I suddenly knew exactly who I was and what my purpose and focus in life was and is. Consequently, more roles began coming my way. These days, the most rewarding thing for me is knowing that I can provide for my family while doing a job I truly love. Other rewards are meeting new people, going to new places and playing new characters, all the while having a great time doing it. With each new job, I feel I’m just that little bit closer to being one of those characters that kids will pretend to be when they look at themselves in the mirror while getting ready for school.”
Steve Eramo
As noted above, all photos courtesy/copyright of South Pacific Pictures, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
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