Aleks Paunovic

Aleks Paunovic has been in shows like Snowpiercer, Van Helsing and can be seen in his new thriller Freaks. His career started when he transitioned from stunt acting into acting when he was asked to audition for a role. When he was younger he was an athlete and even won a championship amateur boxing title. He continues to have a love for boxing which is the reason he became a stunt actor. His stunt work eventually turned into acting when he was asked to audition for the HBO movie Heads, and was cast in his first role as Roderick.

In his free time, he is passionate about advocating against bullying. He believes that both sides of the issue need looking at meaning that both the bully and the one who has been bullied should be helped. He has experienced both sides of the spectrum himself and wants to fix the issue on all sides.

He talks about advocating against bullying, Van Helsing, Freaks and more below:

1. What made you realize you wanted to accept the offer to transition from stunt acting to face acting (with Heads)?

I think the transition from stunts to acting wasn’t so much of me accepting the offer, but more of me diving into storytelling. The idea of telling stories as an actor became far more attractive to me than the stunt aspect. I think stunts is one of the hardest and least credited jobs in the industry. I have nothing but respect for those who do stunts, but I became more interested in the ability to tell stories in front of the camera.

2. In what ways do you still try to live on the edge?

One of the things I checked off my bucket list this summer was travel to Pamplona, Spain to run with the bulls. I went with two of my friends, and it was one of the most exhilarating things I have ever done…, and I lived.

3. Are there any kinds of roles that you haven’t played before that you want to play?

That’s an interesting question because every role that I’ve wanted to play has come to fruition by me taking action. I would create short films around specific roles I would want to play and sometimes I would get cast for a project from someone sees those short films. If I had to pick a role though I’d pick something like Rocky. I’m intrigued by the idea of telling a full boxing story as opposed to other films where boxing is only incorporated.

4. What can you tell us about your new film, Freaks?

Freaks was such a blast to be a part of. I had worked with the director before and was excited to be cast to work with him again. Freaks is great because it mixes all the genres; you go from drama, to thriller, to sci-fi all mixed with beautiful storytelling- Then you add Emile Hirsch and Bruce Dern, and you can’t go wrong. It was such a blast!

5. What can we look forward to and what are you most excited for fans to see this next season of Van Helsing?

I can’t wait for the fans to see this next season. Julius’ journey is quite interesting, and he has some relationships with certain characters coming up that will surprise the fans. To have Kelly and Missy as our superheroes have been such a joy to see, and to watch strong women in roles like this is incredible. I can’t wait for fans to see it!

6. Why do you feel it’s important to advocate against bullying?

I think one of the most important things is letting joy and creativity exude from someone’s being. Bullying shuts people down and pushes people inward. It either makes people curl up into themselves, or it pushes them the other way, and they outwardly express themselves by pushing that pain onto someone else. To see a child be minimized and shut down from who they want to be is probably one of the biggest tragedies. Bullying dims the light in people and we need more light in this world.

7. Having been on both sides of the issue what would you say made you realize you didn’t want to be a bully? How do you use that when you mentor bullies?

I don’t believe the term “bully” enters the mind of a bully at the moment; to them, they are just expressing their own pain. When I was younger there was never a moment when I thought of myself as a bully. I just knew that I had this pain, and my way of dealing with it was to try to take that pain and push it onto someone else. It never truly took all the pain away though, and I realized that the pain I was pushing onto someone else never really left them, and I hated that.

I didn’t like walking down the hall and having people feel afraid of me. I knew I needed help, and I knew I need to talk to someone. It was that kind of realization and reaching out to people that I trusted that helped me through that time in my life.

8. Why do you feel there is a need to look at both sides of the issue?

Looking at both side of the issue is extremely important. The bullying is only stopped when the bully is stopped, and that happens with communication and guidance… It happens by letting people know that it’s okay to talk about these things. There would be no victims if we show compassion and love to the bully as well. We need to find the resource and love in that.

9. In what ways are you involved with The Red Cross/Impact Anti-Bullying Campaign?

I want to bring awareness to the issue and having a vessel like the Red Cross Anti-Bullying Campaign is extremely helpful. It’s about spreading the word when I can, and it’s an ongoing thing to support when possible.