‘i feel like i’m one of the luckiest kids to have had this opportunity’
Irish-canadian actor AJ Buckley on the power of Irish stories, working on SEAL Team and the show that has a “special place in my heart”… By Keeley Ryan
Irish-canadian actor AJ Buckley has told how he was five years old when he fell in love with acting — and it all began with a show at The Gaiety Theatre. The SEAL Team star told Chic that his parents had taken him to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and that seeing the audience’s reaction to the show led him to decide ‘that’s what I want to do’.
He recalled,“i remember clearly that when the dwarfs were on stage and Sneezy, every time he’d do something — he’d laugh, and there’d be an eruption in the theatre of laughing.
“I remember it like, tickling my ear and making this vibration. I kept looking around, I thought someone was playing with my ear.
“I was looking around and the audience was captivated by the stage. I asked my mom and I was like, ‘who are those people?’ And she told me, ‘they’re actors’.
“I told her, ‘that’s what I want to do’.” AJ added that there’s“never a day on set that I don’t learn a new thing”, as he opened up about how his role on CSI: NY “completely changed my life”.
He told how he and his family left Ireland for Canada when he was six years old — and when he was 17, he landed the lead in the film Disturbing Behaviour.
It led him to move to Los Angeles, which kickstarted a“crazy journey”filled with “ups and downs”.
He continued,“my parents were amazing. My dad has since passed away, but they were always very supportive. It was a journey. I kind of showed up and went on this crazy journey.
“There were ups and downs. At one point, I lived out of my car for probably a year and a half. The day that I actually booked CSI: Newyork, which completely changed my life, I was living in my car and had $32.95 to my name. I still have the bank receipt in my office of what I had that day.
“That was the first big change in my life and career. I did nine years on that show and that, for me, was me going to college. The show runners on that, Peter Lenkov and Pam Veasey, really took me under the wing — especially Peter Lenkov, who’s become such a mentor of mine — as far as like, this is how you make shows; this is how you write; this is how you produce.”
AJ currently stars as Sonny Quinn on the Sky MAX and NOW TV show, SEAL Team. The series was renewed for its seventh season earlier this year.
And the actor told how while it’s“definitely the most physically intense job that I’ve had”, it’s also“by far the greatest”— particularly as he’d“always loved the John Mcclane type character”.
He said,“i mean, it’s every boy’s dream: I go to work, fly around on helicopters or hanging onto the skid of a helicopter and things like that.
“As a child, I’d be in the neighbourhood playing Rambo or Die Hard — or whatever movie I was into — with my friends.
“I literally go to work with a bunch of my best friends and a bunch of guys that were on Team Six or Delta; they’ve really lived this life. I’ve formed amazing friendships with these men and women that have done such incredible, selfless things for their country.
“To be on set telling their stories, to hear their stories and have the show be as successful as it has been — honestly, it’s been a dream come true.
“There will be a day, sadly, where this show ends and I will be devastated because it’s an absolute laugh. It is hard work, the amount of training that we have to do on and off camera. The shoot is so physical, we’re walking around with anywhere
“I’M SO GRATEFUL FOR THIS JOB AND THIS CHARACTER.”
between 60 to 100lbs of gear on us during filming — it’s all the real stuff.”
SEAL Team also stars David Boreanaz, Neil Brown Jr., Toni Trucks, Justin Melnick and Jessica Paré. Max Thieriot previously starred on the series.
And AJ told how there’s an“incredible bond”on set, noting that there’s not“a day where I don’t drive to set and say thank you”.
He continued,“most shows, you do three or four years if you’re lucky — and we’re going into our seventh season.
“I’ve been fortunate, between CSI and this — I did nine years on CSI and seven on this show. Usually, the seventh year is when the ratings come down. But with season six, we were the number one show and continue to stay up at the top.
“I’m so grateful for this job and this character that I’m playing. Sonny Quinn is so much fun — and kind of a branch of me, and there’s a bit of the Irish sense of humour in there.”
AJ opened up about what he reckons it is about Irish films and TV shows that connect with audiences around the globe.
He said,“there’s always been such great quality of content that has come out of Ireland — and whatever way the stars fell this year, it was just the perfect storm of amazing films and performances that came out.
“I’ve always thought that the content that’s come out of Ireland should be contending with the movies that are being made in America.
“What I’ve always loved about the Irish stories is that they’re simple characters and honest material — the stories aren’t caught up in these big explosions, with big monsters coming and you’re blinded by the effects.
“What’s brilliant about the storytelling is that they’re human stories everyone can connect to.
“The struggles that they go through, and the humour that they find in these situations and the honesty in the dialogue. And I think that a lot of people finally caught onto that.
“I’ve always thought — I don’t think anything’s really changed. I think there’s always been amazing work, and the talent that just keeps coming out of Ireland is fantastic — from the writing, directing, DPS, everyone.”
AJ told how one of his dreams is to do a project in Ireland one day — whether it’s on the stage or on the screen.
He said,“with SEAL Time, there’s the downtime — and it’s given me the leisure to pick and choose the work that I want to do right now in my career, to be smart and that stuff.
“I’ve already told my managers, ‘if there’s anything you see, I want to go back there — I don’t care what it is, whether
I’m on stage or doing a movie or a series’.
“I think the work that’s coming out of Ireland is just something that everyone should be really proud of.”
AJ recently returned to Ireland for the
Irish Film and Television Awards — and hopes to bring his children to visit next summer, as it is“such a special place for me”.
He said,“the last time I was in Ireland was for the IFTAS probably around 11 years ago. We’d planned on going back, but shortly after the last trip to Ireland my daughter was born so we were going to wait until she was a little older.
“And then my twins came. And then the summer we were planning to go out there, Covid happened — and we all know how that went. So, it’s sort of been put on hold. “But I’d absolutely love to take my kids to Ireland. I think that next summer, we’ve talked about going there. With my shooting schedule with SEAL Team, it’s all depending on when we start and all that.
“Last year, I filmed during the summer break and I was in Jordan for the majority of the shoot, so it was really hard to sort of coordinate.
“But I’d love for them to get to visit Ireland — my twin boys are five, and my daughter’s nine. It’d be great to bring them, because Ireland is such a special place for me.
“I’ve been away from it for so long, but everything about it — there’s so much of Ireland that I feel a connection to, in my work, my storytelling, and my love for music. Just all of these different things that you grow up with. “My parents would throw parties and whatnot at the house, and people would bring out the spoons, the bodhrán and the guitars; they’d sing songs until the wee hours of the morning.
“Even though we weren’t in Ireland, per se, when we were in Canada there was a big Irish group that everyone stuck together with. And I want my kids to experience that.”
AJ told how much he loves the character of
Sonny — and that there’s so much that the character could go on to do post-seal Team.
However, there is one particular show that holds a special place in his heart: Supernatural, where he played the paranormal investigator Ed Zeddmore.
He continued,“ed and Harry in the Supernatural world are the only two characters that didn’t die — so we’re the only two characters that can potentially bring back that world in a Better Call Saul sort of scenario.
“You could revisit the Supernatural world with those two guys; these two bumbling ghost hunters. I think it would be pretty hysterical, them sort of stepping back into the world and not knowing who any of these ghosts that come through are — but the audience knowing who they are, and what the connection is.
“Them sort of falling headfirst into this, always being in over their head — that role, playing Ed Zeddmore, is up there with playing Sonny Quinn.
“It was just so much fun. I love playing these serious roles and stuff, but I absolutely love doing the comedy bits. It’s fun — especially when it’s with the right people.
“Supernatural, with the Ghostfacers and the team that they assembled there — especially with Travis Wester — there’s really some magic that we had there. I know there’s been some talks — so stay tuned.”
AJ shared his favourite part of his career so far — and why he’s determined to never take it for granted.
He said,“to be honest, just to get to go to work and do what I love. I know how lucky I am to have a job, but to consistently make a living out of it and get to travel around the world — I’m so grateful for the career that I have.
“I mean, it comes with its ups and downs. But even when I was living out of my car, I was chasing my dream. It feels like a dream, because we’ve got this beautiful family, I’ve got this great career.
“But that’s my favourite part, just getting to get up and go to work and play pretend. And that’s what it is, I go to work and I play pretend all day and I have a blast.
“I get to be inspired by other artists and with this part of my career, going on the producing side of things with our company Passcode — the opportunity with that is to get behind the camera.
“Honestly, I feel like I’m one of the luckiest kids to have had this opportunity and I do not and will not ever take it for granted.” ■