Nolan Gould became famous for being a part of Modern Family, one of the most innovative and beloved television shows we can remember. For more than a decade, he played the enthusiastic Luke Dunphy, and since then, he has been gaining more and more recognition, not only for his talents as an actor but for being a voice for young people; for being a person who always inspires others to pursue what they love and never hesitates to talk about the importance of giving back to society and invite people to find friends everywhere.
Right now, he is busy working on upcoming projects, and yet, we had the opportunity to have this conversation in which he talks about his life and career. But most importantly, he also invites us to unite people around causes that would help make the world a better place.
If you love Nolan Gould as much as we do, this interview is an opportunity you would not like to miss to come closer to him and enjoy more of his unstoppable charisma. Thus, let us enjoy it.
I honestly can’t picture myself doing anything else
VT: When and how did you figurate out you wanted to be part of the world of acting, media, and entertainment?
NG: There’s actually been a few times in my life I figured out that being in the industry is what I want to do. I got into acting when I was five through a local theatre group in my community.
I don’t think at the time I had any clue where it was going to take me. I just enjoyed being on stage and trying to make people laugh.
We moved out to LA for my dad’s job, and I naturally found my way into film and TV acting.
I got on Modern Family when I was ten, and it wasn’t until the show was over, eleven years later, that I had the chance to sit down and consider or re-evaluate if this is what I want to do with my life. And I honestly can’t picture myself doing anything else.
VT: How did Luke Dunphy and his family change your life?
NG: So many ways that I don’t think I could ever give a succinct answer to that.
I spent eleven of the most formative years of my life growing up alongside Luke and the Dunphys. There were times when his storylines would sync up with what I was going through in my life.
It felt like we were working through stuff together. I feel like, at this point, he’s a split personality of mine, and I’ll find him popping up every once in a while in conversation. Also, I have Modern Family dreams where I’m back on set, or I’m just living a normal day as Luke. It’s weird!
Unite people around causes
VT: Please, could you tell us a little about Ellie Bowerman and your support for people with disabilities?
NG: I got involved with Best Buddies through a friend a few years ago.
If you don’t know much about them, I encourage you to look them up. It’s an incredible organization that does so much work with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and it’s changed my life.
My friend Ellie is a 4th-grade student, artist, and all-around awesome person. She has Down Syndrome and lives her life to the fullest, going on adventures, making friends, playing sports, and learning new instruments.
One of her poems was recently featured on shirts and hoodies from the clothing brand Jake Max, which is helping make the world a more inclusive place through their collaboration with creators with IDD.
VT: You are friends of some other activists sharing with Vanity Teen like Karan Bran or the Boyce Family; even, you have campaigned for Wielding Peace. That being said, according to you, what is the importance of people like you using their platforms to encourage others to contribute to causes like peace, the end of gun violence, or medical research?
NG: I think we can all agree that, when faced with the sheer magnitude of the problems our world is dealing with right now, it can be daunting, and we can feel that there’s nothing we can do about it. But, we live in a unique time because we have social media at our disposal, and for all the bad it brings to the world, it can also create a lot of good and help unite people around causes.
I know that I can’t stop climate change on my own, but if I inspire even a few followers to get informed and get involved, that’s important.
It doesn’t matter if you have five followers or five million; I encourage everyone to stand up for something on their platforms because it does make a difference.
Improve yourself
VT: Let us talk about formal education. So, please, tell us how you have been managing to stay focused on your career and keep studying to achieve your academic goals?
NG: I got accepted to USC film school three years ago but had to cancel when the show got picked up for more seasons. With the end of Modern Family and the pandemic going on, I thought it’d be best to wait for a bit and continue my education in other ways.
I read a lot, study films, write my own projects, take online classes, and do whatever I can to keep learning. I think it’s really important to always find ways to learn and improve yourself, and that can happen outside the bounds of traditional higher education.
VT: Which mental health advice would you like to share with us? What helps you to keep your mental health?
NG: I think honesty is really important in regards to mental health.
Society has done a lot to destigmatize mental health, but it can still be hard to bring up and talk about sometimes. I tell all my friends when I’m feeling mentally unwell and, that way, I have other people looking out for me.
It’s not always easy being honest with friends or family about something that vulnerable, but it really does help.
I think there’s never been a better time to discuss mental health because with the pandemic going on, I think everyone finally understands and has experienced the issue on some level.
Let us be honest
As a fun fact, in ancient Greece, actors were called “hupokritēs.” That word means something like the person who plays underneath the mask, but the word actor, as we know it nowadays, comes from the old Latin word “actor, actoris” or the one who makes the action.
This trivia came to my mind when Nolan Gould spoke about uniting people through causes because, in times which most people seem to prefer to pay more attention to superficial things, he is a young person who stands up to support good causes. Besides, he also invites us to be honest, leaving hypocrisy behind, and start the much-needed actions that would allow us to experience positive change.
We love Nolan Gould for his outstanding talents and his even bigger heart. And, as he said, if he cannot picture himself doing anything else but acting, we cannot think of the entertainment industry without him, his many abilities, and his joy.
Let us follow his lead as we do our best to share the love with all while being honest.