In our third Anthony Turpel Interview, we chat about reprising “Felix” in the final season of Love, Victor, now streaming on Hulu.
Anthony Turpel returns as “Felix”, the title character’s best friend in Season 3 of Love, Victor. The hit Hulu series returned for its final run on June 15, wrapping up the story with its last 8 episodes. The series, set in the same universe as the 2018 feature Love, Simon, first premiered back in June 2020.
In addition to this article, this interview is available as a video on the Courageous Nerd YouTube channel, linked below.
So, without further ado, enjoy our latest Anthony Turpel Interview.
Great to speak with you again, Anthony! Having been a year since our last interview, what have you been up to, besides Love, Victor?
Anthony Turpel: Do you mean work-wise? I’m not sure what I’m allowed to talk about, so I’m going to hold my tongue. Personally, video games. I’ve been trying to have a social life and it’s tiring, my gosh. I don’t know how people keep that up.
I’ve been trying to see family as much as I can. Keep up those appearances, I don’t know. Yeah, I’ve been trying to live as much as I can, especially during the {pandemic}. Gotta get some years back, I guess.
Some exciting stuff should be coming out soon, work-wise. Hopefully, you guys all enjoy that.
The third and final season of Love, Victor dropped on June 15. Now that’s it out, how have you found saying goodbye to Felix and the show as a whole?
Anthony Turpel: Well, we’ve done that months ago. We wrapped in the end of March, so we had a bit of time. Once we all left set it was like, “Okay, this is kind of happening.” It was a sad thing, three years of your life dedicated to one character.
Now that it’s out and completed, we’re finally able to show what we did. It’s kind of like a ‘move forward’ thing. You’ve gotta do it with every show you’re on. This one was definitely a hard one to do it with. It was a fabulous show to work on. It was tougher than the others, I’ll say that.
Were you satisfied with how Felix’s story wrapped up?
Anthony Turpel: 100%. It really made sense that Felix’s endgame, basically, was the Salazars. Just wanting the family dynamic that he never got. I think him drifting toward the family as a whole, more than just Pilar, made a lot of sense.
I thought it was a really interesting, cool ending for the character.
Having been on Love, Victor from beginning to end, what will you take from a learning perspective into future jobs?
Anthony Turpel: Oh man, that’s tough. Three years of doing this have taught me a lot. There’s a lot of stuff. You know, with each project I do, I always feel I learn from actors and grow as an actor.
The people on this set were no different. They’ve definitely made me a better actor.
Also, just kind of life, it was my life for a minute. Especially during the pandemic and stuff like that. I got to learn things outside of acting, just because I was kind of living with these people. They were pretty much the only people I talked to for a bit.
I learned things about communication, really basic stuff. There’s a ton of learning, I don’t think I could just push it down to one thing.
Both our previous interviews and your castmates’ interviews establish you’re fairly similar to Felix. Now having wrapped on that character, what kind of role would you like to play next?
Anthony Turpel: Definitely do something different from Felix entirely. I never really want to play the same thing twice. Sometimes, you do. Or, at least have a good gap between them.
You’ll be seeing different things come out of very different human beings. I’m always a fan of keeping it fresh and doing something different. I also love the character Felix and to play that archetype again, I would have no problem with [that].
In terms of character development, Felix is in a very different place compared to Season 1. Were you surprised by some of the directions he took, storyline-wise?
Anthony Turpel: The more we got into [Felix’s] character, the more we found him. I didn’t even find out about the hoarding stuff until that episode. I believe it was episode 9, Season 1.
Season 2 was a huge character shift for Felix. You kind of just saw the aftermath of that in Season 3. I kind of feel like he evolves throughout each season, especially Season 2. There’s definitely an arc with that character.
Lake (Bebe Wood) has been Felix’s primary love interest. However, Seasons 2 and 3 explore Pilar (Isabella Ferreira) as a possibility. Although fans tend to ‘ship’ characters, did you have a preference either way?
Anthony Turpel: I personally didn’t, if I remember correctly. I like both of them, they’re both great for different reasons. Felix’s story arc of why he left the relationship with Lake was really interesting. I kind of shipped the storyline, if anything.
Moving into the Pilar stuff, they’re both just so much fun to work with. I didn’t really have a preference of who Felix was with. More of, “What is he going to gain from the situation?” So yeah, I don’t really have a preference between the two.
Love, Victor exists in the wider ‘Simonverse’ created by Becky Albertalli, which we’ve discussed before. Would you be open to potentially reprising Felix down the line in another project?
Anthony Turpel: Sure! If they’re doing something else… I’m not sure what they’re planning. I would definitely cameo and bring back Felix. I love Felix, he’s an amazing character.
To bring him back would be really fun, yes. I would definitely do that again.
Are there any upcoming projects you can discuss at this time?
Anthony Turpel: I mean…. no, I don’t want to ruffle any feathers. You’re going to have to come back to me at a later date with that one.
Having reached the end of Love, Victor, is there any advice you’d give to young actors starting Season 1, Episode 1 of their new series?
Anthony Turpel: Oh, good question. Just, you know… take a beat. Give it a minute, find the character. With Episode 1, I feel like you’re going to find it more later down the line. At least in my experience with TV shows.
So yeah, take a beat, don’t be stressed about it. You’ll eventually find that rhythm. That’s really all I can say because every situation and TV show is kinda different. It’s a completely different experience.
As an actor, I always think you should just risks. Try something new, try to make your role as truthful and honest as you possibly can. Be present in the moment, all that stuff.
Last but not least, what would you like to accomplish with the rest of 2022?
Anthony Turpel: Oh gosh, sleep would be nice. Just keep working, that’s kind of the goal. You know? Keep on working.
That’s always been my goal, so it’ll probably be my goal for 2023, too.
Work, hanging out, just trying to relax and enjoy life a bit. I guess I’ll see, I haven’t really thought that far ahead.
Thanks again for taking the time, Anthony! Take care and stay safe.
Anthony Turpel: Thank you, you too. It was really great seeing you again. Have a good one.
