Tristan Riggs, an up-and-coming actor, shares his experience taking on the role of Aiden Webber in General Hospital, where he adapted to the fast-paced environment of multi-camera shooting. With a background in the horror genre in films like The Seventh Day and Blood Fest, Riggs reveals his passion for stunts and special effects, while expressing concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on acting. In a candid conversation, he also discusses his future aspirations, including the dream of working alongside big names like John Cena and Ryan Reynolds, and his desire to explore new horizons in the entertainment industry.
How was the adaptation process for the role of Aiden Webber in General Hospital? Is there any significant difference in playing this character compared to your previous roles?
I think the adaptation was really just getting used to multi-cam versus single-cam. Things move a lot faster than a single-cam film or TV series and they cover a lot of ground in a single day. Sometimes you only do one or two takes of a scene so you really have to hit your marks. As far as any significant differences compared to my previous roles, the character Aiden has appeared on General Hospital for years and so he has an established back story that I had to get caught up on. Additionally, it was interesting to take on a role that is established and where I was taking over from where another actor left off. There are fans of the show and fans of the character so some like it when the actors change, others not so much. So, it’s interesting to be stuck in the middle of that when you are there just doing a job.
What was your experience like working in horror films such as The Seventh Day, Scare Package, and Blood Fest? Is there a particular aspect of the horror genre that you find challenging or appealing?
I find the horror genre appealing because I like working on projects with all the gore and special effects. All of those projects were a lot of fun to work on in different ways. Blood Fest was my first feature horror film that I worked on. It was really great to share a scene with Tate Donovan. I like working with veteran actors for several reasons. I have always found them to be very professional and they are there to do amazing work. That makes filming a fun process. You can also learn a lot from them and they often will give you advice and encouragement which is helpful for younger actors. The Seventh Day was a lot of fun because my character was possessed and I got to do my own stunts with that role. Well, everything except the burn stunt but that’s expected due to how dangerous that is. I remember the challenging thing with that role specifically was that I was in a harness, chained to the bed with latex special effects and tubing all over my arms, and then at one point, they hoist me up into the air. My lines in those opening scenes are really just one long monologue so there was a lot going on there. It was a lot of fun!
Can you share a memorable experience or lesson you learned during the production of Walker or True Lies?
I remember with True Lies it was fun to work on the martial arts scenes. Those were filmed on-location at a real martial arts dojo and were scenes that I was able to do some of the marital arts myself. We also had stunt doubles that were experts in martial arts that jumped in for the really aggressive stuff which was fun to watch them filming and choreographing that! I always enjoy being involved in the stunts when I can. When I can’t, I’m still very interested in seeing how they interweave actors and stunt actors together into the final seamless scene.
How do you balance your career with your hobbies? Do they influence your acting in any way?
One of my main hobbies is skateboarding. I find it pretty easy to balance my career with skateboarding because I usually bring my skateboard with me when I’m traveling for work. I find my career, specifically traveling for acting, even helps me become a better skater too. The reason is, when you travel, you have a chance to explore different cities and different skateparks so it forces you to break out of your usual skateparks and terrain. It exposes you to new stuff that is outside of your comfort zone which is where you experience growth.
What are your future goals? Is there an actor or actress you dream of working with one day? What film genre are you most interested in participating in?
From what I’ve done, I’ve really enjoyed horror films. I am a big horror fan myself. Something that I would like to do more of is to be in an action film. Something fast-paced with a lot of stunts and CGI would be a lot of fun like joining the Marvel universe or something like that. My future goals are to continue acting and work on bigger projects, being the lead in a big production feature is an immediate goal of mine. I’m really into fashion and I would love to start my own fashion line or brand someday. As far as other actors I’d love to work with it would have to be John Cena, Ryan Reynolds, and Jack Black. I find all of these guys funny in their own ways and have a lot of respect for each of them.
A lot is being said these days about the devaluation of the artist’s profession in many parts of the world. Based on your experience, what have been the main challenges you’ve faced so far, and what do you believe is your greatest challenge currently?
I believe that once of the greatest challenges that we all share is the possible misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) as it pertains to art. Not just only for film, TV, and commercial. This idea of using an actor’s likeness without paying them fair wages isn’t right. This was something that SAG went on strike for. Although these problems for the most part are solved. But with the introduction of AI in the industry and as it becomes increasingly available, in turn, could remove the need for actors.
During your career, you were part of the cast of the TV series Walker on The CW. Could you tell us a little more about the experience of participating in that project?
Walker was a very fun set to be on. I enjoyed filming it because of it being filmed in Austin and also getting to work with Mason Thames who is another young actor. One of my favorite moments was sitting next to Jared Padalecki in hair and makeup and getting a chance to chat with him. I remember the first thing he told me that his middle name is actually Tristan so we had something in common.
One of the interesting things about you is that instead of always using stunt doubles, you like to perform your own action scenes. How did you develop your own techniques for this type of filming, considering the various risks that many professional stunt performers face in these scenes?
I think that it is good to talk to the stunt coordinator to be able to fully understand what you are going to do and to get a walkthrough of it. In a recent horror project that I worked on titled Dragpires, I was able to do my own stunts which were primarily falls. I’ve always worked closely with the stunt coordinators and listen to their direction so that you stay safe. For The Seventh Day I was in a harness and my character is this possessed kid that starts to levitate off the bed. The wire work with the levitation was probably one of the more dangerous ones that I’ve done because of the risk of falling and because you are in the harness for a long time. The harness is risky because it can cut off circulation if you are not careful. I have always felt safe though because the stunt team is right there and ready to step in and keep you safe. Stunt performers are very resilient when it comes to taking falls over and over again so risks are quite high although stunt teams are trained to mitigate risks in every scenario.
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*In partnership with Andrezza Barros