If you’re in the United States and you haven’t heard of Jonathan Patrick Moore before, chances are good that you will probably have heard of him by tomorrow as he’s one of the many breakout stars of The CW’s L.A. Complex premieres tonight.
Moore plays Connor Lake, a young actor who seems to have gotten his dream job, moving out of the complex known as “The Luxe” and into his own house. While Connor seems to have everything – looks, talent, success – he hides an inner loneliness that we see throughout the series’ initial episodes.
“Connor is just a mess, really,” Jonathan told us when we spoke at a L.A. Complex press junket a few weeks ago. “I think he’s naturally talented, but I think he doesn’t really know how to do what he is doing. I think that’s why he gets so freaked out and stretched out. He actually doesn’t know how to craft himself into his performance. All he knows is that in the auditions, he was like ‘I’m not gonna get this; I’ll just do whatever,’ and that’s what worked.”
“He’s not a bad actor,” he explains. “He just doesn’t know how to make it work. He’s actually good, and he’s talented; he’s just talking himself into a mess. If he would just relax, he’s actually quite good. He’s intimidated. He’s stressed. He doesn’t feel worthy. He feels like they made a mistake. He genuinely believes that the producers are crazy, and they’ve made a mistake, and they’re going to fire him any day,” he continues.
Connor’s insecurities tie back to a troubled family life. “He was abandoned as a kid by his mom and brother and sisters. He has a terrible relationship with his father. That has all fed into him being very insecure and kind of depressed. He’s not feeling very worthy,” he reveals. As we’ll see in the series premiere, this loneliness forms a connection between Moore’s character of Connor and Jewel Staite’s Raquel character. “Connor needs company all the time,” Moore explains. “When he’s left alone with his thoughts, is when he gets destructive and depressed.”
Connor also forms a quick connection with Abby, who is the new girl at the complex, played by Cassie Steele. “He finds Abby as someone that’s different and special. I think Connor is always looking for female company to quiet the noise in his head. But with Abby, she is a bit different. She’s someone who he would like to take care of, even though he’s the one that needs to be taken care of. And obviously, there’s a natural chemistry between the two of them,” he reveals. The connection between the two wasn’t something that Connor could have expected. “I think he was just turning on the charm, as he does,” Moore explains. “He was having a party, and she’s a cute new girl, so he thought would get to know her. I think he’s a little surprised by how strong the connection is.”
Don’t expect smooth sailing for Connor and Abby, though. Connor is the lead in a new Grey’s Anatomy-like TV show, playing a very skilled “hotshot” doctor… and while he’s there, he will end up having a relationship with his co-star, Katie. “So that’ll be a constant push/pull. Whether they’re going to actually be together or not, that’s the kind of thing there,” Jonathan teases. A bit of a love triangle, maybe? “There are love octagons! Dodecahedrons. There are all kinds!” he laughs.
Moore was drawn to The L.A. Complex because it felt “very real.” “The conversations that these characters were having were things that I had said before, or I had said to me. So that was exciting, to be able to play something that anyone who is an actor coming to Hollywood has been through or experienced to some degree. Whether they’re living in their own car or not,” he says. Has he personally had any bad experiences in the business? Moore answers the question candidly and honestly. “I didn’t live in my car, but I certainly had periods of time where I did not know how the hell I was going to pay rent. I was renting just the biggest $#!+box of a car, and just trying to get to auditions. Even screwing up auditions so badly. This one audition, the casting director didn’t even ask for my headshot or resume. And I was thrilled, because that I was thinking ‘please, forget that I even came in today’,” he reminisces.
As the show approaches its U.S. premiere, Jonathan reveals why fans should tune in. “I think they should tune in because they will be constantly surprised. Nothing is what it seems,” he teases.
The L.A. Complex is almost here – 9PM (ET) on The CW premiering Tuesday, April 24! Don’t miss it!
