Photo by: Shandon Youngclaus
We spoke with actor Mason Blomberg who stars in the Apple TV+ family adventure series Jane inspired by the life and work of conservation icon Dr. Jane Goodall. The series premieres on April 14 and follows 9-year-old budding environmentalist Jane (Ava Louise Murchison) on a quest to save endangered animals. Through imagination, Jane takes her best friends David (Mason Blomberg) and Greybeard the chimpanzee on adventures to help protect wild animals all around the world.
We asked Mason all about filming Jane, his character, and some of the important messages the series has for viewers.
Check out our conversation below.
How excited are you for the world to see Jane which you worked on for over a year?
Mason Blomberg (MB): I am so excited for people to see it! I think it’s a really good series and it will help people understand how to protect the environment and will help make the world a better place. The CGI animators did an AMAZING job, Greybeard (the chimpanzee) and all of the other animals look so realistic!
What was your audition process like?
MB: We auditioned for this show in the middle of Covid so all of my auditions were virtual. For the first audition, I had to self-tape a couple of scenes and answer a personality question, “If you could be any animal what would you be?” I said I would be an owl because it is my favorite animal – they are thought of as being wise and also a real “hoot”! The callback was another self-tape. The final step was a mix-and-match Test Deal where I went on zoom and performed scenes with various other actors who were the final picks for Jane. I later found out that there were thousands of kids who auditioned for the role of David! I still have to pinch myself that this is real life and I actually booked my dream job!
How would you describe your character, David?
MB: David is a funny character that’s Jane’s best friend. He is always hungry so whenever he gets the chance, he eats a snack. He also loves to learn from Jane. You could say he’s hungry for food and hungry for knowledge. He can also get kind of scared sometimes when he comes face-to-face with some of these animals or has to go on scary missions, but he brings levity to those situations by always cracking a joke and following it up by saying, “see what I did there?” David is like me in that I always love good old jokes because they can be so punny (yes, punny, not funny.)
What is the main message you hope people take away when they watch Jane?
MB: The main message I hope people take away from the show is that we have one Earth so we have to take care of it. It is a good reminder that it is so important we take care of the environment and its animals. Dr. Jane Goodall has said, “only if we understand will we care, only if we care will we help, only if we help can they be saved.” I hope this show will inspire kids to care because they will see these animals and fall in love with them, and if they care for the animals, then they will want to make a difference. For example, kids can do things every day to help, like pick up trash when they go to the park or turn the lights off when they aren’t in the room.
What was your favorite part about making this series?
MB: The entire process was amazing, but if I had to choose I would probably choose meeting all of the extremely kind people. I have such good relationships with all of the cast and crew. For example, the director, J.J. Johnson, was so much fun. We always make each other laugh. My co-star, Ava Louis, and I became such good friends and always entertained each other on set. We loved making TikTok skits and dances. Another co-star, Tamara [Almeida], became like an aunty to me and I nicknamed her Tia Tam. She is so kind. Of course, another amazing part of this series is that we got to travel the world to film it! We filmed in Toronto, Kenya, Costa Rica, Alberta, and Catalina Island. I loved seeing the different environments and learning about the animals that live in them.
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Jane premieres April 14 on Apple TV+
Follow Mason Blomberg: Instagram
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