Noah Reid readily admits to being nervous when he joined the cast of “Schitt’s Creek” midway through season three. He was signed to play Patrick Brewer, the love interest for show creator Dan Levy‘s character David Rose. But he hadn’t seen the first two seasons, which Levy ribbed him about. But as the actor explains, “Patrick doesn’t know anybody so it is probably best if I come in flying blind and experience all of this for the first time. That was a risky move.”
In our exclusive video interview (watch above), the classically-trained actor vividly recalls his first scenes with Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara. The comedy greats play David’s parents, the hapless Johnny and the self-absorbed Moira. “I was quite nervous to be stepping into that company being so familiar with their work. But they are such generous human beings and they let me know I was welcome and important.” In retrospect, he realizes “Patrick sees a lot of himself in Johnny and a lot of David in Moira.”
Reid recounts the lead-up to his breakout moment in season four, “Open Mic,” when Patrick serenaded David with an acoustic cover of the Tina Turner pop hit “Simply the Best.” He credits O’Hara with giving him a sage piece of advice. “She told me to ask that they shoot the audience first. That way you get a genuine reaction and some time to work out the kinks in the performance. He was equally determined to do justice to Dan’s script for the pivotal season 5 episode, “Meet the Parents. “On our show, it always starts with the writing and the character development. That storyline was crafted with such care and was an important one. The pieces were all there. I could feel the emotional content and the comedy. They were interwoven so beautifully. It was a positive coming-out story.”
The actor still gets emotional when talking about the lucky 13th episode of season 5, “The Hike,” in which Patrick proposes to David. And he was delighted to get a chance to show another side of his character in the season 5 five finale, “Life is a Cabaret.” Reid readily admits, “I am not a musical theater performer, it is a totally different skill set than I have. I dance, but we did extensive rehearsals. The MC is such an iconic character.”
He still marvels at the way Pop TV promoted season 6 with a billboard on Sunset Boulevard of Patrick and David kissing. “I get goosebumps thinking about it still. There was something so unique and special about that ad campaign. It was a conscious creative choice and to have Pop stand behind that messaging was so meaningful.” Reid reveals they had just wrapped that final season when they found out about last year’s Emmy nominations for season 5. “A bunch of the cast was in Italy on a group trip. It was a very wild day. We were out getting groceries and Dan was alone in the house.”
Reid just recorded a new album named “Gemini,” which has a double meaning. It is his astrological sign (the album is being released on his birthday May 29) and is the name of the prize that has been replaced by the Canadian Screen Award, which Reid won last year for season 4.
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