The sky is the limit in YTV’s newest TV show Some Assembly Required and for the two actors appearing in it with ties to Penticton.
Penticton actor Travis Turner plays the king of swag on the kids TV show.
He takes on the role of Aster Vanderberg, who is creative, confident and completely comfortable with who he is.
The character enjoys the finer things in life and doesn’t understand why anyone would ever want anything less than the best.
“He is super into fashion and is in charge of the design of the toys. He likes people who look good and he likes to look good,” said Turner of his character.
“He is fastidious and quick-witted. He can be quick to dish out some pretty funny one-liners.
“At times a bit sarcastic, but underneath his exterior he is a pretty nice guy, but don’t tell anyone.”
Since his character likes to dress in creative outfits for Some Assembly Required, Turner said he had do really do his research.
“I have never really been passionate about fashion. I relate it to music though. If I hear something bad, its like nails on a chalkboard. I have to ask to change or leave the room. Aster is very much like that. If he doesn’t like your outfit he will let you know,” said Turner.
While their fashion sense may not be the same, Turner said there are a few traits they share.
“Aster and I are both very blunt at times. We make good first impressions and we like looking good and people who look good. We have a sense of humour and have swag. We are also good at advice and a little wiser than we look,” said Turner.
Turner also involved in the music scene as a hip hop artist going by the name Little T and has performed with acts like Warren G, Swollen Members, Kyprios, B-Real and others.
On the other side of the coin, Turner has starred in several TV and film productions including Battlestar Galactica follow up Caprica, A Princess for Christmas, Supernatural and Marley and Me: The Puppy Years.
Some Assembly Required follows an eclectic and mismatched group of kids who operate Knickknack Toys.
Surrounded by doubters, including the former owner, the team try to prove to the world that not only can they run the company, they can make it better than ever, restoring the honour to the name of the company’s founder.
The multi-camera show, shot in front of a live audience in Burnaby, began shooting in August and the 26 episodes will be completed at the end of February.
Dylan Playfair, who is from Fort St. James, but spent summers at the Okanagan Hockey School and a year playing for the junior B Penticton Lakers and later the junior A Merritt Centennials, has taken his game off the ice and onto the screen.
“I suffered a concussion in Penticton and decided to pursue acting,” said Playfair.
“I took acting classes and worked behind the scenes of several different projects before landing my own. That was two years ago and I haven’t stopped since.
In a twist of fate, his first acting gig was filmed in Penticton’s Memorial Arena for the Hockey Hall of Fame. Playfair was the lead role in Stanley Cup Odyssey, a 3-D short feature.
Since then Playfair said his life has been a whirlwind between classes at Vancouver Acting School and the Actors Foundry, a role as Marty Howe in Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story, the horror film Grave Encounters 2 among other projects.
Coming from a family with hockey roots, with two younger brothers still hitting the ice in the WHL, Playfair surprisingly received little flack from his family about his fledgling career.
“My parents have been really supportive and saw the hours I was putting in as a production assistance working sometimes 18-19 hour days. Once they saw I was passionate about it they got behind me and now they are my biggest fans.
Some Assembly Required airs on YTV on Monday’s at 6:30 p.m.
