Joshua Colley

As cheerful as he is charming, Joshua’s energy offers a sunshine-soaked refuge I could bask in during our conversation (is this lovely energy a part of his apparently accurate astrology chart? We’ll have to ask his best friends!) When you imagine a core cast member of a supernatural teen drama like Dead Boy Detectives, you probably picture a teenager who relishes all things spooky and scary and was raised on Twin Peaks. Joshua couldn’t be more different. A Disney Channel kid at heart, he is a stranger to this universe in many ways. And yet, his love for honest, authentic storytelling may just be the secret grounding ingredient for all tall tales. The writers seem to think so too, as he tells me the story behind his being cast.

Joshua describes his character as “a cinnamon roll”. Curiously, the same can be said of him - caramelised sweetness, complex but unpretentious, with a warm friendly filling. As carefree as a soft breeze, Joshua and I chat until the frost clears from my window, the sun peeks through the clouds and tulips poke up their bashful heads from piles of melting snow. Spring is here.

Dead Boy Detectives can be streamed on Netflix on April 25, 2024. Descendants: The Rise of Red will be out July 12, 2024 on Disney+.

Hi Joshua! Where are you joining from today?
I’m calling from LA! But I'm originally from Florida.

Lovely! Well, I'm joining you from Toronto, Canada. So it's not as warm! Recently it has been so beautiful and sunny, and then the warm weather just got wrenched away from us. It's snowing today, so that's a bit much. But, thank you so much for joining me. Because Dead Boy Detectives is a supernatural piece, I'm drawn to the question: have you ever seen a ghost? I thought that's what I would lead with.
I love that. [Repeating question] Have you ever seen a ghost? I don't think I have, but I do believe in them, for sure. I'm always wary. I'm definitely always keeping my eyes peeled, just in case I see anything. I'm such a scaredy-cat though.

How did it feel to be part of this spooky, supernatural show as a self-proclaimed “scaredy-cat”?
You know, I actually felt very comfortable on set. [both laugh] I think our show has a really great balance of spooky, but cool. It's not so scary where it's unwatchable because I'm not very into horror. I don't really like scary things. But I think our show balances just the right amount for my tastes particularly because I still get a little scared watching it, but just the right amount so that I still want to see what happens next. The viewer's perspective is from the ghost’s perspective. It makes it feel like you're intimate with them and so you feel protected by their abilities.

That makes sense! Did you grow up watching any supernatural TV shows? Any Teen Wolf, The Vampire Diaries, or anything like that?
When I was younger, I was very much a Disney Channel kid. So it was more like High School Musical - a very light-hearted vibe. My friend, Abi Monterey, was in Doom Patrol, and [Dead Boy Detectives] is like a continuation of the stories in that show. So I watched her in Doom Patrol and was so excited to do this show because I've been familiar with this comic book world that she had already been a part of. She's one of my best friends, so it was really exciting that we got to do something in the same universe.

That's really special. So, what is your favourite ingredient in this story? What draws you to it? What do you think people will relate to?
There are a lot of themes that are really exciting in this show. My particular storyline is a queer storyline, which I think is always cool to see on TV, and it's told in a really, really truthful and heartwarming way. A lot of situations that happen with my character and with Edwin Payne’s character [played by George Rexstrew] are very relatable if you don’t feel so comfortable in your sexuality. I think that's going to be very relatable to a lot of people. Plus, some plot lines like falling in love with your best friend and being unable to express that to them entirely [are also relatable]. It will be really nice for the audience to pick and choose what they relate to the most, but there's definitely something for everyone in there which is really, really wonderful. The show also feels very young and it's told from a younger perspective.

I love that. I feel like that's always going to be a major theme in love and heartbreak - fighting to express yourself. That's super universal. But also for queer youth in particular, it’s great that the show speaks to them. I love the vulnerability here - what makes you feel the most vulnerable when acting?
That's a good question. Well, our cast really supported each other, especially in some of the harder scenes to film. George and I had a romantic moment in the show that got pretty vulnerable. I know George was really nervous about doing the romantic scene, and so was I. But once we started doing the scene together, it just came so naturally. And it became my favourite scene in the show. Without giving any spoilers, I'll just say, it's the swing set scene. That scene was special to both of us. We go through a lot of different emotions in one scene. The writing is so truthful, especially in that scene. When we were acting it, it felt very real. We just wanted to tell it as honestly as we could. I'm really looking forward to people seeing it because I think it is the most vulnerable [scene] and incredibly relatable.

That kind of scene really resonates, at least for me!
Also, that scene is a turning point for my character as well. Everything becomes very, very clear to him. He hasn't had any experience as a human before, so he's learning things for the first time. It's poetic in a way. In that scene specifically, things become clear to him in maybe not the best way. That's sort of the peak of my character. His demeanour changes after that, and the world becomes a very, very different thing for him. You know what I mean? He's experiencing emotions that he has never felt before, which is fascinating.

I'm always weeping when I watch TV shows so that hits home. I also know that your character is really into astrology. Is that true to you as well?
I really wish I was more into astrology. I can't even remember all my [astrological] signs. But Abi, who I mentioned earlier, is obsessed with astrology. And so is my friend Avantika [Vandanapu]. They're the ones I text all the time when I'm trying to figure out what's going on in my life. Abi has my full horoscope laid out. Apparently, it's pretty accurate. I fully believe in it. It was nice to delve into astrology when we were on set. There was some improv that George and I got to do during one of the scenes, and I was truly just making things up. I was just trying to regurgitate whatever I'd heard my friends say. But I think there's so much truth in it. After this, I'm going to get into it more.

You need that one friend who knows everything and can give you your daily horoscope.
See that's another relatable aspect of this show - that your astrology-loving friend is in the show! And in this case, it's me.

I'm a big fan of Neil Gaiman, the author of Dead Boy Detectives. Do you have a character that you relate to particularly out of his creations?
I think there is something in all of his characters [that I relate to]. I've watched a little bit of The Sandman, which exists in our universe, so that’s really getting me excited for our show because that world is so fantastical and the characters are rich and deep. It was really exciting to play one of [his characters] - they are all you can ask for as an actor.

I can imagine. So, I know you have a background in musical theatre and you’ve been on Broadway, which is amazing, so how does it feel to be a working actor now as an adult?
Oh my gosh, it's so exciting. I mean, I was very young when I was doing theatre. That was my whole world. I didn't even really break into TV and film until I was eighteen or nineteen. It was so eye-opening. I was like, Wow, it's a completely different beast.

Would you go back to theatre?
Musical theatre is my heart, you know what I mean? It's nostalgic for me. But the thing about theatre is that the parts you're playing are just for the moment. It's really beautiful that it's just you and the audience, and once it's done, that's the only time that anyone's ever going to see that specific performance. I love aspects of that. But now that I'm older, I can't even really see some of the things I did as a kid - they don't exist. So the thing with TV and film is that it's immortalised, for better or worse at some times, but it is so nice to see my evolution as an actor. Plus, not everybody can make it to a Broadway show, understandably, but with streaming services like Netflix, any of my family anywhere in the world can go and turn it on and see what I'm up to. I think that's just so wonderful.

And how has the response been so far from family and friends?
Oh, my gosh, well, everybody's very, very excited for it to come out. We're all just so excited for people to see the show. I'm interested to see everyone's response to it. I think it has a very unique tone to it that I'm not sure people are expecting. When I originally read the script, I could visualise it to an extent, but it has a quirky, very fantastical, yet grounded quality that I couldn't even visualise entirely when I was reading it. So I'm really excited for people to see how our show is different from a lot of other shows. It fits into a pocket that people are really, really going to enjoy.

What would you say that pocket is exactly?
It’s supernatural, spooky, mystery - I don't even know. It checks a lot of different boxes. It’s a roller coaster. Truly. Filming it was one thing, but when watching, it is so fast-paced. Something is happening every second, you know what I mean? It's wild. Just recently, I got to watch it. I was entranced. Honestly, it's colourful and crazy and absurd in all the best ways. It manages to have all of these crazy themes and crazy moments happening, but it also feels so grounded in the world. It feels so believable in the world.

For sure. I feel like that's the mark of a piece of good science fiction or supernatural media, that, even though the premise is wild or impossible, you can imagine whatever is happening because the world is so authentic and rich.
It really is. Yeah, I mean, I was watching and was thinking, I want to be there in person. It's a little scary at times, but I want to live in that world.

Wow, you’re selling the world-building! So, assuming you live in this universe, how alike would you say you are to your character, Monty?
Oh my god. Honestly, when he's being playful and happy, I'm very similar. I brought aspects of myself to the character as much as I could. But I think he is really naive, which isn't really me. But it was really fun to play somebody very different from who I am. His heart is very similar to mine, though. How he expresses himself at certain moments is similar. But no, overall, he's very different, but I love my character. I think he's so sweet. And like, I just want the best for him. He's a cinnamon roll, as some might say. He’s a little devious at times, but he doesn't look like wants to be, you know what I mean? I would be friends with him, for sure.

That's lovely. Is that cinnamon roll a quote that I don't know about? [laughs]
Gosh, maybe I'm too chronically online. “A cinnamon roll” just means someone is sweet and adorable.

Ooh love it. I feel like I'm getting the image of the show. After this, what’s next for you?
I’m playing Hook in Descendants: The Rise of Red, which should be coming out very soon. That's really what I'm so, so excited for next. Again, it’s another character that's very different from me. It’s another very fantastical world. It's also a musical, so it's kind of blending my past and my present, which is so exciting.

What’s your favourite part of this new project?
As I said, I was a huge fan of Disney Channel growing up and this is a Disney movie. I was so elated to do that. I just recently got to do my wand ID for the first time: “You're watching Disney Channel.” Yeah, I got to do that. It was a dream come true!

Congrats! Is there anything else that you feel we should touch on before we wrap up?
I would love to talk about how I got the part! That was a really cool story. I was in the running for another part in the show. Well, first, I auditioned for one of the characters in Doom Patrol, and I was like, Wow, I love this world. I didn't hear back from Doom Patrol so when this one came around, I thought, This is my chance. I'm not going to mess this up. And I got really, really, really far for one of the characters but it didn't end up going my way. I thought, Wow, that's so weird. I really felt like I was going to be a part of this show. Then, months later, I got a call saying that the writers had written a part with me in mind. I didn't even know that actually happened! I thought it was just something people said. I had no idea that was a thing. I was so thankful that I got to be a part of this show, after wanting to be in it so badly.

I love hearing stories like that, it adds another level of connection to the actual project.
It really does. I was just so grateful. I loved the writing so, so much. To be put into the show was a dream come true. The whole project was a dream come true, really.

Amazing. It was super nice to meet you. This was a lovely conversation.
Yes. Thank you so much. You're incredible.

Enjoy the rest of your day!
Enjoy the snow. Good luck.