EXCLUSIVE: Canadian Actor Mena Massoud Talks New Series ‘Open Heart’

When you learn that the producers of 'Degrassi' are coming out with a new show, you know it is going to be worth a watch. 'Open Heart' is different, in a good way. Set in the halls of a hospital instead of a school, 'Open Heart' is a unique mixture of mystery and medical drama. Don't let the fact that it airs on YTV (and TeenNick) fool you, this is a show for viewers of all ages. I got the chance to sit down and talk with 'Open Heart' star Mena Massoud about his role on the new series, the Youth Volunteer program leader, Jared Malik.

TVRage: What do you think is the most unique thing about ‘Open Heart' that makes it a series that stands out among all of the other shows right now?

Mena Massoud: I think it’s the fact that it appeals to such a wide range of audiences. I think it’s the fact that a teenager can sit down with their parents, with their grandparents, with their younger or older siblings and watch the show and everyone can enjoy it. I don’t think that’s something you can really find elsewhere, especially with a lot of the mainstream shows right now. They are targeted towards either an older audience, or a younger audience, but nothing really for everyone. This is a show for everyone and it’s going to captivate everyone.

TVRage: I think it is interesting how ‘Open Heart’ does not just focus on one niche. Part of the show is a medical drama and the other part is a mystery.

Massoud: Exactly. The characters are of all different ages as well. You have Dylan, who is the main character, but you also have the other storylines explored as well. As the show goes on, the other storylines get more and more interesting and start to develop.

TVRage: What was your first impression of the show when you were auditioning for the part of Jared Malik?

Massoud: To tell you the truth I was thrown off by the fact that it was for YTV. When I received the script I thought it was such an excellent, mature, script. When I was growing up I would watch Sugar and Carlos (‘The Zone’) on YTV and it was geared towards a younger audience. I would watch ‘Dragon Ball Z' and ‘Yu-Gi-Oh!’ and things like that. When I received the script I was surprised because it was such an excellent show, not that YTV doesn’t have excellent shows, but when I was growing up it was geared towards a younger audience. So my first impression was that it was an excellently written show, it was complex, it was deep, and not just surface stuff that a lot of shows are. I loved the script.

TVRage: Do you think you would ever be able to work in a hospital environment?

Massoud: It’s funny you say that. I was just in a hospital the other day and thought to myself how I would never be able to spend a lot of time in a hospital (laughs). My sister was giving birth to her second child, it was great, it wasn’t anything bad, but I don’t think I would be able to keep my sanity spending a lot of time in a hospital. Having said that, the ‘Open Heart’ hospital is a very exciting hospital (laughs). Maybe if there was a real life hospital like that it wouldn’t be too bad.

TVRage: What is one big lesson you have learned from working on ‘Open Heart’?

Massoud: Epitome Pictures is such a precise production company to work for, we start at 7:30 and we finish at 7:30, you have to make the most of your day. I learned that a lot of the time you have to go with your gut instinct, and choices, and follow through with them acting-wise. If you are on a more loose set you could try things a dozen different ways and pick the different ones, but on this set you have to go with your gut choice and really understand your character. If you don’t understand your character your first choice isn’t going to be a good one.

TVRage: What would you say are Jared’s greatest strengths and weaknesses?

Massoud: I think that Jared is the most honest person on the show, but that is my biased perspective. I think his strengths lie in his honesty and his ability to get things done. I think his weaknesses are the fact that his social skills are not always the best. He doesn’t always know the best way to say things. His other weakness is not being able to separate his social life from his work life, especially as the show goes on.

TVRage: It is clear that there is more to Jared than meets the eye. Why do you think Jared is so serious and strict about rules compared to the rest of the youth volunteers?

Massoud: I think a part of it is his job title. As the head of the volunteer program he has that responsibility to be in charge of everyone. I don’t think the hospital is the “be-all-end-all” for him. It is right now, but I think his future aspirations might be different. There is a reason he acts the way he does. It is also a personality thing, I am very organized myself and like to get things done. I am sure our writers would be able to answer that, but I think there is definitely a deeper reason for that.

TVRage: Who do you get along with most on set of ‘Open Heart’?

Massoud: That’s a tough one, there are only certain people I get to spend a lot of time with. I spend most of my time with Justin, Karis and Cristine. I would say all three, but if I had to pick, I would say Justin because we have had the most scenes together and our scenes were always very fun and complex. We learned how to work with each other and make each other better very fast.

TVRage: What can fans expect from tomorrow’s episode of ‘Open Heart,’ “Lockdown”?

Massoud: I actually got to see it on Saturday at an advanced screening! They can expect the show to take a little bit of a turn style wise and story wise. Things get a little bit more serious. The director, Samir Rehem, was genius at getting things to the next level. Stefan (Brogren), when he comes back to direct the last four episodes, picks that back up. The show takes a very exciting turn, it becomes more serious. Everything heightens a little bit! You can expect some surprises, some secrets to come out, and some relationship developments. Things get very exciting!

You can catch the next episode of ‘Open Heart’ on YTV (Canada) and TeenNick in the US Tuesday night at 9pm. You can follow Mena Massoud on Twitter at @menamassoud.