Dan Byrd plays Travis Cobb in the television series “Cougar Town”. Dan has also appeared in a variety other television series and films. Media Mikes had a chance recently to talk with Dan about the series as well as his role in the film “Norman”.
Adam Lawton: Can you tell us the current status of Cougar Town?
Dan Byrd: As far as I know the show will start airing in March. We still don’t have an exact date yet as a lot depends on a new show the network is going to start airing. If that show ends up being a success our show will start in March however if that show doesn’t do well we will probably start airing around early February.
AL: Can you give us some hints as to what we can expect this coming season?
DB: There’s a lot going on this season. I think it’s going to be our funniest season so far. Jules and Grayson are going to be sort of venturing into the land of being together and getting married. Travis is back at school while the story line between him and Laurie continues to grow. The thing with our show is that every episode is an entity unto its self. A lot of the story threads that were started in season 2 will continue on into the new season. Each episode is really its own adventure.
AL: How is it working with such a great cast?
DB: It’s great! It has been a huge learning experience. I have been working since I was young but I feel like I have learned more being on this set than I have on any other set. I have especially learned a lot about television and how shows are run. The cast is really awesome and it’s great to be surrounded by such talented people.
AL: What can you tell us about your film “Norman”?
DB: That film was made prior to me starting work on “Cougar Town”. The film is about a kid who perpetuates a lie to deal with events that are happening in his life. Because of this lie he is put on a pedestal and looked at completely different. The film deals with how my character Norman deals with this new found attention. There is also a love story intertwined with everything as well. Norman is really trying to balance all the good and bad that are happening to him at the same time.
AL: What are the release plans for the film?
DB: We released the film in 5 different markets a month or so ago. There are still screenings happening as well as the film being sent to SAG voters. I am not sure what will happen next release wise but, I think you will start to see the film out early next year.
AL: With the year wrapping up do you have any favorite films from 2011?
DB: I just saw “The Artist” which I thought was phenomenal! That’s definitely the best film I have seen all year. The concept is really great and I think the actors in that film should and will get nominated for an Oscar. Other than that I really haven’t seen much in the way of Oscar contending type movies. Shooting keeps me quite busy. There are still a bunch of films though that I want to check out.
AL: Do you have any other projects planned for the upcoming year?
DB: I don’t really know at this point. We will probably be done shooting “Cougar Town” around late January or early February. After that we are going to have a pretty substantial hiatus. This is going to be the first year that I really go out and try to pursue other things. I have been sort of lax in our previous hiatuses because it was the first time that I didn’t have to immediately jump back on the audition grind.
AL: If you had your choice are you looking to do something comedy based or do you want to work in a different genre?
DB: I have been doing sitcoms for some time so it would be nice to flex a different muscle. The only real criteria I have is that I try to find roles that will turn out well. The genre that I am working in is kind of secondary to the quality of the project. The role has to be something that I think will benefit me in the long run.
