Wes Ramsey talks General Hospital, "Paxie", poetry, his film Perception and more! Read more here--->>>
We spoke to Wes Ramsey. Such a super nice guy! We talked his background, General Hospital, "Paxie", poetry, and his film Perception! Wes is a man with a very defined purpose and path. He knows exactly who he is and what he wants from his career. We had a great chat!
A solo performance in his school play at the age of twelve gave Wes his first taste of a captivated audience. As he waltzed back and forth adorned in his royal robe, make-up, and crown, the crowd's adoration increased in direct correlation to Wes' "hamminess". The more "ham" he gave; the more they loved him for it. Wes had found his calling.
For the next seven years, with the full support of his family, Wes kept his dream alive. He gave up playing tennis, soccer, and track to focus all of his time and energy on acting. He joined Walden Theater and then at eighteen Wes left his hometown of Lousiville, KY to study Classical Theater at the prestigious Juilliard in New York.
Only three months after graduation, Wes landed his first acting job, which was in daytime television, on Guiding Light as Samuel "Sam" Spencer. Wow, three months! "I got my first job, which was in daytime television, on Guiding Light. I worked there for a couple of years where I learned a lot about the camera. Then I moved to California. Since then, for the last sixteen or seventeen years, I've been in L. A. chasing and living my dreams."
While chasing and living his dreams, Wes has had recurring roles on the hit shows Charmed and CSI. He's also had many guest spots in primetime and starred in Lifetime, sci-fi and action-adventure movies. He's incredibly proud of the work he has done in independent films. One that stands out is his work in Latter Days. "It became a cult classic. It changed a lot of people's lives in the LGBTQ community." He's been able to scratch a few roles off his bucket list, World War II pilot, pirate, and a vampire before his journey came full circle back to daytime. "I definitely made the rounds. I paid my dues over the years. I have enjoyed the journey but to come full circle twenty years later and to be back in daytime has been a dream come true for me."
Wes was cast as Peter August aka Henrik Faison, Cesar Faison's son, in 2017 on General Hospital. What a couple of years it has been for Peter! Did Wes have any idea where the storyline was headed when he signed on the dotted line? "I screen-tested in September, got the job in October and started later that month. But it wasn't until we broke for the Christmas and New Year's holiday break in December that they sat me down and told me, 'When we come back in January this is what is really happening.' They told me, 'This is who you really are. This is why you're really here. Everything else was smoking mirrors and build up."' What a Christmas gift!
Wes took "copious" notes during that producers' meeting and spent his Christmas holidays with YouTube watching and studying relevant and related clips for his upcoming storyline. "Looking at YouTube was invaluable to me in understanding the legacy of the show and the gravitas attached to it. I felt they were giving me this incredible opportunity. It was important to me to do right by it and by the fans."
That was only the beginning. Later it was revealed that not only was Peter Faison's son but Anna Devane was his mother. That's some powerful soap DNA! Peter August aka Henrik Faison the offspring of Faison and Anna. Or is he? In another twist, and although Peter isn't aware (yet), there is a real possibility that Peter is Alex's (Anna's twin sister) son and not Anna's. Will Peter get yet another maternity shock? We really want to know! "I don't know. Peter believes he is Anna's son. He's invested so much working through the scars of his past to forgive, to trust, to be vulnerable and to show affection when it comes to Anna. So, I cannot imagine what will happen if/when the show blows all of that up."
One thing Wes knows, we all know, nobody stays happy in daytime, which brings us to Paxie (Peter and Maxie). They are enjoying a soap honeymoon phase. How long will that last? "Paxie has worked to have happiness. Their friendship, newfound romance and happiness are based on everything they survived. Of course in the world of Port Charles, those things can be tested at times. It'll be interesting to see what lies ahead for them. And to see what they're capable of enduring during the tests that will come to challenge the relationship." So far we haven't seen or heard any foreshadowing or anvils so Paxie might be in the honeymoon phase for a little while longer. No doubt though as Wes said a test will come!
We moved to discussing Wes' film Perception. This movie was meant for Wes. He didn't audition for the role in the conventional sense. It was more of a meeting with the people from the film. They were getting ready to start shooting in a matter of weeks. The producers, writers, and directors were in Louisville casting, scouting locations and in pre-production, where coincidentally (well not really coincidentally) Wes was there visiting his family. Wes was cast in the leading role of Daniel. "To be honest, when I first read the script it was a bit frightening. Daniel is the kind of character, the kind of role I've been waiting for and training my whole life to do."
Listen. Wes was able to film the movie in his hometown where he played the character he's been waiting his entire career to play. Don't you just love that?! Kismet. "It was a dream come true to come back where it all began. I'm very proud of the movie. I'm very proud of my performance." Perception also stars Caitlin Mehner, Valerie Jane Parker, and Meera Rohit Kumbhani. It will be available on iTunes, Amazon Prime and on all On-Demand Platforms beginning Tuesday, August 6th! Check it out!
"Daniel, intelligent, obsessive, passionate, is a real estate developer who happens upon a chance encounter of a palm reading by a psychic (Nina) in a structure that he is set to develop. The reading sets off a chain of events that brings into motion the universal themes of love, loss, how far we are willing to go for the people we love and the difficulties we can have in being able to let go of the past. Daniel begins to have visions of his deceased wife, Maggie. Daniel and Nina's relationship becomes complicated when Daniel is adamant about wanting to see, feel and engage more with Maggie. The events that unfold are quite a roller coaster ride."
The cast and crew had weeks of rehearsal before they began filming, which is virtually unheard of. Wes believes that was paramount and directly contributed to the quality of the film. "We were fortunate to have a rehearsal process which is very rare, virtually unheard of in the world of film making. We set aside time for rehearsals as if we were doing a play. This fundamentally changed our understanding of the potential of what we could do with the script. It is great when you're able to collaborate and have time to work through things."
In case you didn't know Wes is also a poet. Wes is set to launch WesRamsey.com in the near future where he will feature his second volume of poetry. His poetry, Into the Black, will exclusively be available for sale on his site. Wes likened writing poetry to writing music. "In music, you put different notes together to form musical styles and numbers. And in poetry, you string words together. Both are based on a specific style, sound or feeling that draws you in and invokes something on the inside of you."
Wes' career is exactly what he dreamed of as that twelve-year-old boy on stage hamming it up for his captivated audience. "I love being in the performance seat. I love being a storyteller, a collaborator and a conduit of energy to create a character and to be a part of an ensemble performance. I'm passionate about my poetry and about creating as many diverse and multi-faceted characters as I possibly can." Wes, that is awesome!
Thanks so much for chat, Wes!
Check out Wes' film Perception! Available August 6th on iTunes, Amazon Prime & On-Demand Platforms!
Continue to Watch Wes on General Hospital!
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