Avan Jogia on Life After 'Victorious'
After playing Victoria Justice's goofy sidekick on Nickelodeon for three years, Avan Jogia's about to get serious. He recently landed the starring role in ABC Family's new pilot, Twisted, a drama about a troubled teenage boy who commits a horrific crime. Though the show's premise is dark and twisted, Avan's working hard to make his character relatable and likeable. And when it comes to his extracurriculars, Avan's not messing around, either. He founded public service organization Straight But Not Narrow, which aims to mobilize young people, no matter their sexual orientation, to defend and support the LGBT community. We spoke to Avan about saying goodbye to the Victorious cast, traveling abroad to promote his cause, and if he's keeping his signature locks on his new show.
1/6The twenty-year-old actor tells us about landing a lead role on a new ABC Family show and launching a gay rights organization.
Photo: Getty Images2/6Can you tell us about your character on Twisted?
"I play Danny Ryder— a character who commits a crime and goes to 'juvie' for five years. He doesn't tell anyone why he did what he did. He gets out, and his mother forces him to go to high school. His friends have distanced themselves, and people call him a sociopath. No one understands him, and then someone dies at the school. He has to earn the support of his old friends and convince them that he's not a killer."
"I've never been the lead of a show before; I've always done wacky side characters. The good thing about playing a side character is it gives you a lot of creative liberty—you can be as weird as you want because you're not carrying the weight. This show centers on my character's psyche, which is fun."
Photo of the Victorious cast accepting an award: Getty Images3/6What was your reaction to finding out Victorious was cancelled?
"I've always felt that change is important. We did Victorious for three years, and the cast members are my college friends, but I didn't go to college. I dropped out of high school when I was sixteen, and I moved to Los Angeles when I was seventeen. I had six months to book a show, and in the fifth month, I signed on for Victorious. Victoria and I were friends before the show, and I liked her a lot. I have friends that I've grown up with for three years in a new city—we were all new. So I'm sad to see that go because I know I'm not going to see them every single day, but we had a great run. We went out with class."
Photo: Getty Images4/6How are you getting into character?
"The character is complicated enough that I can make him relatable. Everyone has gone away and had to come back after one summer of change—maybe it was a rough summer, or you got a reputation for something. You have to come back and be like, 'Oops, sorry!'"
What was your audition process like?
"It was lengthy. It's such a different type of character than ABC Family's ever done, so the network is gauging how dark he should be. I've done a lot of research. My character has an aloof charm as a defense mechanism that he's built up. Through the audition process, I tried to figure out how charming do you want his defense mechanism to be because he's very troubled."
Photo: Getty Images5/6You’ve been outspoken about your support for gay rights. Can you tell us about your organization?
"I founded a cause called Straight But Not Narrow. It aims to reach out to straight people who are apathetic to LGBT rights, and those who sit quietly when someone’s getting bullied. There’s so much bullying in schools, so it’s about getting people to stand up for others and say ’stop.’"
What’s your strategy to achieve this?
"We’ve worked with Gay-Straight Alliances throughout the country. My friend Josh Hutcherson and I have done videos to get a web movement happening. It goes beyond just gay rights; it’s about standing up for anything that you believe in. And then we’re actually doing a national campaign in Ireland. The Student Union got in touch. I’m doing a tour of Ireland and going to all of the college towns!"
Photo: Getty Images6/6You have a distinct sense of personal style. When did you become interested in fashion?
"Since I was a kid. I was home schooled from fifth to eighth grade, and then I went back to high school for ninth and tenth. On my first day back, I wore a top hat, tails, big boots, and Oliver Twist gloves. I've reeled it back since then! Fashion is an expression of your feelings that day. It's a costume."
Will you get to keep your hair long for Twisted?
"I don't know; it's really long right now. It's down to my collarbone. People keep saying I need to cut it! But I may it in a ponytail. It all depends. I've never done a lead to a show, and it's a lot more collaborative than I thought it was going to be."
