Riley Smith: We are taking Nancy Drew series to a whole new level

Riley Smith in Nancy Drew series. Picture courtesy/PR

Actor Riley Smith in a candid conversation talks about working on the series that is based on popular fictional character Nancy Drew and how it is relevant even in today-s generation. The show is a modern re-imagining of the classic teen novels featuring new mysteries and supernatural hauntings. It is about Nancy Drew, who finds herself involved in a mystery when she and her friends are also involved in a murder case.

Excerpts from the interview:

Why is it time to bring back Nancy Drew?
Everyone has heard of Nancy Drew, a lot of people have read the books, there-s a really cool mysterious story there. And Nancy is the type of character that you want to root for. You want to basically be in her shoes, you see the world through her eyes. The show does a really cool thing with Nancy-s inner dialogue as voiceover, and that brings the audience into her head. We see the show through her eyes and that always helps lead the audience along.

Who is Ryan Hudson?
I play a character named Ryan Hudson and he-s kind of the patriarch of the community, of the town. He was raised wealthy, as his father basically owns the town and has passed it down to Ryan. Ryan has his hand in a little bit of everything in the town. I think as we go along in the series we-ll find out more. But I think he has his hands in the political pockets and in real estate in the town and pretty much everything. He also has some secrets I think that will unfold as this series goes on.

More on Ryan.
Ryan is supposed to be charming. He is the guy-s guy. He is your typical wealthy guy, whatever that might mean to you. I think we all know those type of people. He-s a mover, he-s a shaker. He is charming. He uses his charm to get what he wants.

How are we introduced to Ryan in the pilot episode?
We first meet Ryan at The Claw where he comes in after hours to have a little private meeting with some of his buddies. We-re not sure what the meeting-s about. Soon after, we find out that his wife, who-s been waiting in the car, is murdered.

How would you describe Ryan-s relationships in Horseshoe Bay?
He has relationships with a number of different characters in different ways. There is a secret affair with George-s character that we start to see a hint of in the pilot. I-m sure we-re going to dive more into that in the series. I know he has a special connection with Nancy that we-re not sure about yet. Because Ryan owns most of the city, everything kind of funnels through him in some way, sooner or later.

How is the supernatural element woven into the story?
The mystery that we-re trying to solve, or figure out, with this character, Lucy, who is a ghost. Is she real? Is she in our minds? Who is she? What does she mean to Nancy herself? And really, where will this go? Is Nancy going to help this ghost? Is this ghost going to haunt Nancy forever? And what does Lucy, the ghost, mean to this world that we-ve created? The beauty of the supernatural element to a show is that it can really go anywhere. I-m excited to see where we decide to take it.

What genre does Nancy Drew fall under?
I think the show does an amazing job of weaving dark comedy, thriller, and supernatural elements all together at once.

More on the mix of genres.
We have these really funny moments between the characters, just who they are as characters, and then all of a sudden you-ll be shocked with a supernatural element. And so, the show does a great job of weaving the dark comedy and the supernatural together.

Do you have to be a fan of Nancy Drew to enjoy this series?
I don-t think you need to be a Nancy Drew fan to enjoy the show at all. I think that the show stands alone on its own. But I do think that a lot of people who are familiar with Nancy Drew, and that-s a large number of people, are going to love it because we do a really great job of staying true to what we know of as Nancy Drew in the books and the history of that story. But we-re taking it to a whole new level. It-s the future of Nancy Drew.

Why will audiences love this reimagining of Nancy Drew?
The show has a really great cast. Casting and the producers did a good job of putting this this team together, from top to bottom. Larry [Teng], the director, is amazing. His vision is so spot on. I trust him. I-d go to battle with this guy. He knows exactly the tone that we-re trying to set, the look, the feel. And then, obviously, Kennedy [McMann], who plays Nancy, is a newcomer but she is unbelievable. I-ve worked with a lot of young actresses and this is a girl that I would want to strap a series to. She is going to lead us through this whole thing. And then all the other characters are so well-defined. You know exactly when you meet them, you know, what they represent. There-s a little something for everybody. I think the show has all the makings of a good show.

The show also stars Kennedy McMann, Leah Lewis, Alex Saxon, among others. The edge-of-seat whodunit Nancy Drew airs weeknights at 10 on Zee Cafe.

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